My 2nd Trip to Baylor Dallas

After we returned home on Sunday, October 30th, little did I know that I would be again visiting Baylor to stay in just a week!

My blood pressure has throughout my life always been extremely low (in a good way), 110/55ish.  During labor my blood pressure spiked and the bottom numbers were in the high 90's.  They would comment that it was high during labor and shortly after, but no one really seemed too alarmed.

After having Cameron but while still in the hospital, the tech's would come in and check the b/p throughout the day and night and the bottom number was still in the high 90's.  They would ask me to lay down and then re-check it and it would then be in the 70's.  After coming home from the hospital, I used my blood pressure cuff to periodically check my b/p just for my own information.  I developed a headache that would not go away in the back of my head after coming home as well.  As any mom knows, we are always sent home with pain medication, etc and I was no exception.  I had Hydrocodone as well as 800 mg Ibuprofen.  I tried taking both to get rid of the headache but nothing even took the edge off.  I was not linking the high b/p with the headache at all.  

We had to take Cameron to my OB for his circumcision the week after coming home with him and while there I mentioned to her about my blood pressure being high.  She prescribed some low mg b/p meds for me to take 1 a day.  I still had the persistent headache along with the high numbers on the bottom of my b/p however.  I called a couple of days after being told to take the b/p medication and told them that I still had a horrible headache and larger than normal numbers on the bottom of my b/p readings.  The nurse told me to get to the Dr's office for a b/p check with a nurse.  I headed to my OB's office and met with just the medical tech and she took my b/p and the number was 165/98.  She asked that I wait in the exam room while she told my Dr.  I mentioned to her that the headache still was not going away and she just shook her head.  She came back and said that my Dr wanted me to increase the meds to 2/day.  So I left and took the 2nd pill when I got home.

On Saturday, my Mom was packed and ready to head back to Conroe, having stayed the week with us.  She asked how my headache was and I said, 'No better'.  She said, 'Amber I think you should call your Dr again and just tell her how bad the headache is and that nothing is helping it.  Just see what she says.'  Mom was concerned that the headache and b/p were related.  I called and had my Dr paged and she called and asked what was going on.  I told her and she stopped me and said, 'They didn't tell me you had a headache.  This changes everything.  I need you to pack a bag and head to Baylor so they can observe your b/p.  We may end up admitting you for preclampsia and putting you on Magnesium Sulfate.  It is not a fun drug, but hopefully that will help.'  So Mom didn't leave and instead watched both boys while Tim and I headed once again to Baylor.

They put me in a L&D room and monitored my b/p which was still super high.  They asked where my headache was and I told them the back of my head.  The nurse mentioned that was odd because with preclampsia the headaches are usually in the front.  After a few hours they said they were going to admit me and put me on the Mag (Magnesium Sulfate).  They started an IV and told me that the first bag of Mag they planned to push through in 20 minutes.  It was a small bag and then the larger bag would be infused slower over a 24 hour period.  The nurse immediately turned down the temperature in the room and told me that I would get 'a little warm' with the Mag.  WHAT AN UNDERSTATEMENT!  I felt as though the veins in my body had fire in them!  I was flushed and so HOT!  They put a catheter in as they wanted me to be in bed throughout the Mag infusion.  

I have never seen Tim so cold!  The temperature in the room was 55 and I was burning up and his lips were purple!

They finally moved me to a room for the over night stay and told me that after the larger bag was pushed through that my Dr would decide where to go from there.  I was under the impression until told otherwise by another nurse that the Mag would help keep my b/p low.  I was wrong, the Mag was to PREVENT SEIZURES!  They said with the headache and b/p so high the risk for seizures was high as well.  WHO KNEW!

I told Tim to just leave and go on home since I was going to be in bed just 'monitored' on the Mag and to head back to the hospital the next a.m.  He left and my sister was already headed up to visit that weekend and she surprised me and showed up at Baylor and wanted to stay.  Sort of a slumber party if you will.

