day 2 @ UTMC - results of 24 hour monitoring

I could say today is a much better day.  Ryan and I did not get much sleep but felt much better just because we are getting all the information that we need to make informed decisions and understanding of what is going on.

Today we got the results of my 24 hour urine test and its not looking good.  I am at 1,800 protein level range and the minimum for pre-eclempsia is 300 only.  At that point I thought my OB is going to make the decision to have me have an early delivery.  My blood pressure has gone down to normal at 130/85 but my swelling is getting worse.  It's like a mild case of Edema now.

After getting these results I was given orders that I am to stay at the hospital until I deliver (GASP!!).  When is that?  No one knows.  Dr. H said that it is best for babies to be at least 34 weeks old to ensure full lung development.  So the goal is to keep me here in the hospital on close monitoring 24 hours of my pee, blood pressure, etc... and to keep me pregnant as long as they can without compromising mine and the baby's health.  At that point I was both disappointed (of course I wanna go home) and a bit relieved at the same time because I know that there is still a good chance that my baby can develop and grow more before delivery.  Apollo is only 32 weeks and 2 days as of today and if we can wait for another 2 weeks (OR MORE!) that would  be better.

So today Ryan did end up going home to pack a big suitcase of clothing and things for the both of us since we are pretty much gonna be living the hospital facility for who knows how long.  At this point, all I am thinking about is I would be a good patient and would not mind staying here as long as i can to make sure Apollo is developing and growing and I am still safe.



My stats today -

• BP is running at 140/85
• protein level in my urine at 1800
• weight - did not get updated weight but my legs, thighs, hands and face have swollen twice its size (disgusting!)
• Apollo - superb!  heartbeat per minute is at 135-140, fetal movement is good too!

Today I am still assigned Tyler as my nurse and as usual she is great!  Did I tell you she also has pre-eclempsia and delivered her baby boy Owen 10 months ago at only 30 weeks.  She is awesome and sweet and knows exactly what I am going through.  We spent some good time today talking about her experience and she reassured me that me and my baby are going to be fine because she was.  It as great to have a great nurse!

Oh and I also got a visit from Dad Mike, Mom Jan and Mom Bev today.  It's great to have them because it's like having my parents around.  :)

I am starting to like the hospital food here just because there are so many variety.  I know I will eat these words back next week coz I will eventually get sick and tired of the menu haha.  Today I had the parmesan crusted tilapia with rice and veggies.  It's pretty good!

Today I also got alot of supportive words, prayers and messages from our families and friends and it means alot to us.  I know everything is going to work out and I trust all  my doctors to take care of me and my little Apollo.

day 1 @ UTMC - freakout day!

so today I got admitted here at UT Medical Center to be monitored for possible pre-eclempsia.  of course ryan and i are not thrilled about it but we will do everything to make sure out little Apollo and me are in good health.  How did we end up here?  ha!  well i wrote it on the previous blog but pretty much to cut the long short, i was referred to by Women's Care Group at Blount Memorial Hospital to Dr. Hennessey for potential pre-eclempsia.

I came in and I was ushered to the lab where they got my blood pressure, urine sample, weight, blood tests results (from Blount Memorial) and an ultrasound.  Dr. Hennesey and Dr. Fields came in to see me and the first thing that he told me is I look absolutely different from the last time he saw me. I was so swollen and as he feared my protein level in my urine and my blood pressure and just my physical appearance points him to the direction that I may have pre-eclempsia.  He did not hesitate and requested I be admitted for 24 hour monitoring of my urine and blood pressure to allow them to assess if I have to deliver Apollo soon.  

This is the first time that I ever saw Ryan scared shit, he was literally shaking.  When Dr. Hennessey and Dr. Fields said I might deliver today, it was way too much to take, I thought I am going to faint.  Well, they made the decision that I would go first through the 24 hour urine monitoring, constant blood pressure checks, fetal stress test, etc..  In a matter of an hour, we were admitted into our private room and things are being stucked all over me including IV fluids, blood pressure medication, etc..

Well, once in the room Ryan and I had a chance to step back, take a deep breath and go back again to all the conversation that just happened a few hours ago.  It's really difficult to take everything in so we decided to say a little prayer before we even try to understand everything. 

I am pretty much still in a stage where even the doctors still do not know if I need to deliver today.  Again all the results are still pending and the best thing that I can do is follow doctor's orders and have that bed rest in the hospital.

As of today, here are the stats that they are reading - 

• +3 protein level in my urine (which accordingly should be at 0 zero)
• 160/100 blood pressure (which has been running all night long)
• gained almost 15 lbs in less then 5 days (water retention)

 The good news is Apollo is "perfect" according to Dr. Hennessey.  His vital stats are stable, fetal movement and heartbeat rate is normal and his size, weight and other vital signs are great.  I am so happy about this!

Ryan and I had a chance to organize our game plan.  He is of course going to stay at the hospital with me but will take some time off for a few days until we hear back on what the decision is from Dr. H.  He went home to get a few things from the house and we will spend the night here tonight.

Today i am freaked out just because of all the information overload and its just hard to take everything all at once.  but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.  we know it will be better.

what is pre-eclempsia?

I have not had time to update this blog site of what is happening to me at the moment.  There's been a lot of stuff happening and I have to backtrack for about a week to get everyone up to speed.

