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A HELLP Story
by Lori
sub - 7/8/01


I didn't have a clue, I believe that's what saved me. I later that evening after delivering Brittan, I felt a "Pop" sensation. The blood vessels behind both eyes popped and my vision became extemely inpaired! It took about 3 months before I'd drive a car again. My eyes have never been the same.

 

Lori's Story

My name is Lori Kennedy, My daughter who is healthy and is now  8 years old  was born on May 18th 1993. I know it's been awhile,(obviously!) but I've  always wondered and worried about it since I delivered her. Her name is Britttan Lee Kennedy, she weighed at birth 5 lbs and was down to 4lbs.
10 oz. when we brought her home. 

I was almost exactly 36 weeks when she was delivered. I live in Draper Utah. It came on pretty suddenly, she is my second and last child, both being girls. I decided that I  couldn't ever go through what I went through with her again. Thankfully, I just wasn't informed at the time, thinking that everything would be, of course, perfect. 

I was doing great in my 2nd pregnancy, until about my 7th month. Protein in my urine, elevated blood pressure the obvious symptoms ofpreclamsyia. I was obviously in denile , and thankfully so like I've already said. I started swelling up like a balloon one afternoon and that was basically it. 

What happened next is what I still have nightmares over! I went in to the doctors to have a routine visit of blood pressure check etc... He sent me home after several hours hooked up to many monitors, with my promise that I'd go straight to bed and call if I felt any changes, I was to deliver the baby in the early A.M. no matter what. I begged to go home and he reluctantly
agreed. 

After spending the whole night in horrible chronic stomach pain, that I kept saying was bad gas pains, I showed up at the hospital at 6-7A.M. My doctor was there waiting, when I told him that I felt like crap all night! he freaked out in a very professional manner, and scolded me. Well turns out 
that my liver was basically not functioning hardly, and that my platlett count was so low, (I want to say around 250) he immediatly put me on magniesium, and prayed! 

I turned out to deliver my daughter 3 hours later by 
the grace of god, my blood pressure was so high I remember my husband just seeming extra concerned around me, the doctor had prepared him, for the worse. I believe that everyone had believed at that point that I was going
to have a stroke at the least, but probably a cerebral hemmorage, or death. 
 
 

I chose not to have any other babies.  This whole thing peaked again just today. I do hair, A new client came in today who is a labor/delivery nurse at the same hospital. She said how 
really rare H.E.L.L.P syndrome is, so I came home 8 years later (today!) and found this web site. Ignorance was bliss in my case, if I had truely any idea how bad it was I probably would have and could have experienced the worst  case senerio. 

That's all, it just makes me know how strong we can all
be, and how vulnerable our lives are. It wasn't my time! 

      Thanx for your time, Lori Kennedy         kevlor00@aol 

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Updated 
6/2/01