Pre-e 2nd pregnancy. Stupid doctors

[BamaBaby]

H everyone. I'm new here and would love some feedback.

My first pregnancy I had high bp from week 8 and on. I was diagnosed with pre-e at 30 weeks. I was hospitalized from weeks 31 to 35 and delivered my son via emergency c section at 35 weeks. After delivery my bp dropped immediately and everything was good.

It is now 16 months later and I am 31 weeks pregnant with my 2nd son. My bp has been high since about week 8. Around week 14 I moved and switched doctors. At 18 weeks my bp started rising again and we have raised my medications at almost every single appointment. I was taking 400 mg labetalol 3 times a day, 500 mg aldomdt 3 times a day. I was routinely doing 24 hour urines and ultrasounds. At 30 weeks my doctor sent me to the hospital because my urine came back at 492. While in the hospital I was transferred to the cardiac ICU because my blood pressure was getting so high and on the labor and delivery floor they couldn't get it to come down. With IV meds they were successful to bring my bp down to around 145/90 and keep it there overnight. A day later I was released with the doctors telling me my labs looked great, my bp looked good and I was completely fine. They told me to stop taking all bp meds because they believe my high bp was "socially driven". My husband is deployed right now and they kept saying I was making my bp high by worrying all the time.

I left the hospital in tears because everyone was thinking I was absolutely crazy and because I'm so scared they aren't taking this seriously. Of course I am stressed, anybody with a husband deployed and a toddler at home would be stressed. But, I doubt stress could cause pressures as high as 209/113. I've been monitoring myself at home and my bp has been around 190/110. I don't understand why they took me off my meds completely.

Yesterday I experienced a sudden onset of nausea and vomiting. I only vomited a couple times but, still feel nauseous. This morning I experienced sparkling flashing light things. It totally freaked me out. I was waving my hands in front of my face thinking maybe it was just bugs or something because my back door was open. I havent had any more episodes like that for about 4 hours now. I have a constant headache, and have for a week.

I'm getting pretty nervous about all of this but, my doctors already think I'm crazy and I'm feeling pretty crazy. I don't want to go to the hospital and it end up being nothing. I really don't know what to do at this point. I don't know if I'm just worrying over every little thing or if it could be something serious. If my labs were fine last week, could they change that drastically in a week?

Anyway, I'd love to hear what other people think and have experienced. Thanks so much.

[caryn]

Your labs can change that drastically in hours.

I'm going to forward this to a couple of docs on our medical board, but the numbers you are reporting make you a severe preeclamptic, with a proteinuria reading above 300mg and at least one reading of either of 160/100.

The NIH Working Group Report from a decade ago states that women with severe preeclampsia are usually monitored in a tertiary hospital from day to day because delivery could be imminent.

You're reporting a persistent headache and visual disturbances and nausea and vomiting.

In your shoes I would want an MFM to take a look at me, today. Was the hospital you went to last time one with a good NICU? They don't see us preterm preeclamptics often at community hospitals but the big hospitals with Level III NICUs recognize the syndrome. Can you go to a hospital with a good NICU and ask to be evaluated for severe preeclampsia?

[MomTimesThree]

I have to agree with Caryn, find the hospital in your area with the level 3 NICU and go in. So what if it turns out it's nothing and they think your crazy- tomorrow they won't remember that. But if it is something, and no matter what with pressures like that even not pregnant that would be something, you'll always remember regretting not getting checked out. Your peace of mind is worth more than what any doctor thinks of you.

Keep posted when you can!

[trish]

I completely agree with Caryn - if it were me I would go to a large hospital and be seen immediately. Your symptoms including the nausea, "bugs", headache and "feeling a little crazy" are all symptoms of pre eclampsia. I honestly can't imagine why they'd take you off BP meds with pressures like that. Heck, even if your BP was that high because the sky was blue you'd still need BP meds to lower it to a safe BP! You are NOT crazy to feel like you should be seen today AND have your symptoms taken seriously and treated accordingly.

I will thinking about you and worrying so please update us when you can. (((hugs)))

[missingjasper]

I agree with Caryn as well. Please find a hospital with a level 3 NICU and get there ASAP. I don't understand why that hospital would let you leave with a B/P and protein levels that high. My thoughts are with you and your family.

[blythe]

Joining the chorus - in your shoes I'd really want to get checked out asap. If you go back to the same hospital have them pull up our signs and symptoms http://www.preeclampsia.org/health-info ... d-symptoms and point out what you're experiencing. Our "signs and symptoms" have been vetted by our medical board, top doctors and researchers in hypertensive pregnancies. http://www.preeclampsia.org/about-us/me ... sory-board

You mentioned your husband being deployed. Here is a post from a member a couple years ago http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewt ... re#p164423 - she sounds confident that your care outside the military system will be covered. If you're still cautious, I would call labor and delivery at the nearest hospital with a level 3 NICU and tell them what you've told us and ask if you should come in.

Good luck and let us know what they say!!

[caryn]

I reached one Expert who recommended a university hospital as the place to start - if you let us know where you're located, we might be able to help narrow that down to a particular doc to call. (Through private messages, not through the forum - we try to keep hospital and doc names away from the forum for liability and tax reasons.)

On the other hand, if you're already headed in somewhere, that's fabulous.

[blythe]

One more thing - our docs have called third trimester nausea an "underappreciated symptom" of dangerous complications such as HELLP - URQ pain (pain under the right ribs) is also a red flag for HELLP. Visual disturbances and headache are red flags for eclampsia - seizures. I hope you just have the flu or some other weird combinations of things that *don't* add up to PE / HELLP, but combining your nausea and URQ pain and flashes in your vision and super high bps and headache I am not-a-doc very worried.

[quincyf]

Most everyone has posted what I would recommend you do. I might even go to the ER at the big/NICU/University/teaching hospital and tell them that you have a history of PreE, that you are concerned about your high blood pressure and not being on meds, that you are having secondary symptoms.

But mostly I wanted to reassure you as a former Naval officer that nobody is going to be mad at you for taking care of yourself. You are not beholden to go to the military hospital (if that is where you are being seen) if you don't feel like you are getting appropriate care. Don't worry about the bills, it will get paid for, what is most important is your health. I will say too, that I would contact your husband's unit's ombudsman, or the commanding officer's wife, or some other family liaison and tell them that you are certain you are sick and ask for help in advocating for yourself. You might get further with a little rank behind you, and again, don't worry about the repercussions of asking for help. It's what the senior officers and enlisted are there for...to take care of their troops and their families.

Please post back if you can.

[BamaBaby]

I am so glad so many people responded. I took a nap and woke up to all of this.

I called my mom and am going to have her drive me to a different hospital. I'd rather get checked out and know for sure. I feel like I did during my last pregnancy but, for some reason these doctors don't believe it's anything. Even if it turns out not to be a preeclampsia problem, I know that having these high pressures consistently is not normal.

I will continue to update. Thank you so much for all the responses and support.