Testing

Everyone has asked me how my visit went. I was trying to wait until this afternoon or tomorrow to post anything because I will have a better idea as to what to tell evryone. It's a long story, so I'll try my best to condense it as much as possible. Basically, my doctor is extremely concerned that I may be or have already developed preeclampsia. If you don't know what that is, you can Google it for the medical explanation. It is a potentially fatal condition (to mother and baby) that is only present in pregnant women and can only be "cured" by delivery of the baby. People with Chronic High Blood Pressure (Me) before pregnancy are more susceptable to getting it than others, it affects about 5-8% of pregnancies. So, this is exactly why I've been seeing a high risk doctor and he is very good at what he does. He has been in this field of medicine for over 20 years and he says he "just knows" what signs to look for...swelling of the face (not just normal pregnancy swelling, sudden swelling in just the face), your blood pressure becoming a roller coaster and not able to be controlled any with medicine, suddenly gaining alot of weight (4 pounds or more in a week) and a certain level of protein in the urine (sorry for TMI). So Tuesday when I went, he said the first thing he noticed was the swelling I've recently started having in my face and I had gained 3 pounds in 4 days, since I was there last Thursday, which isn't normal even WITH eating ice cream!! LOL Also, over the last two weeks, since I had been having my blood pressure going back up and they had been adding more medicine, it wasn't helping, it has been going up and down. Lastly, on my last 24 hour urine sample (I've had to do a few due to this concern over the course of my pregnancy) about 3.5 weeks ago, the protein was above normal, not by a lot, but more than it should be. There is a certain level of protein they look for and when it gets to that level, that's when he will "flag" it as preeclampsia. Well, he had me do another 24 hour test yesterday and I am going this morning to turn it in. They will test it in 4-5 hours and are going to do their best to have an answer by late this afternoon. So, here is what will happen from there...IF my protein level is in the preeclampsia range, he will put me in the hospital immediatly, meaning tonight, and begin steroid shots for Emmie's lungs to begin developing more rapidly (as she will probably be coming earlier than expected). I will have to stay in the hospital until Emmie is born. They will just monitor me very closely and watch for when my blood pressure gets to a point where they have to deliver. Second case is my sample isn't quite in that range yet, we will have to go back to see him Monday or so and he will deicide on adjusting my medication AND what else we can do to keep my blood pressure under control....in his words, bedrest. So, he kept telling us he definitely thinks it is a high possibility I will or have developed preeclamsia and from this point on, it will just be something we are watching for extremely closely. Whether that is in the hospital or at home. That is the whole story, sorry for how long it is, but I couldn't shorten it much more without leaving out important parts!! Keep us in your prayers that Emmie will be okay through all of this and so will Paul and I. He is having just as hard a time as I am with dealing with all the stress of it!