Tachycardia

Over this last weekend I kept getting headaches on and off. At first I just thought they were normal headaches but then I started getting concerned since I know this can be a symptom of preeclampsia. Sunday night around 11:30pm I woke up with a horrible headache and nauseous. I called L&D and they had me come in right away.

About midnight I was hooked up to the non-stress test machine. Baby looked fine, my blood pressure was good, but my heart rate was in the 150’s. The staff was super concerned at this point and brought in the ekg machine and started drawing blood for a workup. They called my doctor and she reviewed the ekg and she didn’t see any irregular rhythms and the blood work came back normal. Dr. P admitted me and they gave me pain medicine (dilaudid) for the headache/migraine hoping this was the cause of the high heart rate. The medicine brought my heart rate down…but only to the 130’s. Eventually, the doctor ordered another pain med, fioricet, that finally took away the pain of the headache but increased my nauseous. It took the edge of the headache but I was still in pain. Around 2am they started seeing that I was having “irritable” contractions which I was feeling as just tightening in my stomach. Then, around 6am I started having real contractions which I was definitely feeling.

Now, they were worried about my heart rate and the contractions that were becoming stronger and closer together. Dr. P came in and said she wanted to consult a cardiologist and she ordered an ultrasound.

The ultrasound tech came in and started looking around. She kept asking me when my due date was and at this point I had just been given anti-nauseous medicine (phenergan) that had me really out of it. She then told me and Jay that we had a “very big baby” and that he was measuring 3 weeks ahead and was weighing 5 pounds 5 ounces. I remember feeling confused about this probably because I was trying so hard to focus on the screen but kept not being able to focus. I vaguely remember the ultrasound and the tech pointing out his face, saying he was a wiggle worm, and showing us him sucking on his thumb. She left and I remembered Jay just laughing at the fact he was such a big baby. Later on I found out Jay was about a 9 pound baby though for some reason I thought it was closer to the high 7’s. Side note: I think why I was so confused because every ultrasound I have had up to that point he had measured 3-4 days behind which had made since because I didn’t ovulate on day 14, I ovulated on day 17 and since we know that there isn’t any mistaking when he was conceived I couldn’t and don’t understand how he can be so big already. I don’t have gestational diabetes and at this point I have only gained 7.7 pounds this whole pregnancy. (Though, if something happened and he needed to be delivered early it makes me happy to know that he is already at a good weight).

The contraction’s finally lessened sometime after lunch which made me happy. They were extremely uncomfortable but my heart rate was still in the 120’s. The doctor came back in and said that she had consulted with a cardiologist who reviewed the ekg and they agreed it was safe enough for me to go home but I would need to see the cardiologist to assess why I am in tachycardia. My heart rate at every doctor’s visit has been fine, in the 90’s. The doctor also said that the ultrasound report says my cervix is measuring 3.6cm so she doesn’t fear I am at risk for pre-term labor. So I was released with a script for the fioricet to manage the headaches since they believe the pain is what caused my heart rate to go into the 140-150’s.

I decided since I had very little sleep, about 3 hours before we had to leave for the hospital and none at the hospital, I would stay home from work today. Not to mention the medicine makes me very drowsy.

I have an appointment with the cardiologist tomorrow, Dr. M. I went ahead and just took tomorrow off as well. I hate taking days off especially when it is the last week before spring break. But with this pain meds there is no way I could teach and with the headaches there is no way I could teach.

After I left the hospital my doctor’s nurse, Stef, called me and told me that Dr. P wanted me to have a follow up, more comprehensive ultrasound because of the baby being bigger in size. I thought this would be with their ultrasound group but the call I got today was with an outside place (still within the hospital’s larger umbrella group) and when I looked them up they are more of a specialist. They couldn’t get me in until March 8th. I’m trying not to worry about this but I am a worrier.

So…now I am just in a holding pattern to figure out what is going on. Dr. P seemed to think that my body is having a harder time keeping up with the stresses of the third trimester and having a bigger baby wasn’t helping. I will feel better once I see a cardiologist and get their opinion. I already had a normally scheduled appointment with Dr. P for Wednesday afternoon and she said she still wants to see me. I plan on asking her if she has concerns about little man and that is why she is sending me to a specialist for an ultrasound.

Tomorrow is doctor day.

P.S. If some of this doesn’t make complete sense that is because this medicine makes it hard for me to think clearly. I have literally re-read this three times.

Also, if you are reading this and know me in person please don’t say anything on social media. I don’t want to worry my 90 year old grandfather who has been having issues with his memory and my 70 year old uncle who is in poor health because of his battle with lung cancer. It has been gone for years but the chemo and radiation left his body weak and he battles with lung issues a lot.