Reader\'s Digest Canada - 04.2020

illustration by victor wong

THE PATIENT: Megan*, a 25-year-old

dietitian

THE SYMPTOMS: High blood pressure,

seizures and confusion

THE DOCTOR: Dr. Umar Farooq,

nephrologist at Penn State Health

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in

Hershey, Penn.

M

EGAN’S PREGNANCY, her first,

had been relatively comfort-

able. She’d had no morning

sickness, just some swelling in her legs

and feet. So, in December 2016, when

she visited her obstetrician’s office for

her 38-week checkup, she expected

no surprises. Instead, the doctor sent

her straight to the hospital. “My blood

pressure was so high, they said, ‘We’re

taking this baby out of you,’” Megan

recalls. She was showing signs of

pre-eclampsia, a dangerous compli-

cation of pregnancy that can put the

mother and baby at risk.

Pre-eclampsia normally resolves

after giving birth. Because of the

baby’s breech presentation, he was

delivered quickly by C-section, but

afterwards, Megan’s blood pressure

remained elevated. After four days in

hospital, she was sent home with a

combination of pills that seemed to

control the problem.

Two weeks after the birth, Megan

put her infant son in his crib for a nap

*IDENTIFYING DETAILS HAVE BEEN CHANGED. and started on some holiday baking.

BY Lisa Bendall

reader’s digest

24 april 2020

HEALTH

WHAT’S WRONG

WITH ME?