Meds or No Meds?

[Dumuzi]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

May I ask why you don't want to take medication for lowering your blood pressure?

You have a history of previous pre-eclampsia which puts you in the high-risk group. If you think the medication might be harmful, think of it this way, getting pre-eclampsia would be much more harmful to the baby and to you. So, in my opinion, taking the meds to control your blood pressure might be the better thing to do

I might be biased, though!

[thalassa]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

You have a history of previous pre-eclampsia which puts you in the high-risk group. If you think the medication might be harmful, think of it this way, getting pre-eclampsia would be much more harmful to the baby and to you. So, in my opinion, taking the meds to control your blood pressure might be the better thing to do

I agree.

[/10 char]

[Raphaeline]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Two cents on the milk thing...

Modern milk from the store is a processed food. It is not in it's natural state.

That said, there are MUCH worse things you could be eating then milk, especially on a budget as tight as yours is!

It's my only real craving. Normally it isn't something I really have to have, but all I want these past few weeks is a lot of milk. I could go through a gallon in a day and a half if I wanted.

I'd also like to chime in that if you -do- go vegan (which I still recommend you don't), that you don't replace meat by eating a lot of soy. Small amounts of soy are ok, especially if it's fermented, but soy as a meat replacement is a terrible idea and there have been a lot of studies going around showing that it's not all that healthy. Stick to beans and lentils and stuff.

I will also admit that I'm really invested in lowering the amount of soy going around. I'm allergic to it, and it seems to be getting in everything under the sun somehow. So I pay attention to things about soy, going both ways. That being said, I'm also deathly allergic to almost all other meat substitutes (beans, lentils, etc) and soy is the only one I've seen that has any negative effects. Beans and chickpeas and stuff are supposedly great!

Thanks for the advice - I don't see myself going vegan, especially with no time to prepare for it - I think I would take the medication before I do that simply because I don't feel confident that I'd be able to learn what I'm doing quickly enough to feel safe eating vegan. It's harder to make sure I'm eating a balanced diet when eating vegan, and I don't want to have to deal with poor nutrition when I'm pregnant and trying to make sure the baby is getting proper nutrition, even if it did lower my BP. I mean, the blood pressure problem is related to the pregnancy, so this would last only a month or so before I could return to life as usual. Even if I could afford to restock the pantry and had the time and energy to learn to prepare new foods, I don't know how to eat vegan and be healthy.

I have high blood pressure and I take quite a few medications. But that's not really here nor there.

What concerns me is your hesitation to talk to the doctor and midwife independently or together. So it might be uncomfortable to them. Who gives a poo? YOU are the patient and customer to be quite honest. You and your fetus are the important thing here. I would let them know that though you trust both of their opinions, they are both pulling you apart in different directions and causing you to stall in your diligence in what to do. Explain they both need to come to a middle ground in what's right for YOU. Not what's their standard procedure.

In the end these two people are the best people to help you. But if you can't communicate with them and let them know your concerns, it's going to be a big waste of resources for you. Because now look at us. Fighting over milk. None of this helps you.

It's not really their responsibility to work together - although that's what the midwife seems to want to do: gain a working relationship with the OB. I'm paying them, but they don't have any obligation to actually communicate. It's my responsibility to discuss the advice of one with the other if I feel I need to, though. I do need to talk to them about what they would consider a middle ground, so I can make better decisions... for instance, I need to tell the OB that I'm taking garlic supplements if indeed they are as effective as I've read they can be (large amounts of garlic can thin your blood to a dangerous level, which is bad during labor, from what I've seen from multiple sources). I need to make sure they are both aware of what the other is advising and what I'm actually doing, of which I haven't been doing a good enough job.

May I ask why you don't want to take medication for lowering your blood pressure?

You have a history of previous pre-eclampsia which puts you in the high-risk group. If you think the medication might be harmful, think of it this way, getting pre-eclampsia would be much more harmful to the baby and to you. So, in my opinion, taking the meds to control your blood pressure might be the better thing to do

I might be biased, though!

I agree.

[/10 char]

I'm hesitant because I don't know for sure that it's necessary. I'd like to avoid the medication because it's a chemical I don't understand, that could harm the baby and I. I want to be sure that there's nothing less aggressive than medication that would work before I use it. I understand that high blood pressure can be dangerous to both of us, too, and so I don't intend just to ignore the problem and refuse medication altogether. If I need to take it, I will. I'm just hoping I can avoid it if I can.

I've been giving it a lot of thought today. I took my blood pressure at home and it was 124/78 - I have a lot of anxiety about pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension since what happened last time - every time I get in that clinic and see the blood pressure cuff coming at me, I feel like it's that moment right before a doctor I don't know tells me to go upstairs by myself and find Labor and Delivery because they have to induce immediately. It spikes just getting it taken. So I'm hoping that I don't quite need the medication yet...

I also have an aversion to medication in general. I never really thought about why, but I don't even like to take painkillers like Tylenol or Advil when I have a headache. I just suffer through colds because I won't take cough medicine. I would just rather not take anything for it, and I never really tried to figure out why I feel that way. I don't know if this is related to that or not, but this is more complex than just not wanting to take cough syrup... I want a VBAC, I want a healthy baby, and if it means I take the medication, that's fine. I don't care what I have to do to make it happen - I'm just trying to figure out what's going to give me the best shot AND help me bring a drug-free child into the world. It isn't that I believe taking the medication is wrong, I just don't like the idea of my baby having to take it when she doesn't need it, just because I do.

[Medusa]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Alot of people don't take their blood pressure medication. Usually because they don't see the need. They don't feel sick. High Blood pressure is a silent killer. Especially since it affects your heart. What medication were you prescribed exactly?

Your baby needs a healthy womb. So you need to be healthy.

