When to go to the hospital? Seeing Spots

[Sunshine]

So I went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was a bit high.
It was 150/70.
Thing is, he said it could have been from me driving to the appointment b/c we had alot of snow and it was quite a stressful drive for me.

Anyways....Not sure if GD has anything to do with seeing spots or if it is something else, but I DID pass my diabetes test.

Doc did ask me if I had been having headaches and if I had blurry vision. And later asked if I had been seeing spots.
I dont really remember having headaches or having blurry vision, but I told him at my last appointment that I DO see spots every once and awhile.

Doc told me if I have these things happen to go to Labour and Delivery. But my question is.....all 3 things?

It was earlier and I was watching tv and I kind of saw spots for a tiny bit. Just in the outer edges of my eyes, and it didnt last long at all.

Then I was in the bathroom not too long ago and I bent over to pick up my hair elastic and when I stood up I saw spots, but they lasted a bit longer this time.
I bent over to see if it was b/c I bent over and it didnt happen again.

Anyways, my docs office is closed for the weekend, and I just thought I would post this question to see what you all thought. Especially if someone else was told this.

Like what is the hospital going to do if I am not seeing spots anymore, KWIM? Am I just suposed to go in and say "I saw spots when I was at home....."?

How frequent should they be happening? Daily? More than 1ce a day? More? (Before I go to L&D)

[Pookie]

I was actually hospitalized for pre-e. It started as bedrest at home at 33 weeks. The seeing spots/ stars started for me as a every once in awhile and then progressed to anytime I wasn't laying down. Personally, I'd call your OB's office and talk to the on-call doc. S/he still might tell you to go to the hospital, but at least you wouldn't feel like you're going for nothing. Oh, if you do end up at the hospital, they'll probably do a NST, monitor the baby's heart rate, do bw, and most likely a 24 hour urine test.

[sublime311]

The spots in the corner of your eyes sounds like ocular migraines.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/ocular-migraine.htm

[Sunshine]

Pookie~Thank you for your post. I am mainly confused b/c my doctor does know about the spots/flashing stars, so I wasnt sure about when to go to the doctor since he didnt specify if I should have all 3 conditions.....especially if he already knew I was seeing the spots...
I havent seen them since, so I just dont know what to do.
I will call my doc if I see them once more. I am at the point of seeing my doc every 2 weeks as well. So it wont be long before I see him again.
It makes me afraid b/c of what it could be, but I just dont know if it is happening enough to be worried.

sublime~It does say that occular migranes can produce those spots, but it also says that the spots are accompanied with a small, enlarging blind spot in your central vision, which I dont have.
Intersting read! Thanks for posting that link:D

[lady1297]

sublime- I think you have answered an unknown question for me. I have been having vision issues that are exactly as the article you linked describes!!! I really appreciate you having linked it.

Sunshine- I'd say if you have 2 of the 3 symptoms call. If it just one, I'd think you were okay. Pre-e is usually more than one symptom. But, always, when in doubt, call! :)

[Rancid13]

Definitely go see the doctor! I had periodic borderline high blood pressure (only) at my ob visits, and to my ob that meant that I had pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and that I was at risk of pre-eclampsia. Though I never had *any* other symptoms (headaches, swelling, seeing spots/stars, etc) for the last 2-3 months of my pregnancy I had to go to the hospital twice weekly for NST's and ultrasounds to check on amniotic fluid levels. Wouldn't you know my bp was perfect at all my NSTs and even through my labor. But better safe than sorry!! It's better to get monitored regularly than not to worry about it at all and risk something happening too quickly.


Symptoms of PIH:
* Rapid weight gain, 4 - 5 lbs in a single week
* Sudden swelling
* Swelling of your face or hands
* Swelling of your ankles or feet that does not go away after 12 hours of rest
* A rise in your blood pressure
* Protein in your urine
* Severe headaches
* Blurry vision
* Seeing spots in your eyes
* Severe pain over your stomach, under your ribs
* Decrease in the amount of urine
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/hypertensionpre/a/pihinpg.htm

Syptoms of Pre-E:
Hypertension
Swelling or Edema
Proteinuria
Sudden Weight Gain
Headache
Nausea or Vomiting
Changes in Vision
Racing pulse, mental confusion, heightened anxiety, trouble catching your breath
Stomach or Right Shoulder Pain
Lower back pain
Hyperreflexia

Here's a good website (with a forum for posting) on pre-e:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/about.asp

[Tonysweetie]

Sunshine I've been seeing spots for weeks now. I have metioned them to my DR. and to my cardiologist and they both linked it to my high pulse rate. Do you check your blood pressure regularly? I have an electric machine at home and I checked mine 3 times a day. I know it isn't as accurate as the ones they use at the Dr. but it's better than nothing. I'd metion it at your next apt. and really push on it and see what he/she says. Feel better!

[dpangel33]

Maybe once a week or two I've seen spots in the corners of my eyes. At first I thought I was seeing bugs flying or crawling around, but when I actually looked there was nothing there.

My Dr said since it isn't occurring that often it isn't much of a concern, but that if it happened more than once a day to call the office. It's definitely worth mentioning!!

