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Anyone here have to deal with possible pre-eclampsia during a pregnancy?  At the dr today they found protein in my urine and were a little concerned about the swelling in my legs that I get by the time 5pm hits.  Blood pressure was ok.  I'm going back in a couple weeks, but they stressed for me to call if I had any further symptoms (blurred vision, headaches, etc).

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I have.  Did.  When they say to call/come in right away for those headaches, auras or blurred vision things,  I highly reccommend listening to them.
My bp went up quite a bit in the third trimester, and they were starting to get worried by the end.  I didn't have swelling, though, and don't recall the protein issue being a huge deal.  I hope yours stays manageable - you've got another couple months left, right?

I started getting it with my second. I had low blood pressure to begin with, so by the time I had the baby, it was up to the high side of normal. In my childbirthing classes we threw around the theory that getting enough protein can help with warding off pre-eclampsia. I don't know if that info will help you any - our dietary goals were to get between 80-100 grams of protein a day.

Also, are you getting enough water? Are you having problems with dehydration?

I try to hit about 75g daily of protein daily, but maybe it's a hydration issue. The appt was early in the day and I had yet to drink a whole lot.
Does the swelling go down when you rest? I was "spilling proteins" with towards the end of my first two pregnancies but had good blood pressure and minimal swelling that would go down if I put my feet up for a little bit so my dr didn't worry. My OB was very calm, and I took my cues from her on the worrying front.

Try not to worry (easier said than done, I know) but continue to be aware of what your body is doing as far as blurred vision, headaches, the big symptoms of high BP and pr-eclampsia.

Thanks for the input everybody, I am hoping the swelling and protein issue will resolve itself, or at least be able to be managed somehow. 

 

kommish: I have another 6-7 weeks or so to go... jeez, I guess Bigkrygowski better crawl up in that attic and get stuff down, say the carseat and nb clothes?

MttM: The NP/Doc weren't especially worried, just heavily underscored that I need to pay close attention to how I'm doing and to call IMMEDIATELY if I show further symptoms.  Oh, and if there's still protein in the urine I may have a 24 hr test to look forward to.  Sounds awesome.

 

We'll see how things go at the next appointment in two weeks! 

Drink a lot a lot a lot of water.  Really unreasonable amounts of water.  I have done the 24 hour "gas can" test.  And they are totally right, if you have ANY of the other symptoms, phone in right away.  I remember when my visual aura started, and I phoned in, the nurse (who had already pulled my chart) cut me off as I was describing the symptoms and said.  "Now listen to me.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect 200$.  Get your husband to drive you to ER right now.  We'll phone ahead with the tests."  Welcome to spending 4 days in the hospital :P  And my blood pressure never left high-normal.

 

I guess what I'm saying is, I didn't know how serious it was until it was all over.  But it is potentially very serious, things can change very quickly, and I am urging you to not try to be stoic and "pffft, it's nothing" if you do start experiencing other symptoms. 

Yes. It sucked. I'm assuming you're on bedrest now? Keep your feet up! I'd lay couch cushions flat and put my feet up on them. It seemed to help a lot with the swelling. At the time I wondered how in the hell anybody manages to have a toddler around if they have toxemia or pre-eclampsia symptoms during a second or later pregnancy.

 

I never had blurred vision, some little headaches but I never reported them (I should have!). Ditto on the water. It's only going to make labor and recover that much easier if you're well hydrated.

 

I had it too.  I was having quite a bit of ankle swelling, but figured it was just a pregnancy thing.  Then my 32 week appointment, and BAM- the nurse freaked out at my BP reading and urine protein reading and immediately had me lying down.  Other than the swelling and being a bit tired, I felt fine- no headaches, spots in my vision. I guess at my previous appointment there had been a little protein in my urine sample, but they didn't even tell me about it.  Maybe they didn't want to freak me out and wanted to wait until the next visit?

 

Off to the hospital for a 24 hour urine catch- bad results, sent to the bigger hospital and another urine catch and a fancy ultrasound (to check the baby's size, but they were under by over a pound!).  Then just waited until the docs thought it wasn't going to get better.

 

I'd rest, feet up if you can, lots of water- limit salt.  If you have any hint of a headache, or vision issues, call the doc- despite feeling ok, it can be serious for you and baby.  If you're worried, you could check you BP at home, but that might be a bit much. 

Jenra: no bed rest yet (actually at work right now), but I think I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if I can come in for another whiz quiz. If it's the same or higher, then I'll worry, but if it's within normal then maybe it was a bad catch on the one from Friday.

We are coming up on the 4th anniversary of losing our first son, so any variation from normal is unwelcome, to say the least.
SJB: my bp was ok, so that is good, but from what I've read on line, symptoms can really vary....
I remembered your first son when you put this up, Bunny, and was thinking of how hard this must be in that light.  I'll be thinking of you all as you approach the anniversary, and thinking good anti-pre-eclamptic thoughts as well.  ;)

Thanks, kommish! 

 

Now off to finish that second quart of water before bed.  And see if I can rustle up someone to play Wordfeud with me before I pass out.

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