Tired of the PREs

First, it was placenta PREvia (which has cleared!  Hooray!).  Then it was PREterm labor (managed nicely with Procardia.  Hooary!).  Now it's preeclampsia, which doesn't clear up and can't be managed.  In fact, preeclampsia only gets worse until the "cure" which is delivering the babies.  Since I am 33 1/2 weeks, delivery is not in the best interst for the babies right now.

We went in Tuesday for my first non-stress test monitoring in the doctor's office.  I had gained a lot of weight from my last visit (Sign #1), had really swollen feet (Sign #2), I had trace protein in my urine (Sign #3), and my blood pressure was slightly elevated, but not over the limit of 160/90.  Thursday, when I came back from my second NST, I'd gained 2 more lbs, had swolled feet, had +1 protein and a blood pressure of 160/95.  They immediately sent me to the hospital to be admitted and mentioned that it might be time to deliver the babies.  With the pg at  33 weeks 1 day, I started crying.  

In the hospital, they started monitoring my blood pressure which kept going up and down, but we never as high as in the doctor's office and I had to do a 24 hour urine collection (basically peeing in a "hat" for 24 hours).  They also took some blood work and ruled out HELLP. They decided NOT to give me the steroid to  mature the babies' lungs suggesting that delivery was not imminent.  And with my variable blood pressure, they suggested I would be able to go home if I could monitor my blood pressure at home.  Dave bought the best Ormond blood pressure cup he could find, the nurse showed us how to take my BP, and we determined that it matched very well with the fancy one at the hospital.

At this point, I have mild preeclampsia.  The problem is that it can turn to severe preeclampsia anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.  They have no idea how to predict what it will do.  It is highly likely that I will be hospitalized again in the near future, so they can monitor me more closely.  I am really taking this day by day.  My goal is that we make it to Wednesday, which would start, Week 34.  Then if we make it past that, I hope I can make it to the Wednesday after that, Week 35.  Week 35 is a lot better than Week 34 as far as NICU goes.  But if my blood pressure or any of the blood work comes back bad, they babies will be delivered.

In the strangest occurence of being diagnosed with preeclampsia, I got very perturbed with some friends who told me to stop worrying because preeclampsia is not that big of a deal.  I would like to point out that the vast majority of people are diagnosed with mild preeclampsia either during labor or at term and then are simply induced.  If I was 36 weeks, I would have been induced and would have my babies.  But I am not in that situation.  My babies are NOT in a good place to be born right now and this IS going to get worse for me.  Hearing those friends tell me to stop worrying actually did more than perturb me.  It angered me.  As psychologists say, you should never tell someone "not to feel that way." Especially not someone pregnant with twins and worried about getting the final PRE she can get:  PREmature babies.