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Joanne's story My name is Joanne Smith and this my Story of Eclampsia with my first child and Pre-eclampsia with my second. My daughter, Skyler, was born 6/5/95 at 31 weeks. I was complaining to a friend one day about all the swelling and even after 2 days off work how it hadn't subsided and she suggested I may have pre-eclampsia and I should call my Dr. Well, I quickly read in my "What to Expect" book about pre-eclampsia..what it said is vague, but I had all the symptoms it described...I went to my Dr's office the next morning and was sent immediately to the hospital...the Dr at the hospital observed me for a few hours, did a blood test and sent me home on bed rest...I was told to return to see my Dr again in the morning to be checked out again. Then next morning after the nurse took my BP and dipped my urine I was ushered into my Dr's private office where she admitted me directly into the hospital's anti-partum ward! I was to go directly there and not pass go and not collect $200..if you know what I mean. The Day was May 31...In the 3 days that followed I laid in bed...had my BP taken hourly, was weighed daily, and had my blood drawn 3-4 times a day. June 3 I was told I would be sent home the next morning as my condition had stabilized.....at 2am June 4, 1995 I awoke with the WORSE headache I'd ever had. I yelled at my roommate for having her light on(severe light sensitivity) went to the bathroom to pee in my "hat" and upon return to my bed began vomiting violently...so badly that my roommate turned on her light to the nurses station and when they asked what the problem was she just screamed get someone in here now! As the nurses came running I began seizing. One got the story from my roomy and went to check my urine...one was getting a gurney and the 3rd was holding the vomit thing...I was vomiting and seizing continually from there...I passed out...the rest of the 28 hours comes in flashes... I came to once when the anistesiologist was trying to start a line, he was saying if I didn't stop jumping around he wouldn't be able to help me(like I could stop the involuntary movement of my body)...I came to again when 2 nurses were holding me down trying to start a catheter(my kidneys were in failure)..I begged for ice chips(faces would pop up..my hubby, my mom, my best friend, my brother-in-law..etc)... It took 22 hours to stabilize me and 6 hours to induce and deliver my little girl. All 3 lbs and 9 oz. She was a fighter and despite the RDS and the Chest tube is now a healthy 4 year old who's tall for her age(remarkable since she didn't even hit the growth chart till she was nearly 2) After 3 years of horrible memories, I choked back my fears and decided to get pregnant again. I chose as my Dr. the intern (now a full fledged ob/gyn) that delivered Skyler. When she reviewed my chart she remembered immediately all that had happened(it was her handwriting/typing after all) I can't say she was pleased, but together we worked to set limits. I always felt the babies life should come first and my mom, husband and Dr. Kopecky all contended mine should. She had me monitor my Pregnancy with her. We were partner's and had to be. At 13 weeks we both got the first shock of a LONG 34 week Pg. I had a headache that had lasted 4 days and stopped by just so I could make sure it WASN'T my BP..unfortunately it was..180/160. Pg induced hypertension. I was placed on a BP med and modified bed rest..no more vaccumming, dishes, or shopping for me!(it was mid Oct 1998 and Christmas was fast approaching)...along with this I purchased a BP monitor and kept track of my BP 2 x a day. I noted changes after doing too much(ie cheating and going shopping). On December 23, on a routine 20 week appt with the nurse practitioner...she made note of a gradual increase in my daily BP's. More bed rest was ordered..and this time no, nothing...I could shower 1 time every other day!... Mid January and 25 weeks (I'm now seeing the Dr weekly) I take my Gestational Diabetes test...I fail miserably! and am sent to the High Risk Specialist whom Dr Kopecky had kept well informed. When you have my history, add to it PIH, and now GD it was only natural to add another Dr, a Clinical Nurse Specialist and a staff of 15 to care for you. The team of Dr's and Nurses that kept track of my every move were amazing..and if I do say so myself so was I... My typical day went like this: Get up,check for protein in urine, check BP and take meds, check Blood
sugar, inject insulin
2 days a week I would have non-stress tests, 1 day a week during one of those tests I would get an ultra sound, and generally on one of those days I would also see the Dr. Between Feb 2, my 28th week, and March 18th when I was induced, I would go to the L & D 15+ times, either would call about something and be told to come down, or would be sent over by the Dr...one time she actually said that I scared her and that's why she sent me to L & D.(this from a Dr who's job it is to see ONLY high risk patients..that made me feel at ease..LOL) On Monday March 15 I went to my now routine non-stress test. The Nurse who was always there took one look at me and said I looked horrible...she took my BP and it was 168/110, urine dip 3++...remember those limits...they were set at 160/100 and 3-4+ protein. About that time the high risk Dr was seen in the hallway. We made the decision to begin steroid shots. I would get 1 that day, and come back exactly 24 hours later and get the second. When I returned on Tuesday I was told that I looked like a different person. The swelling had backed off from the day before and so had the nausea and BP. Wednesday I would remain in bed..my Mom-in-law was off for the week and Monday afternoon was at our door. She cooked, took care of Skyler, cleaned, and help set up the nursery. On Wed. I felt pretty good, and we decided she would take me to the Dr the following day, and then for a hair cut... But the morning dawned poorly..I felt sick again..my BP was up even higher and between bedtime and morning my protein had gone from 3+ to 4! My hubby took me to the non-stress test..we captured one of the staff high risk Dr's, then the Clinical Nurse Specialist, then Dr Kopecky, who was on her monthly rotation in delivery, and finally the big guns herself the High Risk Specialist. I was dialated to 3, I had both steriod shots on board and I had preformed a miracle by making it to 34 weeks EXACTLY! Super-Imposed Pre-eclampsia would be my limit and I was induced March 18 and delivered Jonah at 2:30am the 19th. He weighed 4lbs 14 oz. Today at 4 months he's a totally caught up 15 lbs 5 oz! No waiting around till he was 2...he gained his first 8lbs in 9 weeks!!! I will not go on to have more children, but I do hope to continue to offer support to others who have had either Pre-eclampsia or Eclampsia as they face the "What If" questions that come from making a decision to have another child. Joanne
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