On my way to the ER for absolutely no reason!

[Carlito's_wife]

I am having a really hard time breathing. I have these episodes about three times a day where I get really short of breath and no position I try to move to can ease my symptoms. I always just deal with it cuz I know it is part of being pregnant. But today I am considerably worse. I feel like my face is turning blue and I am so light headed from it. I call the nurse @ my doc's office and the effin wh*re tells me to go the emergency room immediatly. I was like ok the emergency room is for people with emergencies. I am not dieing and I don't think I will anytime soon. Why would I bother those people with something as simple as pregnancy discomforts. Then she goes on and on about the welfare of the baby and how this is sooooo abnormal *which anyone who has ever been pregnant knows it is to be expected* and so I say well then can't I just come see my doctor today since it is such an emergency and she tells me no go into the ER immediatly. I am so angry at this point. Of course I will do as told even though it seems so rediculous to me. But I think this is the angriest I have been in a long time. Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill!!!!! As soon as they tell me in the ER how normal this all is I am going right across the street to my Dr's office to tell that nurse thanks for not just talking to me and giving me a recomendation about what could help.

[mama-meg]

I understand that you're angry, and I really hope that by the time you read this you're discharged with an answer to what has been causing this shortness of breath.

However, the nurse most likely wanted you to be seen right away & didn't have an office appointment free. The symptoms you describe (feeling lightheaded and short of breath) aren't necessarily "normal." During my first pregnancy I experianced the my first adult asthma attack and did indeed end up in the emergency room. I was so short of breath I couldn't finish a sentence and the worry was that I would faint and injure myself by falling.

The emergency room is indeed for emergencies, but it is also an admission point to the hospital and a source of on call resources - you won't be imposing on the staff by going, its their job to see you.

[nausicaamom]

Going to the ER sucks, but having breathing problems almost to the point of passing out seems a bit beyond normal pregnancy problems. If anything, maybe the visit will move your doctor to find out what the real problem is. - let us know how things turn out.

[operamommy]

Your nurse is correct; what you're experiencing is not normal. Not being able to breathe can indeed harm your baby and is not a normal pregnancy discomfort. Shortness of breath from pregnancy is one thing - feeling soooo short of breath that you're lightheaded is another. There is NO way for a nurse to judge accurately over the phone whether you're ok or not, it's not like she can take a listen to your lungs. *hugs*

I understand you don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it truly sounds to me that you could do with an exam to check you out for asthma. I have it, and it's not bad at all normally, but it has worsened one thousand-fold due to this pregnancy. If you do have asthma, you don't want to let it get to the point where it does harm you and your babe.

Please update us as soon as you can.

[ScarletBegonias]

i'm sorry mama

[steph117]

Sorry to hear you're going through this - hope the visit is quick and easy! Please let everyone know how it turns out...

[Dea]

Oh it must be scary to feel that breathless. I hope you're feeling better now.
I think the nurse wanted to practice being safe and not sorry. I had something similar when I was having heart palpitations. They rushed me in for an appointment, gave me a million tests all to tell me it was related to pregnancy, like I expected. But like the nurse told me, anything with the heart and they will check to be sure. I think it's the same for you.
Anyhow do a lot of people watching at the ER, hopefully that will take your mind off of being there.

[lovetobemama]

Hoping that you are home and feeling better soon! Also really glad that you did go in. I have had lots of small moments of shortness of breath, expecially near the end with DS when he was so big, but 3 times a day, with this one being so severe, it does sound a little concerning to me! Hope all is well, but good job going in anyway to be sure!
Keep us updated!!

[Carlito's_wife]

Well, that was totally pointless. This is exactly why I do not go into the doctor. And now the hospital is just one more place to add to my list of big fat to don'ts.

I went in for shortness of breath and dizziness. Why did they immediatly strap me up to one of those dumb contracrtion things and start telling me I was having little contractions so my uterus must be irritated. : Uhhhhhh, ok. But that is not what I went in for. They started shoving all this water down my throat *although they had already explained to me that according to my urine sample I was not dehydrated* and they were just completely ignoring everything I said to them. After being hooked up to this thing for 4.5 hours they determined that was just the way my uterus felt like acting right now. I said ok, but what about my breathing issue. Well did you eat today? I told them I haven't eaten since I had been to the hospital *which was torture* but yes, I did have a bowl of cereal for breakfast before I came. Well was it a sugary cereal the painfully unintelligent nurse asks. Why yes ma'am it was. Ahhh hah!!! There in lies your problem. Sugary cereal. Was she serious? No tests at all and she spent the last 4.5 hours monitoring a non existant problem to tell me that the very thing I have eaten almost everyday for the past 25 years has suddenly caused me to lose my breath. Had I not been paralyzed from the waist down from sitting in the same spot for hours I would have kicked her in her forhead. So that was it. End of discussion and her diagnosis was "sudden intolerance of sugary cereal".

