Some details you ask? Here is the best, most inclusive summary I can give at this time. I will do my best to keep up with the blog as to how things are going for anyone interested.
Last week, Tuesday, January 14th I had a doctors appointment that I posted about the following day. I had said that all is well, things were going well and that was true. My swelling and slightly elevated blood pressure were slight warning signs of pre-eclampsia but nothing that was of concern. I was told to continue looking for other symptoms and keep doing what I was doing. That is what I did.
Over the course of the week and a half between the 14th and the 24th, I swam laps one day, ran some errands with mom, did some subbing and hung out at home. On Friday, January 24th, I was subbing at Guardino and was feeling really good. My class had gone to specials and as I was walking by the nurse I was curious as to what my blood pressure was (as I was quite swollen and it was a slight concern 10 days ago). She took it first with a digital monitor and it read 173/110. She re-did it on manually and it read 180/100. As a person who has normally 'good' blood pressure, I asked her opinion and expressed my concerns about pre-eclampsia. She recommended calling the doctor and seeking their advice, and so I did.
Within the hour, the Perinatal Center Triage Nurse had called me back and told me that they recommend I get to the Emergency Room for further testing and that was an extremely high blood pressure. Julie was my lifesaver, called mom as I was a bit emotional, had TJ bring her to Guardino and we were off to the Bay Hospital. (Side Note: During all of this my husband was completing his first surgery as the anesthesiologist and was unreachable!) The hospital was great and quickly got me in, ran blood and urine tests, and spoke directly with Dr. Spadola (my doctor from the Perinatal Center). Results came back with high levels of protein in my urine, and abnormal blood tests in many areas, as well as a continued high blood pressure. All of those things are signs of pre-eclampsia, and Dr. Spadola wanted me transported via ambulance immediately to Crouse. Jumping ahead, luckily, she was on call this weekend and was present and actively involved in everything.
Upon arriving at Crouse I was admitted and immediately put on a Magnesium Drip. Magnesium is used as a soft muscle relaxer and was used in hopes to bring my blood pressure down and prevent seizures which are very threatening and are part of eclampsia. I was also hooked up to baby heart rate monitors, and blood pressure monitors every 15 minutes. Numerous vials of blood were drawn, urine samples taken and continual monitoring. Being that I only have one kidney, this was also a factor that needed to be considered as both a risk and as a precaution for providing medications. I was quickly diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia and told there was a risk for delivery tomorrow, or as far away as 34 weeks depending on how things progressed.
Pre-eclampsia is formerly called toxemia, preeclampsia is a condition that pregnant women develop. It is marked by high blood pressure and a high level of protein in the urine. Preeclamptic women will often also have swelling in the feet, legs, and hands. This condition usually appears during the second half of pregnancy, often in the latter part of the second or in the third trimesters, although it can occur earlier.
If undiagnosed, preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia, a serious condition that can put you and your baby at risk, and in rare cases, cause death. Women with preeclampsia who have seizures are considered to have eclampsia. (http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/preeclampsia-eclampsia)
It was a very long night, with monitoring, testing, admissions paperwork, being uncomfortable from sitting in hard hospital beds for 12 + hours and no time to really sleep with nurse monitors on an hourly basis. Around 4 am, I was given a blow up mattress style pad for my bed which allowed me some comfort and a bit of sleep in between my hourly monitors.
My parents, grandma, and Lyndi were amazing last night. Lyndi had raced to the Bay to ride in the ambulance with me so Mom could go pick up Dad and get some clothes for me. Mom, Dad, Gram and Lyndi all were here with me until about midnight when I finally made them leave so they could sleep and I could try to sleep. They all stayed at Aunt Lo's and were back with me this morning with snacks and entertainment for the day!
Today has gone well, or at least as well as we can expect at this point. My blood pressure has come down to normal range, the babies have not been impacted at all, and are showing their personalities through to the nurses! Baby A is quite the mover, and proving to be quite difficult in working cooperatively with the nurses. Baby B is the more laid back baby, protecting herself from her wild sister and making our lives easier! Last night, around 3 am, I had a bedside ultrasound which confirmed they were doing great, growing and progressing as expected and had appropriate fluid levels in both their amniotic sacs. Today I had another ultrasound which did the same. Everything is where it should be. I have also spoke with Dr. Spadola twice and she is happy with the progress but thinks I will probably be here until I deliver, which we are now aiming for 34 weeks (which means 5 more weeks in the hospital) as long as I stay healthy and don't show any signs that would lead them to believe the babies would be safer out than in. There is a chance I may get to go home, but we never know... It's a day by day, test by test decision at this point. She is a wonderful doctor, and I feel extremely fortunate to have landed such a wonderful doctor so quickly upon returning to the states. I also cannot say enough good things about Crouse at this point. The nurses I have worked with have been fabulous and everyone has been wonderful! While this is not the path we had planned on taking, I am so grateful for the wonderful people and facilities we have available for us!
Finally, I have to admit, this is so hard to be going through all of this with my husband in St. Kitts. Truthfully, I am not sure who it is harder for, me or him, but regardless we are making it through this together and I couldn't ask for a more supportive, loving and dedicated husband. He is busting his ass to keep up with school and be prepared to get on a plane at a last minutes notice to be here. My children are blessed, and so am I!!!!
The uncooperative girls from this morning:
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| Baby B |
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| Baby A |
AND on a very positive note, we found out yesterday that we will be attending CORNELL UNIVERSITY for Brayton's Clinical Year of Vet School. We are extremely excited that we will be closer to home and be able to have family and friends come visit and help! Cornell is also one of the best Vet School's in the US, so it is a privilege for Brayton to be attending and graduating with a DVM from Ross University and Cornell University!
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