Update--BP spiked, but all still ok

[lisa d.]

Well, yesterday was exciting. When I got up, my bp was about what it's typically been running, but when I checked mid morning it jumped to 174/98! I checked several times over the day waiting to hear back from my dr and had high readings throughout including 169/100. I'd not hit 100 diastolic before. So finally they call and say go in to hosp just to get checked out. Here's the wierd part.....They hook me up to the monitors and check my bp (laying down) with the automatic cuff and it comes back 131/65!! I've not had a bp like that in 2 months! Sitting up it was only 148/89 (My current typical "low"). Basically the whole 3 hours I was there, my bp did wierd things like registering super low like above, and the highest being something like 151/75. Really strange. But the encouraging thing is that all the tests came back fine. The nst was perfect, not even trace protein in my urine, and the blood tests showed no problems at all. So all that is encouraging to me and makes me feel much better, although I'm still unhappy about the bps. It's been better today, but read 149/100 just after lunch. I'm not happy seeing 100, but I guess with all other things testing fine, we're just going to cook along for a while and watch it all. Any thoughts? Why the high readings if everything else is perfect?
-Lisa
36w4d

[akemt]

Lisa,

You can have high readings without any of the labs being bad. That's kinda what PIH is. And, I had a couple very similar experiences with L&D BP's. So irritating. Luckily my doctor trusted me. One time the L&D machine read 90/45 and the nurse sent me home without bedrest (not that I listened). She checked it with a manual cuff because we insisted and she got something in the 130/85 range. Then she gave us some mumbojumbo about how there are actually three sounds when taking BP's and that my husband was hearing the wrong ones...lol My doctor said that was bull. Anyway, another time I went in to L&D because of my home readings and the machine did the same thing...the nurses beleived the machine again, but then they switched cuffs on the machine (because we insisted that it was wrong) and it came back with a reading of 150/90 something. My doctor came in the room just after this, saw the reading and was on our side...lol Anyway, 5 minutes later, after my family coming in to pick me up to go home and we were having fun joking around (still laying down) my bp was 160/110-ish. THe doctor was still there for that and I wasn't allowed to laugh anymore! [:D] lol Anyway, I don't know what I'm saying other than I don't trust those machines one bit!

Keep up the good work!!!

Catherine (22)
DH Britton (27)
Emma Margaret (03/02/03) 37 weeks from PIH & oligo

[laura]

yup, Catherine's right. PIH is new onset pregnancy hypertension after 20 weeks, without any other 'off' labs. Some women will linger in PIH territory until they deliver- and some will progress into full blown preeclampsia. Hang in there. Be vigilant to changes that indicate things are getting worse, and developing into PE. Do your kick counts- you're almost there!

Laura-28
DH Jack-30
Allie 5-13-98 (35 weeks-pre-e)
Baby Camille 4-17-03 (36 weeks- htn and oligo)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/camilleandallie/