Fighting for a life - Real Mum story on MoM

6 Comments

Once upon a time there was a belly dancer who fell in love with a prince charming, sadly their union didn’t last. But a beautiful baby princess emerged from that relationship. This is the story of how she entered the world…

During the pregnancy I was very ill. I had horrific headaches on a daily basis, elevated blood pressure, terrible swelling and the dreaded morning sickness (only it was all day long). Towards the end of the pregnancy I was diagnosed with having preeclampsia. It was my private GP who diagnosed me and not the hospital doctor who by this point I was seeing on a weekly basis, she refused to acknowledge anything was wrong with me…and so began my hatred of the hospital. Towards the end of my pregnancy my blood pressure was so high I was admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay to monitor both myself and the baby. It was decided that it was too dangerous to let the pregnancy continue so the following week I was admitted to be induced.
I was induced Monday morning and began contractions around lunchtime but I didn’t dilate. Tuesday morning and the first induction method were stopped and a new one was started and conducted three times during that day, but still no dilating. Wednesday morning I am told I am going to be left to see if anything happens by itself, it doesn’t. That night, in horrible pain, I am given the option to go home (still contracting) and try the induction process a week later if I don’t give birth in the meantime or have a caesarean the next day. I choose the caesarean. And Thursday at 11.47am my beautiful little girl entered the world!
Relieved that baby is out safe and healthy I was unaware of the horrifying event that was about to occur. That same night I was finishing feeding the baby and with the help of a midwife, I was still unable to walk due to the epidural, was putting the baby back in her crib when I suddenly had a hot flash come over me. The nurse opened the window but it didn’t help. Then I became very light-headed and within seconds was gasping for air. The nurse called out for help and another came in and tried putting oxygen mask on to assist with my breathing but it didn’t help. The second nurse quickly pressed the big red emergency button. Suddenly I was surrounded by people. I remember seeing a couple of doctors looking worried as they talked on phones, a man trying to get a needle into my arm as I was fighting him off and another doctor asking me questions if I had any previous heart conditions (I didn’t but it does run in my family). I had a strange surging feeling overcome my body I felt the overwhelming need to get up but was pulled down with my legs and both arms being held down tightly. I began to scream for help while still struggling to escape their grips. A gas mask was placed on my face; I struggled violently to get free from it to no avail.
I don’t recall waking up. All I can remember is my mother and two friends sitting next to my bed talking about their day. I slowly placed the pieces together and realised it was now Saturday night. I had been unconscious for two days and was in the Intensive Care Unit. I suffered Pulmonary Edema, a rare condition where the built up fluid from the preeclampsia had rushed into my chest. My lungs were filled with fluid and a great strain was put on my heart causing it to have failure. The following night I was returned to the maternity ward and a couple of days later were released from the hospital. I had to have weekly visits with my private doctor. I was sent for an echocardiogram where it was discovered I now have a hole in the left side of my heart. I also am being treated for hypertension.
The baby girl however is a happy, healthy, flourishing young lady who will be celebrating her 4th birthday this August!

Posted by Snickals, 3rd February 2015

6 Comments

- - smiles said
  - 25 Apr 2015
    8:21 pm
Sounds like a very scary situation which could have ended differently. It was probably very fortunate the the nurse was with you at the time.

- - Moonberry said
  - 06 Feb 2015
    6:07 pm
Hospitals, doctors, etc.. they all get their knowledge from a book, and ‘theories’… Later on they will get the experiences! However, they still don’t understand that the patient themselves knows their own body…

My doctor said I had gallstones, which was apparently the cause of my entire week of pain! I ended up with a seriously high temp, so I went to the hospital… The hospital took tests, did a CT scan, and then took me off to the next hospital (a bigger rural one) for surgery, because I DIDN’T have gallstones, my appendix had burst and I had a mass of infection inside me… I ended up having the surgery, and was told i had septicemia, and was in hospital for 1 week, then bed rest at home for another week for recovery. Yet most people recover much quicker when their doctor gets on top of the REAL medical explanation, and finds out it is appendictis instead of gallstones!!!
- mom57522 replied
  
  15 Jun 2015 , 8:44 pm
  My daughter had a burst appendix however because she was still eating, could jump and was only experiencing minor pain we were told is was likely ‘nothing’.
- - BellaB said
  - 04 Feb 2015
    7:09 pm
Hospital staff can be so callous; they don’t believe you know your own body. I’m glad you survived.

- - mom119776 said
  - 04 Feb 2015
    4:58 pm
what a scary thing to happen, I had tears in my eyes reading it.

- - jenniw said
  - 04 Feb 2015
    12:46 pm
Wow what a birth story you have. So very happy to hear you got appropriate care immediately and get to enjoy your little princess