I had never heard of Preeclampsia or eclampsia or HELLP Syndrome,until several months after HELLP nearly killed me. After a relatively easy, medically uneventful pregnancy during which I exercised and ate healthily I came down with the worst class of HELLP Syndrome two days after I ceased the lovenox (a blood thinner) injections I'd put myself on at the advice of two experts. HELLP presented as a severe headache and nausea. My husband called our OB who told him to bring me in right away. Once at the hospital an emergency C-Section was performed. My baby was healthy. However, I was diagnosed with eclampsia and was observed to have seizures on the operating table. The next day my liver ruptured and I was rushed off to a larger hospital for monitoring in the liver ICU in case I needed a transplant. Luckily, my liver healed itself. My brain had been badly damaged, however.
My first memories post stroke/coma are fleeting images of my husband from three months later. My first more extensive, stable memories are SIX MONTHS later. Thus I missed out on the first six months of my much wanted infant daughter's life, unable to live at home with her during that time and unable to remember anything from that time.
Despite this horrible illness I consider myself blessed because I received excellent medical care (costing more than $2 million) that was completely covered by my dual union provided health insurance and, with the help of 18 months of cognitive and physical therapies I have made an excellent (much better than anyone predicted) recovery.
In gratitude, I would like to give back to others. Several months ago my husband and I raised $1,000 for research into infant prematurity for the March of Dimes. Now I would like to help organize another Promise Walk in the LA area to help raise money for research into eclampsia (of which HELLP Syndrome is the most extreme form.)
Contact me if you are interested in participating in or helping to organize such an event. Thanks!
Lisa W. [email protected]
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I had never heard of Preeclampsia or eclampsia or HELLP Syndrome,until several months after HELLP nearly killed me. After a relatively easy, medically uneventful pregnancy during which I exercised and ate healthily I came down with the worst class of HELLP Syndrome two days after I ceased the lovenox (a blood thinner) injections I'd put myself on at the advice of two experts. HELLP presented as a severe headache and nausea. My husband called our OB who told him to bring me in right away. Once at the hospital an emergency C-Section was performed. My baby was healthy. However, I was diagnosed with eclampsia and was observed to have seizures on the operating table. The next day my liver ruptured and I was rushed off to a larger hospital for monitoring in the liver ICU in case I needed a transplant. Luckily, my liver healed itself. My brain had been badly damaged, however.
My first memories post stroke/coma are fleeting images of my husband from three months later. My first more extensive, stable memories are SIX MONTHS later. Thus I missed out on the first six months of my much wanted infant daughter's life, unable to live at home with her during that time and unable to remember anything from that time.
Despite this horrible illness I consider myself blessed because I received excellent medical care (costing more than $2 million) that was completely covered by my dual union provided health insurance and, with the help of 18 months of cognitive and physical therapies I have made an excellent (much better than anyone predicted) recovery.
In gratitude, I would like to give back to others. Several months ago my husband and I raised $1,000 for research into infant prematurity for the March of Dimes. Now I would like to help organize another Promise Walk in the LA area to help raise money for research into eclampsia (of which HELLP Syndrome is the most extreme form.)
Contact me if you are interested in participating in or helping to organize such an event. Thanks!
October 25, 2012 - 4:34pmLisa W.
[email protected]
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