Health Update

Well, it's official.  I have been off ALL bloodpressure medication for 2 weeks!!  I was told years ago that I would be on blood pressure medication for the rest of my life.  When I follow our Levitican diet I don't have issues, this one or otherwise.  When will I learn to just keep on keepin' on?  Why do I fall off the perverbial wagon??  **sigh**

Well, I am grateful I'm back on 'the wagon' and reaping it's many benefits!  Praise god!  Truly!

Another Health Update

It was July the last time I updated you on my health.  As you may or may not recall, back in July I was taking 1200 mg/day of Labetalol and 500 mg/day of Aldomet just to control my high blood pressure (post partum pre eclampsia).

Well at the beginning of December my family got back on the health bandwagon and got serious (again) about the Levitican diet we have been on for the better part of 4 years.  Click here to read more about the diet specifics.  In a mere month and a half on our biblical diet, I am completely off the Aldomet and am down to 200 mg/day of Labetalol!!  Not to mention I am down 10 pounds.  What a blessing!  I am so excited!

I am hoping to be off all my medication by the end of February.  Wish me luck!

Health Update

It's been a while since I have updated you all on my current health.  As many of you know, I had Pre-elampsia Postpartum.  My blood pressure did not normalize after 6 weeks so I am on 1200mg/day of Labetalol and 500 mg/day of Aldomet.  Quite the cocktail!

I went to see a Naturopath last week who has me on an Anti-Inflammatory diet, a couple vitamin supplements and 3 Homeopathic medications.  I am hoping between the 2 types of treatments (pharmaceutical and naturopath) that I can get this blood pressure under control in the next couple of months.

It's not been a bunch of fun because the high dosages of pharmaceuticals sometimes make me dizzy and keep me pretty tired most of the time.  I am really hoping to get off these medications as soon as possible.

At least I can say, between the two treatment types, my blood pressure has at least come down to normal.  Just doing the pharmaceuticals alone wasn't cutting it and they kept having to increase my dosage.  That gives me hope!!

Please keep me in your prayers...

Preeclampsia Postpartum???

Did you know that one can have preeclampsia postpartum?  Yeah...me neither.  Well...it has come to my attention that women can have preeclampsia up to 6 weeks postpartum.  I was one of the unlucky few.

The last day I was in the hospital after giving birth to Zachary, my blood pressure was up higher than normal.  They watched it for a couple of hours and it didn't go up any further so they released me with no medication.

I have a blood pressure cuff at home and because of my history with high blood pressure during pregnancy (although I didn't have any trouble with it for THIS pregnancy) I decided to watch it.  Steadily over the last 2 weeks my blood pressure was going up.  Should I have called the Dr. sooner...perhaps.  But I didn't want to.  Last Wednesday I had a headache I couldn't get rid of.  I checked my blood pressure and sure enough...it was in the 170's over 90's.  NOT GOOD.

Friday morning I called my Dr.'s office and they told me to come right in that morning.  Darren took me to the Dr. and after taking my blood pressure (it was now 180's over 90's) and realizing that in my urine sample I spilled protein, they admitted me straight to the hospital at 10:00am for a day and a half.  They put me on Magnesium Sulfate (which is Epsom Salt delivered intraveniously) which is supposed to keep me from seizing.  They also gave me Lebatelol (oral pill) for my blood pressure.  I was to have no food or water for 24 hours.  UGH!

They put me on a catheter even after I asked if I could decline.  The Dr. said he wanted to watch my I's and O's (In's and Out's) closely.  The WHOLE TIME I was on the catheter not ONE nurse or Dr. checked my catheter bag to see what the level was.  I was LIVID!  Oooooooh.  I could go on and on about this, but will stop here for sanity sake.

Finally they got my pressure under control and I was allowed to leave the hospital at 7:00pm Saturday night.  With all the poking and prodding they did to me in the hospital, I felt worse after leaving the hospital than I did before I went in.  So ridiculous!!

It WAS a blessing however that my Dr. worked out with the charge nurse that I could have Zachary in my room during visiting hours so I could at least nurse him during the day.  I only had to pump at night.  This was REALLY helpful as the hospital policy is that NO CHILDREN under the age of 16 are allowed in the hospital.

So, I am back home now with my guys and very grateful.  Just another bump in the road I guess...SO GLAD it's over!!