HELLP??

I'm just wanting to find out about other people's experience with HELLP Syndrome...

I developed HELLP syndrome at 35 weeks pregnant, although it's wasn't diagnosed until 37 weeks, after which I had a beautiful, little baby boy via emergency caesarean.

For those who don't know what HELLP is, it is a rare and serious form of pre-eclampsia. HELLP stands for Haemolysis (rupture of the red blood cells),
EL stands for Elevated Liver enzymes in the blood (reflecting liver damage), LP stands for Low blood levels of Platelets (specialised cells which are vital for clotting).

My symptoms were upper back pain, which after being diagnosed was put down to my liver being so inflammed it was causing so much pain, and then later nausea, hot and cold shakes, fever, sweating, oedema and protein in my urine.

I had never heard of HELLP until about 5 hours before my son was born. And have found it hard finding information about it, and would love to hear about other mum's experiences with HELLP.

Jakson is now 13weeks old and is amazing and getting cheekier by the day!!!

Oh my god yes!!

I had the same problem, I didnt have the liver bit but i did have the decreased platelet problem. I knew all the other PIH and PE problems but like you i hadn't heard of it decreasing the platelets (and i am a nurse too).

I also have another problem that when my blood is taken to check levels of platelets and things my blood clots ever so slightly just enough to make my blood levels worse than the actually are.

this was picked up when i was going to have a c-section for a breech baby, it was noticed that my platelets had decreased a fair amount in three weeks and were now below normal Another test showed they had almost halved again in one day. Unfortunatly it was found after i was flown to adelaide that my platelets were not as bad as first thought because they picked up that thing with the blood clotting slightly in the collection vile. MY platelets were dropping and were on the borderline of normal but not as bad a first thougt. It did turn our to be a good thing being sent to adelaide as they were able to turn the baby with an ECV which got me out of a c-section.

I ended up being flown out of my home town and to adelaide so i could have my baby, I also figured out that thiis was the same problem as in my first pregnancy too.

Just wondering if you haemorraged with your pregnancy at all. I also did this with both deliveries but we are not sure if it is related to the HELLP problem or if I just have a lazy uterus.

I have had to have more blood test this week just to check my blood levels are going back to normal and i might have to have a blood transfusion yet because of a large haemorrage and my blood pressure is still elevated and i still have to take medication. So will be interested to find out what is going on with my blood

I had the same problem in my first pregnancy but it wasnt diagnosed as that at the time. I was under a different doctor then he was a gp with obstetrics quialifications because we had no obstetritians in town at the time. This time we had a resident obstetritian in town so i saw her intead and she diagnosed the problem.

It certainly is a quirky problem because all i had was elevated BP some swelling and the drop in platelets. I had no other blood problems or protien in my urine.

In my first pregnacy my dr said there were some weird things with my platelets and suggested i get it looked into but the problem went away after so i never looked into it. It also wasnt found until i haemorraged when my blood levels were checked.

This time my blood levels were looked into a bit more because my blood pressure got out of control more ofter probably because i had a three year old and working as a nurse can be full on at times.

So this time the problem was picked up and diagnosed as HELLP. it was just made more complicated by the fact my blood clots slightly in the viles they use. Another thing that is being looked into. I know the head lab tech at our IMVS the people who do blood tests and i am about the only one in town whoes blood does this, (but it does happen to some people)

It is just a really rare thing so alot of people dont believe me when i tell them. OF course when my blood comes back funny it means more blood tests. I dont know how many more blood tests my poor little veins can take.

All these on top of the three diabetes checks i had to have ( i dodnt end up diabetic though) i am surpirised they work at all

Wow, do you girls realise how lucky you are to be alive! I quite often Google HELLP to see if there are any new topics on the subject and must have missed this one.

But, I am a survivor of HELLP which went undiagnosed until I was 40 weeks & two days! To put a long story short, I had severe shoulder tip pain (referred liver pain) to start off with, then I started bleeding so raced in to the hospital where we were both monitored for 3 hours, HELLP had not been diagnosed at this stage, and according to the back up midwife (couldn't locate my midwife sad) was in labour. Then it all went horribly wrong, both our heart rates dropped and we were raced to the main theatre in the hospital for emergency c-section. They delivered Josh who was barely alive and started to stitch me up, but they noticed a trickle of blood which they couldn't stop. They got the head surgeons in and found that my liver had ruptured, so packed it and kept me in a drug induced coma for 3 days. My family were told I had a 50/50 chance of staying alive.

I woke up and not really knowing what had happened, and scared to ask about the baby as nobody had meantioned any baby so thought he/she was dead. After 4 days in Intensive Care I met my son who was alive but after several days and an MRI scan was diagnosed with severe brain damaged due to a lack of oxygen.

After staying a month in hospital after developing a blood clot I went home but Josh stayed in another 2 months. As he was not able to feed he had to have a Mickey Button inserted which I fitted a tube to and fed him straight to his stomach. Luckly for me this was my first child so I had nothing to compare him to and this was just a different side to "motherhood".

Josh survived for 15 months and we were so lucky and learned so much from the experience.

