QuestionI am 29 weeks pregnant and my blood pressure recently shot up to about 146/100. My OB/gyn said that I just have hypertension, because I am pregnant and overweight and put me on 1000 MG of Methyldopa a day to bring things down. I pushed my doctor to do a 24 hour urine test and sure enough they found abnormal amounts of protein, but she asserts that means that I have always had hypertension and the protein is the result of damage(she says my kidneys are at 8% damage) I have sustained from that, and not toxemia. She told me that she doesn't believe in toxemia. My blood pressure has always been 120/80 until two weeks ago. She says that is high for my age and that she will put me on blood pressure medication when I deliver and I will have to stay on it for the rest of my life. My hands are swelling and my eyes always look like I spent the night crying when I wake up. My mother and sister also had toxemia with their first pregnancies. I am 32 and this is my first baby. Should I be concerned that she is overlooking something? Could I have toxemia?
AnswerHello Lori. Yes, it is possible, BUT the treatment is something YOU can do for yourself. Even if you DO have toxemia, the treatment I am going to prescribe will turn things around for you. NUMBER ONE - you are NOT eating enough protein- you MUST eat 100+ mg. of protein EVERY day. That means meat, chicken, eggs, low fat cheese, fish, nuts. Get your hands on a chart that tells you the gm. amounts of protein and keep track every day of how much you are eating. Go to a website for Bradley Childbirth- they have a gram counter on that site. NEXT- you MUST drink 2-3 liters or water every day- NOT cola, soda, juice, coffee, tea(even herbal)- PLAIN WATER! Next- you must NOT eat ANY sugar or flour- that means no pasta, regular bread, sweets, candy, ice cream, desserts, baking, no white rice(only brown), no sauces or gravies. For the health of your baby, you CAN do this for another 11 weeks. The bread you can eat is called sprouted grain bread- usually the brand is Silver Hills- made with NO flour. You may eat THREE pieces of fruit a day- and ONLY three- and NO juices. Give this a try and I think you will find a great improvement- all the best- Cheri.
