[rue2you]

I understood from this website that you could not have AD below T6. I am an L3 level and have no feeling or movement below my waist. However, the last couple of weeks, I have spent a lot of time in bed, because if I move in certain positions or seem to do nothing at times, I break out in a cold sweat, my ears start ringing, and everything slowly starts going black like I am passing out. I have to go lay down or I do pass out. I have almost waited to long on a couple of occasions and I just about didn't make it to my bed.
My OB dr. thinks this is due to AD and my poor circulation and that late pregnancy hormones or pain that I am not feeling is causing this to happen. He told me I would have to have an epidural during delivery to stabilize this.
I am just wondering if any of you have any knowledge on this because I thought I was too low of an injury for this. I am only 4 months into this so I don't know if this is pregnancy induced, or something that is just starting to develop.
Thank you in advance for any answers!

[wheeliebear75]

To everything I have heard those of us who's injuries are lower do not have will not have AD (PLEASE correct me anyone if I'm incorrect). I do not have AD & have a similar injury level to yours. When AB women are in the later stages of pregnancy their bodies are put under a lot of stress & it can do things to their blood-pressure; ears ringing, dizziness, & passing out are all signs of AD but it just as likely (in my humble non medically trained opinion) that your body is just having trouble handling being pregnant. There is a lot more demand on the heart for blood supply, major nutritional loss in being preggers, among other things. As paras we still have harder time than AB's with medical complication & it could be that though this is a complication of your paralysis making the pregnancy more difficult on your body as a para than as an AB, that it isn't necessarily "AD".

[Trinity]

I assume you have been tested for pre-eclampsia. The other thing that may be worth trying is lying on your left side (left lateral tilt) this relieves the pressure on your inferior vena cava which could be being compressed by the baby at this stage in your pregnancy. The vena cava carries your blood supply back from your body to your heart. If this blood supply is reduced by lying on your back, then this may slow the flow of blood from the heart to other parts of the body (such as your lungs and brain, causing breathlessness and dizzy sensations) in serious cases can cause you to pass out or worse. I don't mean that to sound scary but it is something worth bearing in mind. Also do you have a home blood pressure cuff, if you do check your blood pressure (or get someone to check it for you) If it AD then it should, as far as I know be pretty high

This post has been edited by trinity: 15 July 2009 - 08:29 PM

[rue2you]

The OB doctor (who by the way is a high risk pregnancy doctor) said that AD can cause high or low blood pressure. My blood pressure is always very low - like 100/60. So, we know it is not going up. My only concern, is because if it is not AD, I probably won't need an epidural because I wouldn't feel the pain anyway (unless my right leg spasms which it does at times when there is pain involved and I don't know it) and the epidural would relax it. But...if it is AD, then that is a serious deal and an epidural would be needed to help with that.
The anesthesiologist called me today to talk about it and they are trying to figure out what they should do. I know what the OB is saying, but it seemed like the anesthesiologist was saying something opposite so I am just trying to be informed. Thank you all for your responses.

[Tinbasher]

This is a bit of a mystery because you shouldnt be getting spazms at L3 either.

Tin

[Lucydog]

whoever told you, you wont feel pain is wrong. Your contractions are much higher than L, so unless you have other factors then you should have a normal delivery. Im about to have my 3rd post SCI, all were normal if speedy deliverys, the worst being that my back pain was worse than my front pain.

Honestly it sounds like a bp problem,, in which ase your hospital should be monitoring you. It could actually be LOW Bp. At the moment Im hovering around slightly higher BP and my hospital is already in a state of panic about it, so Im surprised they have not taken you in. To be honest at 37 weks it might be better to be induced and get it over with safely rather than plodding through to term. Just a few thoughts.

The thing about spasms is I dont tend to suffer usually but have during pregnancies. Im guessing that the baby is pretty much jumping up and down on various nerves! Just a guess though.

This post has been edited by Lucydog: 17 July 2009 - 03:51 PM

[Bob C]

Passing out and ears ringing are low bp. It is the beginning stage of shock. If it was AD and high bp, you would he having a real headache when it approaches the danger level.

[wheeliebear75]

Lucy has a point. At 37 wks if a woman goes into labor they don't even try stopping her labor they just let the baby come as it's developed by 36wks. And if your blood pressure is out of whack than the baby's may be out of whack right a long with yours.....though I'm not certain about him/her sharing in your BP ups and/or downs. As an L2 I can tell you the contractions are quite a bit higher than the injury level & you may even be able to do some asistive pushing. If you get back labor then your going to be in for a wold of hurt as it played absolute havoc with me on my back. I'm L2 & incomplete at that but I still get some spasms & while I was in back labor my legs were spasing really bad. I tried having my 1st vaginally.......no go; so they ended up doing an emergency C'section with the 1st & then scheduled the others.....though my 2nd one showed up at 32 wks so she sort of rescheduled it on us.