Toxemia

nursechar · Mar 2, 2002

Toxemia and pre-eclampsia are the same thing. Toxemia is an older name of a disease process that occurs in women when they are pregnant, and they present with elevated BP, proteinuria, edema. There are other problems such as visual changes, epigastric pain, headaches,elevated liver functions,hemolysis and low platelets. The latter three are what make up a process called HELLP syndrome. The only treatment for pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome is delivery. Mag sulfate is used to prevent mom,s from going into full blown eclampsia, which is many times fatal to both mother and baby. Well, that's my short version of a very involved and complicated disease process. Hope all is well with your cousin and new baby.

mother/babyRN, RN · Mar 2, 2002

I had toxemia,pih and complete previa with my 4 year old. The evening I came in at 37 weeks one day,( to my own unit I might add), I don't remember much...I do recall my doc telling me I was going to have an immediate c/s and me arguing that he didn't understand as I was only there for an NST. I remember the looks on my friends/co workers faces and that of my shell shocked husband. I didn't realize that the reason I couldn't see well enough to sign the informed consent on the right line, although I had done so with patients a thousand times before, was because my periorbital edema and toxemia levels were such that I was dangerously close to seizing. Later my OB confessed to me that he had had chest pain worrying that I might not survive (recall the complete previa ). I had massive edema. I NOW have renewed knowledge and personal experience to deal with patients with only a "slightly" elevated Bp. Mine was never catastrophic. I never had a headache but was confused or "absent minded", until they put me on labetalol in my 6th month and my head cleared. It was a nurse practitioner that discovered my PIH, by the way. My OB assumed I looked so awful because I was a tired night nurse....We NEVER mess around with a "little" PIH.....