They started giving me Hydrocodone for the headache (2 pills) and the nurse would come in and say, 'how's the headache?'  I felt like some drugged out person wanting more when I would tell her, 'It is no better, at all.  It is as if I'm taking sugar pills.'  So she got an order for Ultram and was alternating the 2.  That did not help at all.  I have never had a headache like this in my life.  Nor have I had one that I could not get at least some relief from!

Poor Kari was being frozen out as well in the room.  She had multiple blankets, sheets, clothing and my hoodie over her head and cinched up!  I was hot, and she was an ice cube!  I was unable to sleep much because they would come in and monitor my b/p every hour.  The Mag must be a big deal because every time there was a shift change or a kink in the line of the Mag, there would have to be 2 nurses come in as a sort of 'audit' to make sure the correct amount was flowing.

The next a.m. they told me that I was able to eat!  I was ecstatic!  I did not think I was inhaling my food, but apparently I was!  Kari was standing between the side of my bed and the window ledge and I finished eating and said 'I'm going to throw up', and as if we were in some sort of orchestrated movie, she turned, grabbed the bed pan throw up tub (technical name) and swiveled in time for me to sit up and throw up.  A second later and I would have been wearing it!

Anyone who knows me, knows I DO NOT DO WELL WITH THROWING UP.  I get mad...I hate not being in control.  She was well aware of this and did beautifully!  She wiped my forehead and kept saying 'You're okay...'  I was so glad she was there! 

My Dr. came in later that morning to see how I was doing and I told her that I was no better, I still had the headache and the high b/p.  She said she was going to talk to the Anesthesiologist and have them come in because she was suspecting that I had a spinal headache.  The Anesthesiologist came in, who just happened to be the one that did my epidural.  We talked to him and he said that sometimes the needle can be slightly bent and puncture the area and cause the spinal fluid to leak which would in turn cause the major headache.  He said he could do a 'blood patch' where they take 'large vials' of blood from my arm and reinsert it into the epidural space filling in the hole.  Within an hour to 2 hours if my headache was gone, well the procedure worked.  We decided to give that a try.

He cleaned off my back and the procedure was much like having an epidural except that I did not have labor pains to distract me from the HORRIBLE PAIN OF HAVING A NEEDLE THE SIZE OF A COAT HANGER (METAL ONE) PLACED IN MY BACK!

Kari was standing on the left side of the bed along side a nurse.  Kari was holding my hand as I laid on my left side while he did the needle in my back.  He then came around the left side of the bed to get the blood from my arm.  He got all the vials while I was squeezing the life out of Kari's hand.  She and I both are terrified of needles and as I laid there I remember thinking, 'wow Kari has grown up!  She's standing here being so brave!'  He finished and put the gauze on the needle hole, and told Kari to 'apply pressure'.  I didn't open my eyes, but I only felt Kari 'applying pressure' for approximately 2 seconds then I felt NO pressure.  I opened my eyes in time to see her race around the foot of my bed and lay down on the fold out bed/chair.  She then began rolling up her pant legs.  Remember the room was a chilly 55 degrees.  The nurse applied pressure on my arm while Kari kept apologizing to me for leaving my side.  

It was actually quite comical!  This distracted me from the Dr putting MY OWN BLOOD BACK INTO MY SPINE!

After he finished and left, my nurse tended to both Kari and me!  She asked Kari if she needed some juice!  It was so funny!

Anyway!  I was exhausted and lapsed into a nice little coma/nap.  The nurse came in 2 hours after the procedure to see how my headache was.  I sat up and nodded my head and turned it left to right and realized that it was GONE!  I did not know how bad it was, until it had left me!  It was a glorious feeling!  My Dr. released me around 2 and I was able to go home.  What a scary ordeal and sad one for me, being a Mom and having my new baby at home and me in the hospital!

So, that's the 'rest of the story'!