Mild preeclampsia and chest pain?

Question

Hi, I am 38 weeks pregnant and was diagonsed last week with mild preeclampsia, then put on modified bed rest. For the past couple of days, when I am laying down instead of sitting, it feels like something is sitting on my chest and it burns when I breathe. I'm fairly certain it isn't GERD, because I've had that for months now and it feels different. It doesn't matter what side I lay on. I've tried to call the Dr.'s office, but so far have only gotten voicemail and no call back. It isn't terrible, but it is noticeable and makes it difficult to sleep. Has anyone heard of symptoms like these before? I was thinking about calling L&D at the hospital, but I generally get the "paranoid pregnant woman" treatment and was wondering if this is just something that comes with late pregnancy. Any ideas?? Thanks for any input!

GERD is acid reflux. So far it doesn't matter how I lay it has the same result, and it mostly is my Dr. who treats me like I'm hysterical every time I ask him whats up with some strange symptom. I'm pretty aggitated that I called them 2 days ago and have gotten no call back. If it wasn't so late in the game I would SO change doctors. I'm really uncomfortable at this point, so I'm wondering if its just that or something more serious...

Answer 1

Yes, I would call the hospital and they will not think you are paranoid. It's perfectly normal to have questions and concerns when you are pregnant.

Have you tried changing positions? Sometimes depending on how you are lying, or the baby is lying, it can make you feel short of breath.

To be safe, please talk to a medical professional since you do have an existing condition.

Answer 2

Call L&D. Or your doc's office - they usually have after-hours answering services and a doc can call you back at home.

Don't worry about getting the "paranoid pregnant woman" treatment - have you had that happen before? If so, I'm very sorry you feel treated that way. But chances are you won't get the same nurse.

Are you lying on your back, or on your side? When you lie down, the baby can slide high up under the rib cage and make you feel short of breath sometimes. But if you know you have preeclampsia, then you can't know for sure exactly what's happening, you could also be retaining fluids that are shifting and backing up in your lungs when you lie down. So you really should get checked out by someone to make sure your preeclampsia isn't worsening.

Good luck, and congrats!

Answer 3

I am not sure what GERD is, but any pain in the chest should be taken seriously. So what if the hospital think you are being paranoid, this is your health. So my suggestion is to call them and ask.

One of the pre-eclampsia symptoms is a heart burn that won't go away.

The very best of everything to you.

Edit:-

I am having to see a Consultant on a wekly basis due to raging high blood pressure. 220/140 at it's worst, average of 155/95. The Consultant spelt out the pre-eclampsia symptoms, which included the usual high BP, protein in the urine etc. One of the things that she was was that if I had heart burn (maybe a UK terms for acid reflux) that lasted more than 2 hours after taking an anti-acid (Gaviscon), then I was to contact the labour ward.

It is not fair how you have been treated, but you need to bite the bullet and pick up the phone, if you have not already done so.

Answer 4

mild preeclampsia chest pain