September 5, 2009
Pre-Eclampsia: All Right Now, Baby, It’s a-All Right Now
Part 3 0f 3. (Read Part 1 or Part 2)
Monday afternoon I dropped Dawson off at his old daycare and went to my follow-up appointment at the medical center. First up, a bio-physical profile with an ultrasound technician.
The tech called me back fairly quickly and asked me what, exactly, I was there for. She was confused because I had just seen her the previous Thursday.
“You’re guess is as good as mine,” I told her. “I’m assuming it’s due to the pre-eclampsia thing.”
She instructed me to lie back on the exam table and lower my pants to just above the pubic bone. She was friendly, and quickly placed the gel all over my abdomen. The baby was still vertex, same position as four days prior. He was moving quite a lot, and it was good to see that he was making practice breathing movements. The tech explained this was determined because the kidneys were pulsing. I was happy to have that reassurance.
Post BPP, I checked in for my non-stress test. The nurse was young, mid twenties I think, and very friendly.
First, she took my blood pressure. 122/82, perfectly normal (probably because I remembered to take my blood pressure pill that morning.) Next, she dipped the urine sample I had brought in for the appointment.
“No trace of protein or glucose,” she said. I was elated.
Finally, she hooked me up to the machine and arranged the belts to track the baby’s heartbeat and any contractions that might occur. I joked that I hoped there were no contractions, because I’m sure that would send the doctors, and me, into a panic.
After ten minutes of monitoring, the baby wasn’t moving as much as he was during the BPP, so the nurse brought in a juice box of Motts apple juice. After drinking it, I tracked the baby’s movements by pressing the button on the wand connected to the testing machine.
Shortly after that, Dr. Boehm, the doctor that I find rather intimidating came into the room. He had my chart in his hands and was looking it over when he said, “So, why are we here?” After hearing the ultrasound technician ask the same question just moments prior, I was wondering whether these doctors really knew what the heck they were doing.
“You’re guess is as good as mine,” I started. “I was told by Dr. P that I have pre-eclampsia due to x, y & z. Does my chart indicate otherwise?”
“Well,” he began. “Your blood work and urine are within normal ranges for this gestation. Your urine sample is clear of protein. One elevated blood pressure does not indicate pre-eclampsia. I understand why he requested further testing, but your levels are good today.”
I didn’t think my ears were working correctly. Did I hear him right? My levels are fine?
“So, my blood pressure is good?”
“It’s actually perfect, considering your history with pregnancy-induced hypertension and later pre-eclampsia. We would need to see more than one reading higher than 140/90. You’ve only had the one high pressure, and I’m assuming that might have been due to something else besides PE.”
I explained how I couldn’t remember if I took my pill that morning last week, and Dr. Boehm was nodding his head as I spoke. He then told me that because my condition has been monitored and controlled, and because I’m not gaining weight faster than average, I probably did not have pre-eclampsia. He believed that Dr. P jumped the gun.
What happened next was stunning. Dr. Boehm called his transcriptionist and documented my case while I was still in the room. He used terminology I didn’t understand, but when he said, “Patient showing a passing grade of 8 out of 8 in all extensive testing. Per my observations, I find it necessary to withdraw the previous diagnosis of pre-eclampsia.”
I nearly fainted. All that stress. All that worrying. All of it unnecessary because I was fine.
I told Dr. B how upset I was that the other doctor had me in a panic. He told me he’d prefer it if I only scheduled appointments with Dr. F (my regular OB/GYN who was unavailable during the last two appointments which led me to see Dr. P), or with himself. I agreed.
He then went over the game plan over the next seven weeks. Starting at 34 weeks I would have two appointments weekly, one physician appointment and one NST just to carefully monitor the blood pressure. The closer we get to my due date, the higher the risk of pre-E. However, he told me, I do not have it now. This was music to my ears.
When I told my husband the news he was beyond excited. I was grateful for his support and for all the wonderful things he did when I was constantly freaking out.
I told my parents, too. My mother insisted the rosaries and all the praying led to a miracle. In a way, I think she’s right.
I’m just thankful that I’m healthy. My baby is healthy. That’s all that matters.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
TrackBack URI
September 6th, 2009 at 12:03 PM, Mindy Richmond Says:
That is amazing. Tests all passed, diagnosis reversed. Hallelujah!
.-= Mindy Richmond´s last blog ..Who keeps doing that? =-.
September 7th, 2009 at 7:02 PM, selfmademom Says:
That’s great news. I recently had a scary prenatal misdiagnosis and it’s so hard to change mental gears like that while pregnant. But the good news is that you and your baby are doing great. Congrats and good luck the rest of your pregnancy!
.-= selfmademom´s last blog ..The lululemon Maternity Wear Challenge =-.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:47 AM, Katie Says:
Oh, that is fantastic! Great news!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Apparently Cars Bounce off Cement Columns =-.
September 15th, 2009 at 9:00 PM, Liz@thisfullhouse Says:
Phew! Just catching up with all that’s going on and just PHEW!
.-= Liz@thisfullhouse´s last blog ..In Our House, Safety First Usually Happens the Fourth Time Around =-.