Preeclampsia


		Our Stories -Our Stories -How to Share Your Story Deanna Russo - Sharpsville, PA. My story begins on Wednesday, February 25, 1998 when I woke up to get ready for work. At the age of 23 (and healthy I might add) this was my first pregnancy. All had been going well - very uneventful. I was just so happy (I had always wanted to be a mother) and nothing bothered me; if I was having some discomfort I kept on smiling. I never complained. I had been quite swollen for a few weeks prior but on this day everything had fallen apart. I was not due for another 3 ½ weeks. I arose from bed in excruciating pain. I was in tears; I couldn't move. Not matter what I did, how I positioned myself, the pain would not subside. The pain was located in the upper right quadrant of my stomach. Of course I called off work. Though my husband, Ron, was an RN I chose not to awake him; after all, he knew very little about ob/gyn nursing. Being the stubborn person that I am, I waited a few hours before calling my doctor - you know how it goes, you call, you go in, and nothing is wrong or every little pain is completely gone. I was transferred into the nurse who told me there was nothing to worry about, it was just the baby growing. I then explained about my swelling and I got the age-old answer - that is normal. So I stayed at home and waited it out. I figured ok I have a scheduled appointment tomorrow and maybe I am over-reacting after all a doctor's office is always right - right? Thursday, February 26, 1998 - everything is "back to normal". I go to work - still swollen that you would not believe, however, no pain. Things go well - normal. After work, I arrive to pick up Ron and off we were to the doctor. After arriving and finding out that I had gained an outrageous amount of weight in less than a week (at least 12 lbs) and was spilling protein (oh did I mention my skyrocketing blood pressure) I see my ob/gyn. Dr. Hanigosky took one look at me and said "you are going straight to the hospital and plan on staying - don't be surprised if we induce you". I just thought to myself OK then - I guess I was kind of in shock; I definitely did not expect this. After completing my examination (I was only 1 cm dilated and 50 percent effaced) we were on our way straight to the hospital. Immediately I was wearing my hospital gown and was being hooked up to a bunch of monitors. I was being stuck with all kinds of needles and had a catheter in place. I was being pumped full of pitocin (for induction) and mag sulfate (to prevent seizures). When Dr. Hanigosky arrived she examined me - no progress - so she decided to rub a pill on my cervix to assist with dilation. My blood work showed a decrease in my platelet count and an increase in liver enzyme count - not good. In all honestly, I do not remember my numbers but they were definitely not anywhere near what they should have been. Hours have passed; no change except for the worst. At this point, my kidneys began to fail; they had to be challenged. Keep in mind during all this I am just taking this with a grain of salt - I was not panicky (which is not like me); I was just going with the flow. Early morning Friday, February 27, 1998 - it has been approximately 12 hours and hardly any progress. Platelets continue to drop; liver enzymes continue to climb and I am only 3 cm dilated (after 3 induction pills and quite a bit of pitocin). Finally Dr. Hanigosky had no choice but to perform a c-section - STAT! The next thing I know I had nurses and doctors coming out of the woodwork of my hospital room. Due to the urgent need to deliver my baby I was intibated for the birth of my son. At 8:08 am I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Alec Scott weighed in a 5 lb. 9 oz.; 17 inches long. To make a long story short I was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome shortly after delivery. Luckily both my son and myself had no short-term or long-term effects. After long hours of research I found the HELLP Syndrome Society to turn to for support and information. Looking back on my situation I had all the symptoms - in my opinion - the upper quadrant pain I was experiencing 2 days before delivery was the key (for me). Fast forward to January 2000 - Ron and I have talked quite a bit about having a second child (after I swore up and down that I would not have anymore due to the risks). The first step that we took was meeting with my ob/gyn to discuss risks, options, prevention, etc. She felt confident that all would be fine. From there we met with another ob/gyn in the area for a second opinion. Honestly, he was not much help. The third and final opinion was the most encouraging. We met with two periontologists from Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Given my previous pregnancy history, they told me that I would have a 3 to 5 percent chance of developing HELLP in subsequent pregnancies but my chances of developing preeclampsia were by far greater. In honestly I do not remember the number but it was like a 30 percent chance. On a scale of 1-3; Magee said I was a 2 for the severity of my HELLP Syndrome. I made the decision to stick with my original ob/gyn (Dr. Hanigosky) for appointments and delivery. I had two ultrasounds (instead of one like my first pregnancy), which came back normal. I was monitored closely; checking my blood pressure and urine periodically at home - all was well. I had swelling but nothing out of the norm. On February 1, 2001, at 38 weeks, I arrived at my weekly check-up to find my blood pressure rising. At first Dr. Hanigosky was going to send me to the hospital to monitor my pressure but after examining me I was already 75 percent effaced and dilated to 3 cm. She recommended that we go for it. I arrived at the hospital around 4:30 p.m.; had my water broken at 6:45 p.m. and delivered Lucas Alan (via VBAC) at 11:55 p.m. Luc weighed in at 6 lb. 12 oz and 18 inches long - not to mention he was perfectly healthy as was I. We now have two beautiful healthy boys: Luc celebrated his 1st birthday on February 1, 2002 and Alec celebrated his 4th on February 27, 2002. We have decided not to have any more children (2 was always a good number for me from the beginning). I had my tubes tied eight weeks after Luc was born. Back to Our Stories © 2000 - 2008 Preeclampsia Foundation [Site Search] [Disclaimer] [Contact Us] If you experience any technical problems with this website, email the Webmaster Original Site designed by Monster Design. Original Site developed by WebMosaics. Site Maintained by A-C-Design.

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