Palpitations Continued....

I went to the doctors this evening. She checked my blood pressure and listened to my heart with her stethescope and both were fine. So she has booked me in for an ECG tomorrow at 5.45pm. I will update tomorrow.

I have been feeling really sick today but it eases if i nibble on bits and bobs throughout the day. Large meals leave me feeling big and bloated and i struggle to digest them. I must remember to keep meals small but often. I really fancied some tomato soup today and ginger beer. I will have to put them on my shopping list tomorrow.

While i was at the doctors i asked for some information about anti e antibodies, but she didn't have a clue and hadn't heard about it. She kept asking me if i mean't anti d. OMG! If my own doctor doesn't know about it how am i gonna get any information about it or prepare myself. I found the following in a search tonight.....

Rh disease can occur if the mother is Rh negative and the baby is Rh positive. The mother can make antibodies against the baby's blood cells. These antibodies can cross the placenta and destroy the baby's blood cells making the baby very sick. There are many different Rh antibodies, but when we speak of Rh negative, we are referring the the D antibodies (most of the antibodies are named by letter).
A much less common form of Rh disease can be caused by E antibodies. That is a possibility in your case. Typically, though, the level of antibodies remains stable throughout the pregnancy, and there is no problem. Occasionally, the antibody level begins to rise indicating that it is possible that the baby is affected. In that case, the baby would be monitored with regular ultrasounds to be sure that he or she is still doing well. In the rare case that the baby develops anti-E Rh disease, it can be treated with a transfusion while it is still inside the uterus.


In the case of pregnancy Anti-E is rather common, so is
Anti-D; the Anti-D being formed when an Rh negative woman gives birth to an Rh positive baby and does not get Rhogam within the 72 hr. window. Anti-Lewis (Le(a+b-) may also form in pregnant women once in a blue moon, but not as prevelant as Anti-E. Since Anti-E can react either at 37C and/or IgG, so it needs to be watched. As a general rule, antibodies that react at IgG, are recessive in nature, or have the word Null or Rho in their descriptors, those need to be watched.

. "The rhesus gene is made up of three components, C, D, and E. Clinically significant rhesus problems usually only occur with the D antigen. However, if you are E antigen negative, carrying a baby who is E antigen positive and you come into contact with the E antigen positive (either from a bleed in pregnancy, at delivery, or from a transfusion), then you may develop E antibodies. The concern is that there is a risk of these antibodies attacking the red blood cells of the baby. In fact, the risk of this occurring with E antibodies, even when they are present in large amounts, is very low. However, when antibodies are present, blood tests are usually done regularly to check on the levels present. If these levels are rising, the baby would be closely monitored to look for any signs of anaemia or haemolysis (destruction of blood cells). I cannot give you exact figures as regards the possible risks associated with the presence of E antibodies, but I do know that some obstetricians do not even monitor the levels of E antibodies because they do not believe that these pose any risk to the baby."