Pre-eclampsia

My test reults came back from last week and my Dr. called yesterday to let me know what the results showed, and it isn't great news. Not terrible news, but not great.

Basically my potein levels in my urine were high at 232 parts per. 300 parts per is the diagnosis standard for pre-eclampsia. So while I haven't developed it yet, I have a high probability of developing in the next several weeks. Its still a little early in pregnancy for stone fact diagnosis anyway. However, it means we have to be on the lookout for several things and change a few day to day activities around here.

Pre-eclampsia is big on high blood pressure. So I've been put on meds to lower my BP and we'll see how they are working at my appt next month. I also have to avoid salt in my diet as much as possible, as well as refined sugars. No more cookies and ice cream for Erin :( Continuing to drink lots of fluids and resting when possible.

The only way to get rid of it once you have it, is delivery. So my Dr said that if I do develop it I should be expecting to be put on bed rest for a while at the end and may not be allowed to carry to term. Pre-eclampsia can cause seizures in the mother as well as causing blood to not clot well, liver disfunction. A host of things bad for me. But I was reassured that these complications are not the norm and as long as the condition is found early it is usually very easy to manage. Which made me feel better. Its basically a balancing act of my health and baby's health. We'll keep him/her in there as long as we can, but it may come down to it just not being safe or healthy for either one of us to continue with the preganancy and we have to deliver early. This could mean 5 days early, or weeks early. We just have to wait and see. That only made me scared.

So thats where we stand now. Matt and I are kind of playing the waiting game to see how this all plays out. Both of us have concerns but we're opting for the "cross that bridge when we get to it" outlook. No sense in stressing over something that hasn't happened yet. But I'm doing all the right things and determined to get to a place that is safe and healthy for all involved. Unfortunately this puts me into a high risk category and travel, especially by plane, at 27 and 28 weeks is not in the cards. So for now, we won't be coming home unless things drastically change for the better.