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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Yellow flags

First off, to all of those who live in the US, Grey and I wish you all of happy and safe 4th of July! May your day be filled with sunshine of some sort and the only fireworks be the ones you get to "oh" and "ah" over.

For those from Canada, wishing you all a happy belated Canada Day! I hope it was amazing.

Grey and I are celebrating this Independence Day by sleeping in and staying close to home. The start of the week has been a bit too eventful for us and your's truly is now being strictly monitored by the MFMs. As I'm not much for being the center of attention, it's been an interesting few days.

Things started getting interesting on Monday night. Grey has noticed that my ankles have been swelling more than usual over the weekend and that my energy levels were near zero in the evenings. Add in the fact that I've been seeing stars for no particular reason and the end result is a suspicious husband. After a brief discussion, Grey decided it would be a good idea to monitor my blood pressure. Normally, my BP is around 105/60, but with the last couple of appointments we've both noticed it's been slowly creeping up. Still, we weren't expecting the first reading: 134/92. And when we told the triage nurses, it was immediately apparently where we would be spending the next 4 hours.

The long and the short of it, though everyone is fine, is that my liver function is questionable. The appointment I had on Wednesday (growth scan and normal OB check) has my care team on alert as the levels are still higher than normal. After ruling out Hepatitis (I've never had it and have been vaccinated) and seeing that my BP is still higher than normal (averaging around 118/66 with their devices), the concern is preeclampsia. Granted, I have zero protein in my urine and I'm still under the diagnostic range, but considering this isn't my normal they've decided to be prudent and bump me to weekly appointments.

Needless to say, though I'm not happy, I've accepted it.

A couple of weeks ago in our Multiples class, the instructor put up a slide about groups at risk for preeclampsia. Though carrying multiples is definitely a risk factor, both Grey and I quickly exchanged looks when we saw that APA syndrome was at the top of the list. I haven't done a lot of reading about this association, but there are a couple of articles that suggest a correlation with the syndrome and preeclampsia/HELLP.

So, we're being vigilant. Or as the head of my care team has pointed out, we have yellow flags. In addition to monitoring the usual symptoms weekly, I am now starting weekly blood draws to monitor liver function. Grey is also on me about monitoring BP, I officially qualify for disabled parking (which I am applying for on Friday) and that my time commuting to work is officially over.

On a good note, the Beats are doing very well. They both rocked the growth scan, measuring at ~3 lbs (putting them in the 58% for growth). Grey laughed when we got the news that they were doing well. That news helped all of us.

Now if we can just get my body to cooperate. . . .


16 comments:

  1. Yeesh. That sounds like no fun Cristy. I'm so glad that amidst this, the Beats are doing well. And 3 lbs each?! Yay Beats!

    Take care and tell Grey to take care of you (and himself) too. :)

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  2. YIKES! That doesn't sound fun. I am with ya- stay home and rest!

    YAY that the babes are doing well!

    Rest up, take er easy and stay positive!

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  3. Glad the little ones are doing well!

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  4. Take care of yourself, Cristy. I'm glad the Beats continue to do so well!

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  5. Thank goodness for such a vigilant husband! I'm sure he'll take very good care of all three of you. Take it easy, my dear.

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  6. Glad the Beats are doing well, and that you are being monitored so closely. Relax and let Grey take care of all three of you!

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  7. I'm here and I care. May your body regain its equilibrium in all areas and may it cooperate in all ways.

    XOXO, Cristy.

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  8. Oh my goodness I am so sorry! Take it very easy and try to stay distracted. Xo

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  9. Would you believe 130/90 is about average for me. :p (Well, more like 130/80ish, it seems.) It's still considered within normal range, albeit a rather high normal, high enough to be watchful. So sorry you have to deal with this, but glad you got things checked out & that they will be keeping a closer eye on you from now on. Hang in there!!

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  10. I'm glad you have such an attentive husband that takes care of you and sees the warning signs (even though it probably feels like overprotective sometimes). Hope it stays stable for you, it sounds pretty awful from what I have heard. Glad the Beats are doing so well. That's really great news.

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  11. Well, although all that royally sucks, it's good you are going to be monitored a lot more closely. Saying prayers for you that you have a safe and uneventful pregnancy <3

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  12. That sounds scary--I'm sorry you are having to go through it. Although I'm sure statistically that these kind of complications are just as likely to happen to fertiles, sometimes it feels like this community can't catch a break. I am glad that you have an attentive hubby and a care team that is staying vigilant. It's also good to hear that the Beats are doing well.

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  13. Continued best wishes! Stay healthy, all three of you!

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  14. So glad that the Beats are doing so great! Continue to take good care of yourself, friend.

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  15. So sorry I've been away for so long but I've been thinking about you and the Beats often! I wish for a smooth, long and healthy rest of the pregnancy for you!

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  16. Three pounds, fantastic! Good work, Beats. I hope your health holds up - take good care of yourself. I'm glad you're being proactive with the monitoring.

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