Postby kat82 » Tue Oct 25, 639566 6:27 pm
Hi all,
First, I would like to thank you for maintaining this incredibly helpful and informative forum. I have learned a ton from it.
I am writing because I am feeling a little discouraged. I have chronic hypertension and am now nearly 27 weeks pregnant. My BP has been great (on medication) throughout my pregnancy, but I know even if nothing is wrong it is likely to go up a little in the coming weeks. I am thankful, though, that that hasn't happened yet.
Throughout my pregnancy everyone has told me to make sure I monitor my BP closely, and I have. I have read about the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia and would certainly seek medical attention at the first sign of something wrong. I have encountered so many heartbreaking stories on this forum and elsewhere of mothers with PE or PIH losing their babies, and of course I am terrified of the same thing happening to me and would like to prevent it in any way I can. Since there is little evidence (from what I have read) that things like diet affect PE risk, I have assumed that my best chance if something does go wrong is to be well educated and well prepared.
But, will that really help? Sometimes it feels as though, with a disease that can apparently be so unpredictable and whose only cure is to have the baby, even "catching it early" may not be associated with better outcomes. Or am I wrong?
Surely at least one way it might help to be vigilant is that things like placental abruption can become deadly in a matter of hours, so being aware of the situation ASAP offers the best chance for survival? Is there anything else?
Maybe being educated about how urgent a situation PE is can help a mother advocate for herself if her doctor is not taking quick enough action? I just don't believe my doctor would not respond appropriately if something were wrong...
Just questioning whether the effort I put in to monitoring and educating myself is really worth the anxiety it causes, or whether it would be better to just accept that nothing I can do will really affect my outcomes in any way, and therefore not think, worry, or learn more about my risk. I'm sorry if I sound cynical...I would really like to know what you all think. What, really, are the benefits of being well prepared and well educated?
First pregnancy, due September 2012. Chronic hypertension, no signs of PE yet...fingers crossed!