[mkvh]

Sunshine--I had PIH/mild pre-e starting at 34w. While I did see spots occasionally, my OB wasn't concerned if they were related to things like standing up/sitting down or a bit of exertion. (And this was AFTER I was put on modified bed rest at 35w.) If they appear for no reason and don't go away quickly, that's when to call. You don't need to have all of the symptoms he mentioned, just a severe occurence of one. FWIW, I only ended up in L&D once b/c of a headache--and that's because it wouldn't go away with Tylenol.

Are you monitoring your BP at home? Do you have another OB appointment soon? With borderline BP like that, it probably isn't a bad idea to keep tabs on it just a bit!

[Sunshine]

I havent seen the spots since the 2 times on Saturday....so I figured I would wait and see if they happened again before calling and they didnt.
I wonder if I should call my doctor and ask if I have protein in my urine. Would they call me if I did?

I do have all the numbers to call now, I just panicked and didnt know what to do. Thank you so much everyone for responding. :D

lady1297~Thank you for your response. I took your answer as my rule as well. My husband said if I started to have a slight headache or the blurry vision we would go for sure, but since my doc knew I was seeing the spots or stars I figured he would tell me to go in right away if I was just seeing those....right?

Rancid13~Thank you SO MUCH for your post and the links. I am going to check out that forum as soon as I post this!:D

Tonysweetie~Well, some times I can feel that my heart is racing but it rarely happens. Funny thing is my heart was racing when I was laying on the couch last night, which of course got me panicking:p Also I wasnt seeing the spots or stars......
WHat do yours look like. Mine looks like firy stars in the outer edges of my eyes....

dpangel33~Mine look my fire spots or stars and I have a bunch of them always at the saem time, but like you said in the outer corners of my eyes. Not in my direct field of view.
It is so scary to not know:p Or to be told to look out for something but you really arent sure how much of it you are suposed ot be looking out for! LOL!

mkvh~Oh THANK YOU! And mine dont usually last for that long! That is totally reassuring. I am definately going to ask my doctor in more detail at my next appointment if I havent already had to call him or go to L&D before then.
I am not monitoring my BP at home. My next appointment is in 2 weeks today.
COuld I just go to the pharmacy and use one of their machines? I need some sort of machine to check it at home right?
Thank you!

[mkvh]

Sunshine--you're welcome! My OB did say that I could just go to the pharmacy and use the automatic machines there, but she said you should rest for 10 minutes or so before taking your pressure. You can buy an automatic cuff for around $30. I had to take mine 2x/day. FWIW, my hovered where yours is most of the time!

Oh--and they dip for protein every time you PIAC at the OB. If there was more than trace protein, the OB would have said something. But you always can ask. I'm surprised they don't have you coming back in for a BP check sooner, but every OB is different. Take care!

[Sunshine]

mkvh~With the protein check. The nurse wasnt able to check it before I got called into the room. She had said she would do the test and then we would go from there if there was protein in it.
As I was leaving the office she was Just checking it....otherwise I do know they check it and have the results before I go in (Or from what I assumed)
I was confused about that too, that they didnt have me pop in for a BP check. But it was snowy that day, we had just got dumped on, and so he said it could have had to do with my drive over.
I dont know.

[mkvh]

Huh...weird. I'm sure if there were alarming amounts, you would have heard something by now. Don't worry if you don't have to! :D Hang in there till your next appointment, and check your BP if you have a chance. If for nothing else than your peace of mind!

[Tonysweetie]

Yea that is what my spots look like too. They happen every now and then. I'd say about once or twice a week. I'm actually being monitored by a cardiologist b/c of them and my heartrate. What is your heartrate normally when you see your OB? Mine is been as high at 140 so that explains my problem. I have noticed my BP slowly creeping up at each visit though. I do check it at least twice a day at home to ease my fears.

[Sunshine]

Tonysweetie~To tell you the truth, they dont check my heartrate.
I go in, they check my weight and then blood pressure.
Then doc comes in, checks my fundal height and then baby's heart beat and that is usually it, other than any questions I have, and the u-check....
I really dont know what a normal heart rate for me is.

[Tonysweetie]

They probably check your heartrate w/your blood pressure. My Dr. never said anything about my heartrate (didn't even realized they checked it) until she was concerned how high mine was a few weeks ago.

[LILRTL]

*Bumping this up* - as I think it could be somewhat related. I have had trouble getting a good deep breath for a few days, have been winded EXTREMELY easily. Just took my heartrate (I have been sitting for 20 minutes), and it is 110... I've had a dull head-ache for a day or so... should I call? I don't want to be paranoid if this is normal. (I'm 31.5 weeks) You would think I would know since I've been through this before, but it's totally different than last time.

[DianeCourt]

Lora, I think that if you're worried about anything at all you should call you doctor's office. I know it's hard to not feel silly about this kind of stuff, but you never know. That's what they're there for, and if they're professional, they won't belittle you. Talk to the nurse and tell them what you're experiencing. Better to be safe than sorry. :)

[Tonysweetie]

Lora: I would call. That is how I started off. I would get winded pretty easily and my heart rate was high at my next apt. (120) I went and saw my regular Dr. for an EKG and it showed nothing, then he sent me to a cardio. where I had an ultrasound done on my heart and that showed nothing. Now at the last 3 OB apt. my blood pressure has been high and I started seeing spots. I was just diagnosed with Pre-E about 2 weeks ago and am now on bed rest. I did not see this coming at all but I'm glad I took charge and got checked out.