Tell me your thoughts and advice on my third trimester symtpoms please

[BaileyB]

Painful vericose vein: I am assuming this is what it is but it is behind my shin bone so I can't see it. It has a painful swollen feeling to it and I have had it in other pregnancies from standing too much but now it just hurts all the time.

Dry eye/contact issues: This is a pregnancy related thing to because I had it in my first trimester, gone in my second, and now back. It's like my contact won't sit right in my right eye (I have an astigmatism in that eye). Drops only help for a few minutes.

I am 29 weeks, measuring 31 weeks by fundal height. Baby is active. My blood pressure is normal for me, 100/60. I am not having any swelling or anything or any concerning symptoms and only a normal amount of BH's.

Also, would being anemic cause either of these symptoms in the third trimester? I don't know if I am anemic but I have been wondering about being short of energy and was going to pick up some floradix on tuesday.

TIA!!!

[RaeRae1109]

For your eye: are you getting enough water?  Do you have any other liver related issues and/or pain? 

For both this and your swollen leg I would suggest acupuncture, especially if you can find a Mama acupuncturist who works often with pregnant women/children (just because they will have more first hand experience with where you are at).

If you are seeing a massage therapist make sure you give them all your symptoms for the leg pain.  They should only be massaging that leg towards the heart and might even opt out of touching it too much.

All that really doesn't seem like much help, but it's a start!  Hopefully someone else on here with more info and experience can address your concerns.

[eabbmom]

I haven't dealt with varicose veins. My eyes returned to normal after birth, I didn't wear a contact in one of my eyes my whole pregnancy- eyes and sight changes can be due to pregnancy.

[womenswisdom]

Varicose veins are not deep in the leg like that, they are on the surface of the skin. You need to check to make sure this is not deep vein thrombosis which is very serious potentially. Do not massage the area until you know for sure.

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by womenswisdom 

Varicose veins are not deep in the leg like that, they are on the surface of the skin. You need to check to make sure this is not deep vein thrombosis which is very serious potentially. Do not massage the area until you know for sure.

Exactly. I have varicose veins from my first pregnancy and they are essentially just below the surface of the skin, visible and palpable. Your description worries me because it does sound like it could be a DVT. Please see a doctor or care provider ASAP as a DVT is nothing to fool around with.

[BaileyB]

Thanks for the advice! I wasn't sure what to think of my leg pain.

[BlessedJess]

Originally Posted by BaileyB 

Painful vericose vein: I am assuming this is what it is but it is behind my shin bone so I can't see it. It has a painful swollen feeling to it and I have had it in other pregnancies from standing too much but now it just hurts all the time.

Dry eye/contact issues: This is a pregnancy related thing to because I had it in my first trimester, gone in my second, and now back. It's like my contact won't sit right in my right eye (I have an astigmatism in that eye). Drops only help for a few minutes.

I am 29 weeks, measuring 31 weeks by fundal height. Baby is active. My blood pressure is normal for me, 100/60. I am not having any swelling or anything or any concerning symptoms and only a normal amount of BH's.

Also, would being anemic cause either of these symptoms in the third trimester? I don't know if I am anemic but I have been wondering about being short of energy and was going to pick up some floradix on tuesday.

TIA!!!

If this was me with the dry eye and leg pain I would make some sodium citrate up and drink it down. A whole quart or two. I've had deep leg pains before - I take the problem very seriously - and I've always noticed it connected with being low in salt and low in water. So I would be drinking up. I like to use sodium citrate because the salt form in there has no chloride in it, which can be a problem if you get too much.

Sodium citrate recipe

1/2 teaspoon aluminum free sodium bicarbonate

1/2 teaspoon citric acid

1 quart water (hopefully high in magnesium bicarbonate)

Or you can make it half strength as I often do -

 1/4 teaspoon aluminum free sodium bicarbonate

and 1/4 teaspoon citric acid

Edited by BlessedJess - 2/18/13 at 7:31pm

[Banana731]

Well I sure hope it's not DVT

And if it isn't, you might find a calcium/magnesium supplement helps with the aching.

Fwiw- I got nearsighted with my first pregnancy, I actually had to get classes so I could ses the board at college! But it went away after I gave birth and has not happened since. Crazy stuff!

[katelove]

Originally Posted by Banana731 

Well I sure hope it's not DVT

And if it isn't, you might find a calcium/magnesium supplement helps with the aching.

Fwiw- I got nearsighted with my first pregnancy, I actually had to get classes so I could ses the board at college! But it went away after I gave birth and has not happened since. Crazy stuff!

I developed nearsightedness during my first pregnancy too. The optician told me that it's not too uncommon for pregnancy to cause eyesight changes. Mine didn't go away though. And it doesn't seem to have gotten any worse after being pregnant again either although I haven't had an eye test since my second LO was born.

[zapzipzee]

Originally Posted by BaileyB 

I am 29 weeks, measuring 31 weeks by fundal height. Baby is active. My blood pressure is normal for me, 100/60. I am not having any swelling or anything or any concerning symptoms and only a normal amount of BH's.

At 28 weeks I was measuring 31 weeks by fundal height.  I WAS measuring much further ahead (~5 weeks ahead).  Midwife initially suspected twins, but doesn't now, and says my fluid level feels normal.  My blood pressure is also low, with no swelling, but I do have LOTS of braxton hicks and a VERY active baby!

Is this a recent change?  Are you SUDDENLY measuring 2 weeks ahead?  What have you been measuring?  Is this your second+ baby?   With DD1, I measured two weeks ahead from 24 weeks on....  Two centimeters in either direction is within normal range...  Hope that helps!