Anywho the other day I blogged how I have to go visit my OB at Blount hospital because I am super swollen.  They are afaid I am developing pre-eclempsia. Well it was 1AM at Monday morning (Sunday night) May 23 2011 when I started feeling this annoying pain on the left side of my neck.   So I called WCG at Blount and they asked me to go back to the family birthing center to get my blood pressure monitored again.  I was already afraid that my neck pain is connected to my high blood pressure because Ryan and I monitored my BP that Sunday morning and I am up at 150/95.  So off we went and my BP monitoring and fetal stress test started at 2AM.  Ryan stayed with me the whole time despite the fact that he was on call for work that time.  My BP went ballistic and it did not go down from 160/100 from 2AM to 6AM EST.  Apollo is doing good but my BP is a big concern.  they took another urine test and blood sample from me and once again they found +3 protein level in my urine, but my blood test is fine.  Dr. Metelka finally saw me at around 5AM and told me that he has to refer me to Dr. Hennessy at UT medical because he is afraid I am developing pre-eclempsia. 

He took time to explain that pre-eclempsia is a rare medical condition in which hypertension or high blood pressure arises in pregnancy (pregnancy-induced hypertension) in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine.  I am showing all these significant symptoms coupled by the immediate swelling in my body.   I started to get scared when he said that its a dangerous condition and most of the time the only cure is to deliver the baby early.  PANIC MODE!!

He sent us over to UT Medical where Dr. Hennessy (who saw me 3 months prior for my thrombophilia) will look at my case.  So sleepless and tired, Ryan and I went over to UT Medical to meet with Dr. H and based on the initial consultation and looking at my labs, he said that I am a potential pre-eclempsia patient. 

I have been reading about Pre-eclempsia and found some really good information about it.  (see link below).  Basically what I have been learning from my OBs and from reading is that there is no cause why a pregnant women would develop this abnormal hypertension and protein in the urine.  At the same time there really is no cure except to deliver the baby to avoid any complication that the mother and baby can develop from that hypertension.  It's too much data to absorb so I cannot describe how Ryan and I have been today. 

Anywho I am tired and stressed out so I will just write more about my trip to UT medical in another blog.  Have alot of thinking to do..

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/preeclampsia/DS00583

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-eclampsia

puff mommy

do you wanna hear the latest drama of my preggy life? hehe. well yesterday I got the biggest freak out of my pregnancy when I woke up and saw how swollen my face is.  the swelling is more concentrated on the eyelids and eyebags area, but you will see a little swelling on my cheeks and my nose too.  for better understanding why I am freaking out - I took a picture of my eyes and you can tell I look like Manny Pacquiao's victim.  my feet started swelling a week ago and I did not really give much notice to it because I was thinking I am getting heavier and heavier and I have been on my  feet alot especially last weekend.  the swelling of my feet has gone down a little but it's still fat compared to my normal sexy feet (that's a lie I do not have sexy feet haha).

so going back to my hideous face, I called Ryan who was out of town yesterday to let him know I am calling the doctor about my face because it's not normal.  Of course I am trying to remain calm coz he is 8 hours away from home and I do not want him to panic or anything.  i called Women's Care Group and let them know of my dilemma and they immediately asked me to come in the clinic so they could have my blood pressure monitored. I am afraid they are going to say that because over the last few days I have been reading about this thing about pre-eclempsia or toxemia (a condition in pregnancy where the mom develops toxins /bacteria in her blood).  usual symptoms include high blood pressure, swelling of face, feet and hands, and presence of protein in the urine.

so off I went to the hospital and the first thing they did is check my urine and get my blood pressure.  true enough they found slight hint of protein in my urine and my BP is at its all time high of 143/93.  i have always had BP of 120/80 and never higher.  i started freaking out.  I finally consulted with my OB Dr. Turner and she said that I am showing signs of pre-eclempsia but we need to do some more blood work to verify.  She explained that there are cases of pre-eclempsia where they need to have early delivery to ensure mommy and baby are A-OK because what pre-eclempsia is is development of toxins and bacteria in the mommy's blood stream which can be harmful for the baby.  On the other hand, she said there are mild cases of pre-eclempsia where they just require the mother to get alot of bed rest.    what she said next freaked me out when she told me I am to go down labor and delivery center.  I was like WHAT???  she said its after 5PM and the clinic is closing so the triage at the birthing center can do the monitoring from there haha.

i went down to the family birthing center and they had me change into a hospital gown and strapped two dopplers in my tummy - one to monitor Apollo's heartbeat and one to monitor any signs of contractions.  then they also hooked up BP monitor on my arms to monitor my blood pressure every 10-15 minutes for an hour.  they took 5 vials of blood sample to be tested for any sort of toxins and bacteria and it would take an hour to get the results back.  and you know what the next hour would be like for me - freak out time!  the whole hour that I was waiting for the blood test result did not help my BP at all, it just keeps on going up because I was stressed out.  what if I tested positive for pre-e??  i don't want that!  the good news is Apollo is doing abso-freakin-tastic!  :) His heartbeat is good, movement is normal and he is just great - good boy!!

anywho after one grueling hour of wait, doctor came in and delivered some great news that my blood work is perfect!  you have no idea how relieved I am after hearing that I do not have pre-e and that I could go home.  I was given strict orders to take it very very easy and not do anything heavy while at home.  she did not necessarily asked me to go on bed rest but just to put my feet up 90% of the time.  (for me that's the same as bed rest!).  i do have to continue watching for more of these changes and call the hospital as soon as I feel or notice something different.  and as usual, i need to continue watching salt levels on whatl I am eating and lots of water still.

i only have 8 weeks left and ryan, myself and apollo have been praying nonstop for apollo to hang inside mommy for 8 more weeks and just happily kick inside!  on the other hand, i also took the initiative to start drinking salabat (ginger tea) everyday and continue eating my daily dose of good oatmeal to help with my blood pressure.

on may 25th next week I go back for another check up and ultrasound so we should see if there are improvements in my blood pressure and protein levels in my urine.  Oh and I also read that protein in urine is another indication of UTI.  happy to note that I do not have UTI still yay!


at this point, I would say prayer is the best medicine... and of course being a good momma and listening to doctor's advise. :)