Yet I came home, sat in my favorite chair, lost my breath, and almost passed out again. Must have been the bowl of cereal I snuck in on the way home from the ER. *JK*

Well not sure what to do now. I know for sure I am not in labor although I am pretty sure that was a fact that didn't need to be established but now I am pretty stressed about how the day went and I have no diagnosis, or none that makes sense anyways, and no cure. :

[True Blue]

That really sucks. I suggest you make an appt to see your actual doctor right away. I don't think the ER seemed to have the right kind of staff to diagnose you.

[ksera05]

you need to make an appointment with your OB asap. that is NOT normal at all and it sounds like L&D was absolutely useless.

[the elyse]

well, maybe i can offer my two cents. i have a degree in emergency medical services (the dipolma is hanging in my closet. ) emergency rooms SUCK. i did a simple google search, and the staff should have been WAY more concerned about you than they were.

i found this on baby center.

"Could shortness of breath ever indicate a serious problem?
Yes. For example, if you have a respiratory illness such as asthma or pneumonia, it can be more serious when you're pregnant.

Also, because of changes in blood clotting during pregnancy, you're more at risk for a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that goes to your lungs). This is a rare but very serious occurrence.

If shortness of breath comes on suddenly or becomes severe, it could be a sign of a serious medical problem. Seek medical help immediately.

You should also get help right away if shortness of breath is accompanied by any of the following symptoms:
• Worsening asthma
• Rapid breathing
• A rapid pulse, heart palpitations, or faintness
• Chest pain or pain when you breathe
• A blue tinge around your lips, fingers, or toes, or if you look pale
• A sense of apprehension that you're not getting enough oxygen
• A persistent cough, a cough along with fever or chills, or coughing blood"


it's SO frustrating not to get listened too, and it sounds like they couldn't see past your pregnant uterus to assess YOU and your reason for visiting. if you still can't get in to see your OB, switch providers, and find someone to listen.

[eilonwy]

I've been having the same problem this pregnancy; In my case, I'm pretty sure that it's a combination of asthma, dehydration (and no, it won't always show up in your urine-- you can be "mildly" dehydrated), and anemia. We're out of Floravital, and have negative income right now so the anemia won't be corrected for some time. The dehydration is due to SeaMonkey's head pressing into my tummy. I can't drink or eat enough, because I feel full all the time. The asthma is, of the three, the easiest to manage, though I think I need to go back to the 500/50 Advair (I'd cut back to the 250/50).

I have to say, though, that I agree with previous posters. It's not normal. You *can* play detective and figure out what's wrong... but it's definately not normal.

[flapjack]

If you tell any medical practitioner that you are short of breath and are turning blue then they will send you to hospital . Asthma kills 7 children a week, did you know that? AND a few adults, too. Most of the time it takes hospital admission for us to get an attack severe enough that Isaac turns blue under control, because he needs so much salbutamol once it gets to that point.
How long are these attacks actually lasting for?

[operamommy]

Sorry you had such a crappy hospital experience. I agree with the other posters; the L&D unit of your hospital is useless. I also agree that you need to schedule an appointment with your OB immediately. Make sure you tell them how worthless the hospital was; I still can't figure out why in the world they checked for contractions instead of monitoring your breathing. That's just nuts. :

[True Blue]

Did they even send you to L&D? Or did they keep you in the ER?

[mama_nym]

I agree with seeking a second opinion from your OB.

At the very least they should have been keeping an eye on your blood oxygen levels and your pulse ... and possibly even had you on a heart monitor for a while.

[mama_nym]

Originally Posted by True Blue

Did they even send you to L&D? Or did they keep you in the ER?

If they kept you in the ER ... if you experience this again, go straight to L&D - you SHOULD get better care there.

[applecore]

That sucks! : I'm sorry that you haven't been able to get any help for what's going on yet, but I hope it will get figured out very soon.

My mom called me yesterday and told me that she'd been thrown off a horse, and when she went to get checked out they told her she had some bruised ribs. After being in way more pain than what she thought was normal, she went somewhere else, and they diagnosed a cracked rip and punctured lung. And, yes, they did an x-ray at the first place she went to as well. So unfortunately, you're not alone in getting examined by apathetic morons.