HELLP Syndrome affects 1 in 250,000 in New Zealand and that is why there is not a lot of information about it. But think yourselves very lucky indeed to have come through safely!

All the best!

Hi
I have just found this discussion. I too am a HELLP survivor and regularly search for info on it. I have found it hard having no one who understands really what i went thru so its great to hear from others who have had HELLP experiences. I had severe HELLP syndrome 17mths ago and it went undiagnosed until 36weeks when things went horribly wrong and they delivered our baby in an emergency c-sec in order to try to save my life. My BP was really high, my liver had failed and blood platelet count was very low and I had to have a lot of blood and platelet transfusions, after delivery my kidneys failed too and I was put into intensive care on a respirator. I had to have kidney dialysis etc but came right eventually. It took me a year to feel back to competely normal.
We have a beautiful daughter Holly who was 4pd1 (1.8kg)when born and is now 17mths old and thank goodness she was and always has been very healthy and happy.
We are beginning to consider having another baby but the thought is very scary so we are not sure whether we will just stick to the one or not...Would love to know your thoughts on this and also your recovery times...


[Edited on 13/06/2007]

Hi dbarker,

Recovery time... physically took about a year...still healing emotionally! and the thought of another...scares me! No doubt you would be under a specialist next time if you decide too.

Good luck!

Thanks Joshie2003 for replying. I too took about a year to recover and am still recovering emotionally too although we did not lose our child so you would be going thru much more emotional trauma than I can imagine and I really feel for you.
I felt like I was never going to be physically 100% it took so long and there was no info provided for me on recovery time. I was just told it would take at least 6mths. I was treated in Auckland Hospital - no doubt you were too.
Anyway still deciding if we are brave enough to have another probably not as it scares us both too!
All the best to you.

Hey,

Yep I had HELLP also. Was diagnosed during week 32.

Symptoms were difficulty breathing because of an inflammed liver. I was diagnosed not long afer going to meet my widwife at hospital and having blood and urine tests. My liver and kidneys were failing, had high BP and very low platelets. They monitored me for a few days and even though I was stabilising my baby boy was distressed so they decided to deliver through emergency c.section.

Rico was born June 30 06 3pd 9oz at 32 weeks + 5days. He was smaller than most prem babies his age because my placenta had stopped nourishing him becuase of HELLP.

As soon as Rico and the placenta were born my body started to go back to normal. I was walking around the next day so that I could go to neonatal to be with Rico and within the week my body had recovered. Am feeling very lucky after reading others stories!

Rico was in neonatal for only 2 weeks despite being 2 months early as he started feeding quickly and putting on weight.

One year later he is so much fun!! and we are 10 weeks pregnant. I too am scared of what may happen but feel good as I know what to look out for and am more prepared than what I was last time!! I will be under the care of a specialist this time but haven't been referred yet...waiting for that 12 week period to pass. So for those of you who are unsure of whether to have another..I will let you know how I go!!
[Edited on 23/07/2007]

Wow ladies, I can hardly believe I am in the same boat as you as I too suffered HELLP syndrome for my last pregnancy. Luckily for me on 2 accounts. It was rapid onset at exactly 40 weeks so delivering by emergecy c section was not a problem. I did however experience all the symptoms you all have mentioned and like I said it was rapid onset, literally one minute I was fine the next I clearly wasnt with all the symptoms presently themselves at once. Also so fortunate to have an amazing midwife who knew exactly what tests to run as she suspected I had the condition. My son was born 12 hours after I was rushed to hospital. I didnt at the time and only now are getting my head arround just how serious this condition is. Little things that happened at the hospital I know look back and realise how much worse it could have been for me. I was told I would be in hospital for 4 day but left after 3 as I bounced straight back (they say this compensated for the rapid onset). My son is an amazing little 8 month old now. Im now 10 weeks pregnant again and although Im not really too worried I will definatly make sure I am closely monitored. Thanks for sharing your stories ladies.

Hello, I had rapid onset of severe pre-eclamsia and HELLP syndrome at 33 weeks. I had an appointment with the obstetrician and 4 days later I was in hospital not knowing how serious my situation really was. I had pain on the right side of my abdoman, a bit of blurry vision, vomiting and brown urine. I put it down to my son being pushed up under my ribs, the blurry vision to reading alot and not wearing my glasses, votmiting due to what I thought was my son pushing on my stomach and brown urine due to being dehydrated. Turned out the pain in my abdomen was my enlarged failing liver, and the brown urine was the loads and loads of protein in it. I went to hospital thinking I was a sook wanting some maxalon to stop vomiting. I was quite shocked when the obstetrician told me that I was not going home, and would be having the baby. My liver and kidneys were failing, my blood pressure was sky high and was told I was VERY LUCKY to have gone to hospital when I did. I had an emergency c-section at 33 weeks under general anesthetic. It took me almost a week to recover. It was the worst experience of my life, and emotionally I am still recovering. I have post natal depression mainly caused by the traumatic birth, and missing the birth of my first child. My son spent 3 and a half weeks in special care and luckily was completely healthy besides a bit of jaundice. He is now a healthy 5 and a half month old. My husband and I were planning on having another child next year, but this has certainly changed the plans. I am so scared this will happen again.