Hi there, I’m a newbie and am so happy to have found you guys.
We lost our baby girl a few months ago at 22 weeks
I tested positive for antiphospholipid antibodies when I was a little younger, but it was never a concern until I got married and wanted to be on birth control. Only then did we realize we might have an issue. Before we became pregnant, I consulted with a few doctors and they did not recommend being put on lovenox because I technically was not diagnosed with APS, being that I previously had not had a blood clot or miscarriage. To thicken the plot, I have had a condition known as ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura) since I was 12, which essentially means I have low platelets. This is why the doctors were on the fence about being on lovenox since it is a blood thinner and could risk lowering my platelets even though they have been stable, but on the lower end.
I became pregnant, was put on apsirin and did not start a prophylactic dose of lovenox until the 11th week because there was so much concern about lovenox interfering with my ITP. It was left up to my husband and I. We weighed the risk and decided that it would be better to be on it. During my 18th week, I started developing stabbing pain in my other toes. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t sit normally, had trouble going to work and not crying from the pain. The pain worsened and I was referred to a rheumatologist, but it was taking too long because of insurance issues.
I also got a blood test to check on my platelets and they were 30, which is pretty low, so we decided to go to the hospital.
Everything quickly went downhill from there. My platelets kept dropping despite being given IVIG a few times. I started developing pain in the middle of my chest, at first it felt like heartburn, but would not go and worsened. It started to become a stabbing pain and was so excruciating that I thought I might be suffering from a heart attack, I couldn’t move. We had so many questions. What and why was this happening… what is going to happen to our baby… no answers. I had constant pain in my chest, back, toes and now developing in my hands and fingers.
They told us we had to deliver our baby in order for me to survive. I am suffering from preeclampsia, there are blood clots in my placenta and our baby is suffering from intrauterine growth restriction.
Post delivery my blood pressure skyrocketed and I endured constant pain in my hands that were very swollen and covered in red spots. They determined it was a form of vasculitis. With time and a lot of meds, my blood pressure finally regulated and the pain in my hands, fingers and toes lessened. I still have slight discomfort in my fingers and toes from time to time. My platelets have stabilized and I have been continuing 400mg of plaquenil daily.
We now understand I surely have APS and that it increases my chance of suffering from preeclampsia. I am very nervous for next time, losing another baby, but we want to try again despite the doctors saying that it isn’t a good idea. Our faith is what keeps us going, and your stories have been encouraging.
We are thinking that I should be put on a therapeutic dose of lovenox and much earlier as well. I have found a great hematologist, but have yet to meet with the high risk OB I would like to see until I am able switch my insurance.
Would love some advice and hope to hear from anyone who has similar stories of the inclusion of ITP, or what this vasculitis is. Thank you all. <3
What happened to your ITP later on? Thankfully you didn’t have any major complications with the pregnancies of your two children. 
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