It's just a question of living with uncomfortable legs, for now

I did go to the hospital ER, and a very nice, almost completely empty, clean and efficient place it was. All the (very young!) doctors and nurses looked terribly professional in their white t-shirts and white trousers, and all had mobiles which buzzed constantly to get them to attend to the next patient, deliver results etc. The nice young doctor tested my blood pressure and took a bunch of blood for blood tests (he was not a very skilled phlebotomist), and then the senior doctor showed up, he'd been called from home and was in jeans and a checked shirt. He patted my stomach in an affectionate way, checked to see if I had any pain anywhere, felt the level of swelling in my legs, and suggested this was just normal pregnancy swelling, particularly at a higher altitude, rather than anything more serious.

Once they got the blood tests back they confirmed I don't have pre-eclampsia, and although I didn't specifically get them to check for a DVT, they didn't mention it as a possibility. My blood pressure is 130/80 which is up from last measurement, but only by 10 points on each, and they weren't worried. My legs are not overly swollen, just a bit uncomfortable. All blood tests were fine, no liver enzyme problems, no infection, no elevated electolytes, blood clotting rate was spot on normal. The only minor issue was slightly low blood sugar so I was told to eat more regularly. Better than the other way round, at least. So they discharged me, with instructions to come back if I felt ill in any way.

Re DVTs I should point out that I do wear flight socks now on all flights, rather than just long haul. Previously I wasn't bothering on short flights, until I got swollen feet on a 45 minute flight from Paris about 6 weeks ago. I'm also still on baby aspirin which should lower the risk.

So thank you so much for your concern. I probably would not have gone to the hospital without your suggestions, and I'm really glad they checked me out. Thank you again. And remind me not to put on sandals with elastic that crosses over the feet. Not a good idea if feet are swollen!

Comments

[Aurelia]

Well, I'm glad you are doing okay and the doc has you all checked out.

Soooo, if you aren't going to buy much yet, have you at least set up a baby registry? I'm just thinking that that way if you can't pick up stuff, your husband and friends will at least be able to get things you like?

[Sarah]

glad to hear all is well!

[amanda]

I'm so glad everything's ok!

[elizabeth]

So glad to hear you and the passenger are okay!

[Kay/Hanazono]

What a relief :) Glad everything checked out ok!

[katty]

glad all well.
My ankles swelled up in the last few months of pregnancy - and only went down about eight weeks after birth.
I didn't find it hurt that much, except towards the very, very end, but I did find that reflexology and foot massage in general really, really helped (if you want the name and number of a good reflexologist in central london e-me...).
Also slender ankles are one of my few good points, so it was mildly sad to see them go (but also amazing to see my whole foot puff up).
So glad all going generally well...

[Bea]

Glad everyone's ok! And yes - I agree with going to the hospital rather than sitting around with a concern, no matter how minor.

Bea

[Jo in Utah]

Whew, thanks for going in. I am sure you did that just to make the rest of us feel better. Are you drinking plenty of water? Getting enough salt? Protein?

[Kristin]

I had two pair of shoes that were my later pregnancy shoes. They were about one size larger than my pre-pg size. They weren't attractive, but they did the job on days that my ankles and feel were ballooned, which was aggravated by the hot summer weather. One was Mephisto, the other was Rockport.

[Glinda]

Good girl! Glad to hear it.

[Ms. Planner]

Thalia, am so glad to hear it was just the altitude (combined with general swelling from being pregnant). Even when I am not pregnant and go to high altitudes, which I do a lot for my job, my hands swell something fierce. Cheers, Ms. Planner

[Carol]

Glad to see that you went in for a check anyway - and that all is well. Better safe than sorry!

[Lut C.]

Good to hear you got the all clear. I hope the discomfort subsides soon.

[Betty M]

Phew. Glad all was ok. If we ever get any summer weather expect your swelling to get worse - my ankles were never my strong point to start with and at 7 months pregnant, after a day at work and in a heatwave - elephants came to mind (and that was in the pg w/out pre-e.

[PBfish]

Oh, I'm so sorry you are having such unpleasant symptoms. There's no sugar-coating it, the latter part of pregnancy really, really sucks.
Hang in there!!

[waiting line]

Good - glad everything is perfectly fine!

And, yes, what shoes work for you these days? I'm down to one last pair - and even those are starting to pinch. Crap! Time to go shoe shopping!

[Tinker]

I'm happy that things are still looking good.

I had lots of edema late in my pregnancy with our son, and while the docs kept checking my BP and looking for protein in my urine (there was none) all I had was a whole lot of water retention. It felt awful and for that reason alone, I was anxious for the baby to be delivered (I was eventually induced at 41w). Hopefully yours doesn't get worse, as the only way to really make it go away is to have the baby.

[Kath]

Dear Thalia, I'm so glad you had it checked. It's so good to have that reassurance. I'm glad, too, that the ER experience was a good one. Resort towns to tend to have pretty good care...

My feet, too, out of some deep feeling of sympathy for yours, have been swelling up these past two days... but my doctor, too, said it was normal, as my BP and everything else was just fine.

[rockmama]

swelling, I was told, was totally normal, even the really uncomfortable kind that made your skin feel like it was a sausage casing. But I was glad when I went in, as you did, to be checked when it got kind of extreme. (My BP was pretty high too) It's worth the piece of mind. Glad everything is ok!