Basically, that's what pre-eclampsia (aka toxemia, aka Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH)) does -- it's not that well understood, but basically the placenta isn't getting enough oxygen/nutrients (or doesn't think it is), and sends chemicals to the body that raise blood pressure, the better to squeeze oxy and nutrients past the placental barrier. When the blood pressure gets high enough, the teeny blood vessels in the kidneys don't work right anymore -- and the kidneys shut down.
Left to itself, serious pre-eclampsia turns into eclampsia, presumably from a combination of blood pressure skyrocketing and toxin-buildup in the body: eclampsia is, basically, seizures, unconsciousness, hopefully premature delivery, and/or death. Kidney damage is a definite possibility. Permanent high blood pressure that requires drugs is not out of the question, either, from what I heard of someone else who was at the hospital too. The only cure for it is delivery -- in my case, a quasi-emergency c-section. (During the hospital ride to the place with the level III nursery, the nurse told me (afterwards) that my blood pressure was so high that she was terrified I was going to go into seizures at any moment...)
For minor cases, extreme bed rest might be tried, and for slightly less-minor ones, bed rest with IVs of Mag Sulfate (a muscle relaxant) is, I believe, a possibility... In my case, they shot me with a steroid to help develop the kid's lungs, and stuck me on fluids -- when I eventually stood up, all the fluids went to my hips, so I have lightning-strike stretchmark streaks down them! None on my tummy.
I was pretty lucky -- while my blood pressure mostly ignored the medication (till it decided to drop heavily and they just took me off that stuff entirely), it eventually went back to normal, and I don't seem to have any kidney impairment that I know of. The kid, though decanted 2 months early (thus, requiring the level III nursery) and 2 pounds, fifteen ounces, seems to have no health effects from that, either. Heck, right after being "ripped untimely from her mother's womb" (Heya, MacDuff!), she was doing better than I was! *grin*
Anyway, thanks for the good-wishes! And now you know why I'm so very fanatic about people taking care of their kidneys. I hope that you recover quickly, too!
Probably TMI, sorry!
Left to itself, serious pre-eclampsia turns into eclampsia, presumably from a combination of blood pressure skyrocketing and toxin-buildup in the body: eclampsia is, basically, seizures, unconsciousness, hopefully premature delivery, and/or death. Kidney damage is a definite possibility. Permanent high blood pressure that requires drugs is not out of the question, either, from what I heard of someone else who was at the hospital too. The only cure for it is delivery -- in my case, a quasi-emergency c-section. (During the hospital ride to the place with the level III nursery, the nurse told me (afterwards) that my blood pressure was so high that she was terrified I was going to go into seizures at any moment...)
For minor cases, extreme bed rest might be tried, and for slightly less-minor ones, bed rest with IVs of Mag Sulfate (a muscle relaxant) is, I believe, a possibility... In my case, they shot me with a steroid to help develop the kid's lungs, and stuck me on fluids -- when I eventually stood up, all the fluids went to my hips, so I have lightning-strike stretchmark streaks down them! None on my tummy.
I was pretty lucky -- while my blood pressure mostly ignored the medication (till it decided to drop heavily and they just took me off that stuff entirely), it eventually went back to normal, and I don't seem to have any kidney impairment that I know of. The kid, though decanted 2 months early (thus, requiring the level III nursery) and 2 pounds, fifteen ounces, seems to have no health effects from that, either. Heck, right after being "ripped untimely from her mother's womb" (Heya, MacDuff!), she was doing better than I was! *grin*
Anyway, thanks for the good-wishes! And now you know why I'm so very fanatic about people taking care of their kidneys. I hope that you recover quickly, too!