Just 11 more days

So it was bound to happen that there would be a scare. Everything just seemed to be going so well for so long. The nurses and I have been noticing that my blood pressure has been slowly going up for the last few days and yesterday it was high enough for the doctor to be concerned about preeclampsia. For those of you who are unfamiliar with preeclampsia, WebMd defines it as being marked by high blood pressure accompanied with a high level of protein in the urine. Women with preeclampsia will often also have swelling in the feet, legs, and hands. Preeclampsia, when present, usually appears during the second half of pregnancy, generally in the latter part of the second or in the third trimesters, although it can occur earlier. So yesterday I had a CBC which tested the liver enzymes and luckily those were perfect, which is a great sign. I have no major swelling issues and not many of the other symptoms of it besides the high blood pressure. They are doing a 24 hour collection of my urine to test it for proteins, and I probably won't know the results of that until tonight or early tomorrow morning. They gave me the first of the two Betamethasone shots (steroids) last night for the girls' lungs just in case we have to deliver before the 31st as the only way to stop preeclampsia if I am in fact diagnosed is to deliver the twins. All of this is precautionary of course, and I have faith that everything will turn out just fine, and this all is just a sign that my body is starting to get a little tired. I know that the twins and I can make it through these last 11 days, we are fighters!! The doctor was also concerned with blood clots in my legs, because I have been on bed rest for so long. Yesterday morning I was told that I was going to have to get two shots a day of Heparin (an anticoagulant) to avoid blood clots. I got two yesterday and one today before I told my doctor that I couldn't handle them anymore. They were absolutely awful and very painful, so I made a deal with my doctor to wear the T.E.D. stockings which are like very thick and tight pantyhose instead of getting the shots until delivery....YAY!!! I didn't think I was going to make it if I was going to have to get those shots everyday. I'm not good with shots, especially ones that burn so terribly. Luckily my doctor is pretty awesome and understanding. I will know more tomorrow about the possibility of preeclampsia, but the girls' heart rates are still doing very good which is a very hopeful sign that everything will be just fine. I don't even need the nurses to put the monitors on anymore, I am officially an expert at putting and keeping them on! I'm so glad that Tim was here during all this craziness, otherwise my stress levels would have been 10x as bad as they were already. It is very important that we keep these girls in until 32 weeks, because at this point every single day makes a difference in prematurity. I would like to say happily that Kelly, a momo mom that I met online before I went inpatient delivered her girls Brooklyn and Brienna successfully on Thursday and that everyone is doing well. I am so happy for her, and her family has given mine hope. I will update more later this week. I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Christmas holiday!!