I never thought preeclampsia would happen to me. This was my third pregnancy; my first two had been normal. This time I was carrying twins, and I never imagined how quickly pregnancy could turn into a fight for my life.

In my final weeks, I became extremely swollen—my face, hands, legs and feet. I was short of breath and exhausted. Then I became truly sick: terrible pressure and pain in my head, nausea, weakness and severe pain under my right ribs.

My blood pressure reached about 160/101 at home. My husband saw how sick I looked, became frightened and drove me to Labor & Delivery. By the time we arrived, my blood pressure was approaching 200.

Everything became an emergency. I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. Both babies were breech and had to be delivered immediately. I was rushed into an emergency C-section at about 35½ weeks.

I thought delivery would end the danger. I was wrong.

After my babies were born, I became even sicker. I received magnesium sulfate for 24 hours because I was at risk of seizures. I was extremely weak, nauseated, massively swollen and in pain. My blood pressure remained abnormal, my head felt under enormous pressure, and my heart would suddenly race.

My liver was severely affected. Instead of improving after delivery, my liver enzymes rose dramatically, and I had significant pain under my right ribs. Doctors repeatedly drew blood and monitored my liver as my results worsened.

There were also concerns about my kidneys, requiring close monitoring of kidney function and urine output. It felt like my body was being attacked system by system—my blood pressure and blood vessels, head, liver, kidneys and cardiovascular system.

My husband and I were terrified. There were moments when we genuinely thought I might not survive. I had just given birth to two premature babies, yet I was lying in a hospital bed wondering whether I would live long enough to go home with them.

Later, my placental pathology showed abnormal and delayed villous maturation, trophoblast abnormalities, and areas of amnion and decidual necrosis—dead tissue.

I will never forget reading the word “necrosis.” It made me understand that this was far more than high blood pressure. A severe disease process had been affecting my pregnancy while my own body was struggling.

I spent five days in the hospital after delivery. Before this, I thought preeclampsia was simply high blood pressure during pregnancy. I had no idea it could become a life-threatening, multi-organ disease—or that I could become even sicker after delivery.

And my story still isn’t over.

I am still receiving medical care and recovering today. I still don’t know what this has done to my body or what it will mean for my health in the future.

I left home with my blood pressure around 160. By the time I reached the hospital, it was approaching 200. Hours later my babies were delivered, but instead of immediately recovering, I became even sicker.

My husband and I were afraid I might not make it home.

My babies survived. I survived. But I am still being treated, still recovering, and still living with the uncertainty of what severe preeclampsia may mean for my future.

Preeclampsia is not simply “high blood pressure in pregnancy.” It can become catastrophic frighteningly fast.

If I had ignored the warning signs and delayed going to the hospital, I might not have survived. A few more hours could have changed everything.