What Happened To Me?

The title of this post is in honor of what I kept asking my doctor the day after delivery. The events that started on Grant's birthday seemed to spiral quickly out of control. I will try as best I can to explain what happened because I know you all think this is crazy. We do!

I went for a routine doctor's visit at 36 weeks on October 16th. If you remember, we were going to do an ultrasound to find out if Grant had turned from transverse to head down. I had called my mom that afternoon to see if she wanted to come with me as Jason couldn't make it, and see her grandson on the ultrasound (God was already working out the details for Grant's delivery). So mom met me at the OB's office and we were just chatting as the nurse took my blood pressure which was elevated. She called for the doctor who again took my BP. It was continuing to rise from 188/116 (WAY too high) and I was also spilling protein in my urine both of which are classic signs of preeclampsia. Dr. Cowen was very calm but informed me that he'd be taking me upstairs to Labor and Delivery and it was possible that today would be Grant's birthday. He said they'd take my BP again and draw some blood and then decide how to proceed.

Well that caused a flurry as I'm calling Jason and trying to stay calm. We were 36 weeks pregnant and I was mostly concerned with what an early delivery meant for Grant. Would his lungs be finished developing? Would he have feeding issues? Dr. Cowen assured me Grant would survive but he may not be able to go home with us as a stay in the NICU may be needed.

I went upstairs, got admitted, put on a gown and suddenly things went very badly. I had terrible abdominal pain and nausea, my BP continued to rise....I have never felt so bad in my whole life. In that moment, Dr. Cowen (although I did not know this until later) realized that I had crossed over from preeclampsia to a much more life threatening illness called HELLP Syndrome. He told me we had to do a C-section immediately and man did that send the staff into a frenzy! Jason and my dad arrived and Jason had to quickly "suit-up". Thankfully (again, God providing for Grant's delivery) I had the camera, battery charged I might add, in my purse that day. Thank GOD!! Within minutes we were in the OR and Grant was out in less than 4 minutes. Perfectly healthy with a second apgar score of a 9! He was in the NICU for observation for 7 hours but then released to the newborn nursery as they couldn't find a thing wrong with him. Praise God!

I, however, was headed downhill fast as is the case with HELLP syndrome. Here is an explanation of the disease for anyone interested:

"There is gradual but marked onset of headaches (30%), blurred vision, malaise (90%), nausea/vomiting (30%), "band pain" around the upper abdomen (65%) and paresthesia (tingling in the extremities). Edema may occur but its absence does not exclude HELLP syndrome. Arterial hypertension is a diagnostic requirement, but may be mild. Rupture of the liver capsule and a resultant hematoma may occur. If the patient gets a seizure or coma, the condition has progressed into full-blown eclampsia. Disseminated intravascular coagulation is also seen in about 20% of all women with HELLP syndrome,[2] and in 84% when HELLP is complicated by acute renal failure.

Patients who present symptoms of HELLP can be misdiagnosed in the early stages, increasing the risk of liver failure and morbidity.[4] Rarely, post caesarean patient may present in shock condition mimicking either pulmonary embolism or reactionary hemorrhage.

The platelet count has been found to be moderately predictive of severity: under 50 million/L is class I (severe), between 50 and 100 is class II (moderately severe) and >100 is class III (mild)." I believe I was a class I (severe) hence the blood transfusion on Sunday night.

"The only effective treatment is delivery of the baby. Several medications have been investigated for the treatment of HELLP syndrome, but evidence is conflicting as to whether magnesium sulfate decreases the risk of seizures and progress to eclampsia. Its incidence is reported as 0.2-0.6% of all pregnancies, and 10-20% of women with comorbid preeclampsia. HELLP usually begins during the third trimester, and usually in Caucasian women over the age of 25. (Padden, 1999) Rarely cases have been reported as early as 23 weeks gestation. The outcome for mothers with HELLP syndrome is generally good. With treatment, maternal mortality is about 1 percent. However complications have been observed, including abruptio placentae (detachment of the placenta which put Grant at risk if delivery didn't happen soon), acute renal failure, subcapsular liver hematoma, and retinal detachment."

Pretty scary stuff. I had liver and kidney failure and of course my red blood cells had been so severely destroyed by the disease that doctors were concerned about adequate oxygen getting to my brain and other organs. It made the decision to have a transfusion an easy one. The risks were too great not to do it.

So basically that's what happened to me. It seems complicated and I'd never heard of HELLP syndrome although I had heard of pre-eclampsia. It takes about 3 months to fully recover from the damage caused by HELLP syndrome but the good news is, I should make a full recovery with no lasting effects. I hope this VERY LONG post helps explain a little of why we had such a crazy delivery and why we weren't allowed visitors during our week long vacation at the hospital. :)

We are doing well at home. I am on a lot of medication but am still able to breastfeed which I am so thankful for. Jason has been AMAZING! So protective and supportive. I am blown away by him and how he has handled all of this and it makes me love him even more if that's possible. God truly does use all things for His glory and this difficult time has certainly brought us closer as husband and wife and now mom and dad. My parents have also been amazing.....mom only left the hospital to shower! She stayed every night and helped with feedings since I was so weak. And dad came every morning before work and then stayed hours at night after his long work days. How blessed am I? It makes me cry to think about all the blessings showered on us during this trying time. We so appreciate the prayers and support from all of our friends and family. It is your prayer covering us that led to such a good outcome. Thank you.

I promise to post more pictures soon so you can see our little guy! We're kinda crazy about him! :)

Love,
Lindsay