Have Gestational Diabetes, Preclampsia or not?
Posted by admin on Sep 6, 2009
I am trying to decide whether or not to get a second opinion. I am 31 wks and have GD and on a daily pill to control it, my feet have been swollen heavily for the past month. Today I woke up and my face and hands are swollen. My hands look freakish and my hands and face still tingle like they have fallen asleep. When something happens, it seems to be always on the day the doctor is not in. The nurse had me come in. She checked my urine and it was 1+. (just as a side note last week it was 2+) and when she checked by blood pressure she said it was 124/60. The exact same reading she said I had last week when I had 2+ urine. She always checks my blood pressure in the same room with the same cuff, at home my blood pressure readings are 154/79 156/91. Both times in the last week I only got to see the triage nurse since the doctor was not in. Both times she says don’t worry because yes you have other symptom but as long as your blood pressure is fine, no preclampsia. The nurse does consult with the PA on duty but she does not see me either. I was also told that the PA does not put much stock in home blood pressure machines. It is the one that the nurse gets that counts. My visit 2 weeks ago with the actual ob doc, my blood pressure was high, but no protein in the urine so they were not concerned. The nurse said to call back if I have any stomach pains or get a head ache.
It is definitely true that the home machines are not as accurate as the machines they have in a doctor’s office. Also, swelling does not automatically mean pre-eclampsia. But I think you should try to schedule an appointment with the doctor, or if you really feel scared, just go into an ER and tell them your swelling is worse or that you got a very high bp reading at home.
Do you have any issues with the cuff size? Either at home or at the office? If you have a large arm but are using the cuff that came with your home machine instead of ordering a larger arm cuff for it, this will give you an artificially high reading. My doctor also says to avoid the wrist ones.
It’s pretty unusual for any medical professional to take the threat of pre-eclampsia lightly – if anything, they err on the paranoid side because it is such a dangerous situation. So my guess is that you are probably just fine. But if you have the wherewithal to get a second opinion with another doctor, you can do that to ease your mind.
Doctors and Nurses know better than we do. They have a degree, so always consult with them.
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I would ask for an appointment for a day when the doctor is in. It sounds as if you are uncomfortable with just the nurses opinion in this case.
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I think I personally would get a second oppinion…if for no other reason just to ease my mind. If you have a ‘walk in’ clinic (not sure which country your from…I know Ontario, Canada has them) then go there. Drug stores around here have blood pressure monitors in them that are free…so maybe check out your drug store and see. Worst comes to worse go into the hospital complaining of a headache and get them to look at the swelling, urine, and bloodpressure all at the same time. If that doesn’t work see if you can drive to a different hospital and go in there the same way ("I was visiting a friend, got a headache, the told me if I got one to come in and I figured this was the closest place to come") better to be safe than sorry. Good luck : )
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sounds like you have something going on you should try going to a different hospital for a second oponion doesnt mean that you have to have the baby there just to put yourself at ease and maybe they have a doctor that will actually see you
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It is definitely true that the home machines are not as accurate as the machines they have in a doctor’s office. Also, swelling does not automatically mean pre-eclampsia. But I think you should try to schedule an appointment with the doctor, or if you really feel scared, just go into an ER and tell them your swelling is worse or that you got a very high bp reading at home.
Do you have any issues with the cuff size? Either at home or at the office? If you have a large arm but are using the cuff that came with your home machine instead of ordering a larger arm cuff for it, this will give you an artificially high reading. My doctor also says to avoid the wrist ones.
It’s pretty unusual for any medical professional to take the threat of pre-eclampsia lightly – if anything, they err on the paranoid side because it is such a dangerous situation. So my guess is that you are probably just fine. But if you have the wherewithal to get a second opinion with another doctor, you can do that to ease your mind.
References :