[Raphaeline]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

High blood pressure can cause a placental abruption - I'm definitely worried about the gestational hypertension. I just don't want to put a cast on something that needs a band-aid, IF that's the case. It's just seemed like a little much for the situation. I don't mind taking medication I need, but I hope to avoid giving the baby medication she DOESN'T need. You're definitely right, Medusa - obviously I have to make sure I'm not ignoring the problem because that would only make it worse.

I'm pretty well convinced I'm going to take the medication. I've been trying to monitor my blood pressure to see if it's actually high or related to my anxiety. When I took it two days ago at home (the first time I got access to a home BP monitor), it was 124/78, which is average for me. But yesterday, thinking my BP was just spiking because I was in the clinic, I went out with some friends and did some walking in a museum and a mall, only to find this morning that I was bleeding a little bit. I called both the midwife AND the OB; they both told me it didn't sound serious but to call back if it changed in any way. Still, the Internet tells me that my symptoms are too close to a placental abruption for me to just "ride it out" as the OB suggested (I mentioned the hypertension and that I was given medication that I wasn't yet taking, trying to give him the opportunity to consider an abruption if he thought the rest of the symptoms might fit, but there's been no pain and the baby is moving normally). At least I have an appointment Tuesday morning at the OB and I can talk it over more with him later...

Thanks for dealing with my rambling on this. It's constantly on my mind.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

I am on a stack of medication. I don't like any of it (and fortunately I am well past any likelihood of pregnancy). Some people I meet up with in hospital say they don't like taking their medication because it reminds them they are ill. I say sod that. My medication reminds me that I am taking it in order to feel better. I may never get better (and I accept that) but I am doing to do my damnedest to get the most out of everything.

There is an awful lot of junk written about blood pressure. Lose weight for example - I lost over 84 pounds and it made no difference at all. The only thing that helped me was medication.

Sometimes we have to take things we'd rather not. Steroids for example. You just have to weigh up the pros and cons - and never allow anyone to make you feel guilty about your choice. There is nothing virtuous in being natural, just as their is nothing inherently wrong in taking 'chemicals.'

Sometimes we just have to make the best of things. And good luck to you and baby!

[Medusa]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

I am on a stack of medication. I don't like any of it (and fortunately I am well past any likelihood of pregnancy). Some people I meet up with in hospital say they don't like taking their medication because it reminds them they are ill. I say sod that. My medication reminds me that I am taking it in order to feel better. I may never get better (and I accept that) but I am doing to do my damnedest to get the most out of everything.

There is an awful lot of junk written about blood pressure. Lose weight for example - I lost over 84 pounds and it made no difference at all. The only thing that helped me was medication.

Sometimes we have to take things we'd rather not. Steroids for example. You just have to weigh up the pros and cons - and never allow anyone to make you feel guilty about your choice. There is nothing virtuous in being natural, just as their is nothing inherently wrong in taking 'chemicals.'

Sometimes we just have to make the best of things. And good luck to you and baby!

Agreed. A big problem with high blood pressure is that people think they are ok. Or that it's not that bad. It's called a silent killer for a reason. People then take and stop and take and stop the meds. It takes a good week or so to kick in. And there are so many factors to it fluctuating throughout the day...if you have a problem with it, just trying to pin point it being low for a few hours a day isn't going to help. Welp. That's my rant! Sorry.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Yeah I had high blood pressure, and I'm on the low end of a 'healthy' BMI. So it's not -just- weight. I don't know what caused it (yet) but my doctor thought stress was related. But if you have a condition that you know causes it, it's probably a safe bet that the meds will help.

[kijani]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

I have a lot of medical stuff going on (Stress/anxiety are a big problem, for example) and I've also put on weight in the last couple years. The problem with that is my bloodpressure has been pretty high. I went vegetarian for a while to try it out and see how I did, and in my case, it did seem to help a little bit. I went back to my normal diet though and just took my salt intake down a little. Also, I drink a lot of soda. I've been trying to drink a lot more water instead. maybe just changing things up a little will help, but still, if you can't get it down and it stays high, the medication might be a good idea. high bp is a dangerous thing. :/

[Monk]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

I have a lot of medical stuff going on (Stress/anxiety are a big problem, for example) and I've also put on weight in the last couple years. The problem with that is my bloodpressure has been pretty high. I went vegetarian for a while to try it out and see how I did, and in my case, it did seem to help a little bit. I went back to my normal diet though and just took my salt intake down a little. Also, I drink a lot of soda. I've been trying to drink a lot more water instead. maybe just changing things up a little will help, but still, if you can't get it down and it stays high, the medication might be a good idea. high bp is a dangerous thing. :/

Go with the meds and work on changing you eating habits. Take it from an old fart on meds himself hospitals offer little in the way of fun things to do.

[Dez]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Any updates on this Hun?

[Raphaeline]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Just that I'm on the medication and my blood pressure is normal now

[Dez]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Yay! So glad it's working...we had ups and downs back and forth for a while about whether L should be on blood pressure meds...there's a lot of evidence it's genetic for him, though. It's amazing how it's helped him be more active, and he rarely has headaches now.

[Medusa]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

Yay! So glad it's working...we had ups and downs back and forth for a while about whether L should be on blood pressure meds...there's a lot of evidence it's genetic for him, though. It's amazing how it's helped him be more active, and he rarely has headaches now.

The headaches is how I found out I was having high blood pressure. I was always leaning and tripping to one side. And had horrible horrible headaches.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Meds or No Meds?

So glad to hear the meds are working. Hope the pregnancy is going well. Like Medusa I had terrible headaches, but I still get them anyway.... Blood pressure is dangerous because it's hard to detect unless it's properly measured. I'm just glad yours is sorted.