Very sick, not morning sickness. Any advice?

[dreamsofdanger]

Hello! I am 26 weeks pregnant with my 3rd. I feel awful all the time. Yes I have some appetite loss and nausea but my main complaint is I always feel faint and weak. When I feel at my worst I can't stand up for longer than a couple minutes without feeling like I'm frigging dying. I had my midwives order a CBC and a glucose test at 20 weeks which I passed. I've monitored my bs at home as well with perfect numbers. My Vit d was on the low end and I've been supplementing with no change in the way I feel. The only thing that helps is laying down. The feeling I get while standing almost reminds me of when the baby crushes the vena cava and you get woozy. I have never passed out or gotten physical cues that I'm going to pass out, I just feel awful!

I did develop a panic disorder about 18 months ago but it's more of a generalized anxiety disorder now. I keep my anxiety pretty low most of the time and dont have panic attacks anymore but it is still constant for the most part. My bp did go up after the first 6 weeks of constant panic attacks, when it first started 18 months ago and it's been elevated ever since, but typically when I get it taken by my midwives it's not concerning. I feel like eating anything at all might contribute to making me feel worst but I can't pin point it. Sometimes eating doesn't effect it. My midwives say its my anxiety and my psychologist says its a pregnancy thing. Working as a hair dresser is becoming unbearable let alone cooking dinner or washing dishes.

Does anyone have any suggestions or is it all in my head? I feel so terrible all the time! I've never NOT enjoyed being pregnant but I can't imagine suffering another 14 weeks.

[pokeyAC]

The first two things that come to mind are anemia and low blood pressure.  They could make you feel weak and tired and faint.  Blood pressure improves when you lie on your left side.  Since you are on your feet, perhaps it is a circulation issue.  Blood not getting oxygen where you need it.  Have you asked your midwife about compression socks?  I don't know much about this, but it was a thought that came to mind.

[katelove]

Sounds like classic low blood pressure to me. Ask your midwife to do lying and standing BPs to confirm it for you if she hasn't already.

Unfortunately there's not much you can do about it. Make sure you stay well hydrated. Salt your food to taste. Get up slowly. But the only real cure is giving birth I'm afraid.

[sageowl]

This pregnancy, I have had both anemia and super low blood pressure...and felt exactly the way you described.  Taking iron pills (and eating more foods with iron) seemed to help.  With the blood pressure, I was told to try to drink more water, and that does seem to help most of the time (I don't know if it actually raises the BP any, but I feel a bit better).

[cynthiamoon]

Have you had an ultrasound or other screenings? I might request a referral to an OB if your blood is fine.

[skycheattraffic]

Sounds like low blood pressure to me too. I had it with DD and have it to a lesser extent with this pregnancy. I feel woozy and faint/dizzy easily when I'm on my feet and especially when getting up. At its lowest with DD it was 80/40. I had to be very careful. I would look into whether there's any accommodation they could make for you at work, like taking more calls/booking appointments while sitting and less on your feet work. At home I'd just try getting more help so you can rest more and spend more time off your feet. As others mentioned, there may not be much else you can do but give it time. A bit into my third trimester my BP rebounded and I had normal readings and no symptoms. I hope that helps a bit and that you get the support you need to get through these tough weeks.

[AnkaJones]

Hi,

I had that too.  No one was able to figure out what it was (or even took it all that seriously) until I started passing out at work where I stood for long hours at a time.  It turned out that while my blood pressure was pretty normal while I was sitting down, and even after I equilibriated after standing up, it drifted down over the course of the next couple of hours and I'd hit the deck.  Progesterone, which is at really high levels during pregnancy, causes your blood vessels to relax.  As I stood for a long time, the blood would all wind up in my legs.

Anyway, it was very uncomfortable, but it completely resolved once my placenta was out.

I hope you start to feel better.  Some things that helped me were sitting down as much as possible, wearing TED stockings (the thigh high ones), and keeping hydrated and fed.

Best,

Anka

[dreamsofdanger]

Thank you everyone! I think I'm going to see my PCP and start watching my bp closer. Ill update!