Sarah's story

My experience with Eclampsia - By Sarah Kings Aged 28

I have tried to explain this in my own words from my own experience, so hope is doesnt alarm others by reading it..

I remember how excited and nervous myself and my partner Richard were, when we discovered that I was pregnant in May 1999. The baby would be due 21st January 2000, a Capricorn baby! It took so long to sink in, but before I knew it my tummy started to grow and I could feel this little person kicking around and hiccuping! My pregnancy in the early days was pretty awful, with the morning sickness and nausea that seemed to last all day. I remember walking down to work and smelling the MacDonalds Breakfasts in the morning, this would turn me green and would send me running into work for the loo! But in a few weeks this soon passed and I started to enjoy being pregnant, and the anticipation of my baby and what he or she would look like.

Once my classes started, I was so excited and went without fail every week, to learn all the usual Antenatal info. Although I do not remember being told a great deal about Pre-Eclampsia, but what little I was told, I thought this wouldn't happen to me, and put it to the back of my mind.. If only I hadn't.

The weeks passed and gradually I found working really difficult, I worked in a Bank, and was so tired and stressed out.Was on my feet alot, and running around after customers. Then the swelling started, my ankles were so swollen and twice I had called the midwife out, who had tested my urine. It showed plus protein and I was sent straight to the hospital, once I had got there the trace had disappeared, and my blood pressure was normal. By 29 weeks, I had to leave work, I had originally wanted to work on a few weeks, but I was finding it so hard to rest and raise my legs to get the swelling down. I truly believe that this is when the Pre-Eclampsia started, and was not detected....

I was 8 and half stone before my pregnancy, by this time I had gone up to nearly 10 stone.Which looked really big for my frame. But no doctors seemed worried or bothered about this.....I had the usual "eating for two" jibes and just thought I was a "blossoming" pregnant person!!

By the time Christmas came that year, I was about 35 weeks, and was nearly up to 12 stone, again no doctors were concerned about my weight. But on looking back I was just so bloated and full of fluid. My face, arms, legs and even my nose and fingers were all swollen and puffy. I can't believe how big I was and that no alarm bells rang then with any of the Doctors.

Millennium Eve was a nightmare, everyone celebrating and having a good time. I felt miserable, my ankles ached and I looked so bloated. In retrospect, the Eclampsia was brewing up, it was beating my body.. and imminent at any time...

The year 2000 was upon us now, and on the 4th Jan I attended the surgery for my 37 week check up, I was told everything was normal. Babys heartbeat was fine, Blood Pressure was fine.. And myself and Richard were starting to get excited, our baby was due on the 21st of this month and it wasn't long... Had I got everything ready? What will the baby look like? Will I be a good Mum?

On Monday 11th January, I woke up with a terrible headache. I had suffered from migraines before so thought no more of it. I had felt "peculiar" all day, and had complained or one than more occasion of a strange smell in our kitchen, and that I was sure it was our fish tank. But Richard kept reassuring me that there was no smell and that it was my "sensitive nose" again... Later that evening one of Richard's friends popped in to see us, I was agitated, flustered and still my headache persisted. I was so spaced out that Richard's friend thought I had been drinking or something. So at 9.30pm I decided to go to bed, I felt terrible and tired. But still I thought no more of it...

Hours passed and the next thing that Richard knew, was to be woken up to me "thrashing around" in the bed. It was 4.20am, it took him a few seconds to register what was happening and to wake up properly. He looked again and realised I was having a fit, "But Sarah's not epileptic" He thought, and was terrified. Seconds seemed like hours, and before he knew it, I had fallen out of the bed and onto the floor.My eyes were rolling, my head bashing on the floor, I was foaming at the mouth and had bitten my tongue but thankfully not swallowed it.

Richard dialled 999 and two ambulances arrived at the house, as they didn't know what to expect. We think the fit lasted maybe a minute and half, Richard cant be sure. Thanks goodness he was still there and it hadn't been later and he had left for work..He had put me in the recovery position, grabbed a pillow to protect my head and phoned for an ambulance. I can't remember anything about the fit and only tiny pieces of memory from the first 5 days in hospital.

Apparently, I had walked out of my house with two of the Paramedics, this I do not remember. They rushed me to Maternity and Richard followed in our car, in a daze and in shock at what had happened.

I vaguely remember coming round in a room, there were cards everywhere from other Mums, who tragically had lost their babies, thanking the midwifes and my immediate feelings were that I had too suffered a terrible accident and that our baby had died. I felt so alone, scared and numb from this thought. I was connected to machines, a magnesium sulphate drip (to stop further seizures) and a catheter. I do not remember my family or friends visiting during the next 24 hours, which would soon turn into days as my memory was greatly affected. This is common after a seizure, I suppose you could say a type of amnesia... I had even phoned members of my family and friends asking why they hadn't been in to see me, when they had been in to see me that same day!!

Richard and my family were informed later that day that I had suffered from an Eclamptic Fit. They were all in awe, and had to keep asking what it meant..The doctors had checked with my parents whether I had any history of epilepsy, which I had never had. My blood pressure was dangerously high, and had to be stabilised.

The hospital had tried with the hormonal gel to start me off, three times to be exact,but my cervix just would not open, so in the end the Consultants agreed that for the safety of my baby and myself a Caesarean Section was necessary. I remember actually begging them for a Caesarean, because I was so scared that I was going to lose my baby.. Just take it out of me, I thought. I never would have believed that I would have begged them like that...but I was so scared...

The next morning on the 12th January they took me into theatre, accompanied by Richard and at 11.32am, my son George was born weighing 6lb 11oz. I don't remember this day, or subsequent days after. But can remember Richard saying "its a Boy" and feeling so overwhelmed with emotion. He was fine and healthy. I had lost about 600ml of blood,but this was nothing compared to what we had just been through... I know that we were both very, very lucky and do not like to think of what could have been. On the 18th January we finally got to bring him home, and today I am still trying to come to terms with Eclampsia and what my next pregnancy could mean..

My thoughts and love go out to other women who too have suffered first hand at this terrible condition. I cant believe that I had no diagnosed Pre-Eclampsia, and do not know whether I could even consider another pregnancy with the thought of this whole event so raw in my mind..

My son George is now 17 months old, a very boisterous little boy, with lots of energy, and I thank God every day that he was born safely, and without any permanent damage from the fit which I experienced. I would like to thank my partner Richard for his support and for helping me come to terms with it all.

I have since found out that Eclampsia is taken from a Greek word meaning "Bolt from the Blue" and it certainly was a Bolt from the Blue to me.... and one which I am not likely to forget for a long time to come...

Sarah