Around GMA

Article Inside Page

Sportscaster and TV host Patricia Bermudez-Hizon chronicled her recent "life and death" battle with postpartum preeclampsia after giving birth to her third child with Vince Hizon, Patrice.

View this post on Instagram

I could have died... I suffered from postpartum preeclampsia days after Patrice was born and we had already been discharged and were home. I had no idea what this rare condition was till I was rushed back to the hospital, swollen on my feet and face (I didn't even swell up during pregnancy), had a hard time breathing, had a wicked headache, and felt like I was going to faint. I was going to just sleep it off and just needed more time to recover from my c-section. Good thing I messaged my doctors (my OB, Cardio and my aunt who is our pedia) and informed them of what I was feeling. They all advised me to rush back to get immediate medical attention. My darling husband who was out running errands broke all traffic rules to get home to me. By the time I got to the hospital, my normal BP of 90/60 went up to 130... and it didn't take long till it hit 190! I was on seizure watch and I was fast loosing protein as well. Lots of drugs administered and was monitored by multiple specialists. Even did a brain scan to see if I had a stroke. We were looking at kidney and liver functions failing, seizure apart from possible stroke and even death. Even death. I still can't believe it. I just want to praise God for my life and for speaking to me during my distress to reach out to my doctors and act on the symptoms I was feeling. If i just slept it off, which was my plan, I probably would have died. Thank you Lord! Learn the warning signs for preeclampsia and pay attention to your body so you can spot the symptoms! Early diagnosis is key. Immediate treatment can save lives - yours or your loved ones. Please take a look at the the warning signs described in the infographic I included here or research on your own. I'm still pre-eclamptic and will be for a while. Changed my diet, loading up on meds, monitoring my BP constantly and keeping it low. It'll be a while till I'm cleared. I want to honor my husband who saved my life again... like he did on our first date when food allergies hit me hard and my throat started closing. Brought me to d same hospital too. I love you forever @vincehizon12! Thanks for all you've been doing for us! 💋❤💋 #Godsplan #Godsaves

A post shared by Patricia Bermudez Hizon (@patriciabermudezhizon) on Jan 30, 2020 at 9:37pm PST

"I could have died..." she began on the caption of her Instagram post.

"I suffered from postpartum preeclampsia days after Patrice was born and we had already been discharged and were home.

"I had no idea what this rare condition was till I was rushed back to the hospital, swollen on my feet and face (I didn't even swell up during pregnancy), had a hard time breathing, had a wicked headache, and felt like I was going to faint.

"I was going to just sleep it off and just needed more time to recover from my c-section.

"Good thing I messaged my doctors (my OB, Cardio and my aunt who is our pedia) and informed them of what I was feeling.

"They all advised me to rush back to get immediate medical attention.

"My darling husband who was out running errands broke all traffic rules to get home to me."

According to mayoclinic.org, "postpartum preeclampsia is a rare condition that occurs when you have high blood pressure and excess protein in your urine soon after childbirth."

According to Patricia, she had seizures and underwent a brain scan to check if she had a stroke. If left untreated, it can lead to more serious complications like organ damage or even death.

She recounted, "By the time I got to the hospital, my normal BP of 90/60 went up to 130... and it didn't take long till it hit 190!

"I was on seizure watch and I was fast losing protein as well.

"Lots of drugs administered and were monitored by multiple specialists.

"Even did a brain scan to see if I had a stroke.

"We were looking at kidney and liver functions failing, seizure apart from possible stroke and even death. Even death. I still can't believe it."

After all, Patricia is still thankful to God after recovering from such an unfamiliar disease that can cause her death.

"I just want to praise God for my life and for speaking to me during my distress to reach out to my doctors and act on the symptoms I was feeling. If I just slept it off, which was my plan, I probably would have died. Thank you, Lord!"

Patricia also reminds pregnant women "to pay attention to your body so you can spot the symptoms" because postpartum preeclampsia can be difficult to detect.

The 42-year-old TV personality, who is still pre-eclamptic, changed her diet, and is loading up on meds and monitoring her blood pressure.

In the last part of the post, Patricia expressed gratitude to her husband, Vince, whom she described as her savior.

"I want to honor my husband who saved my life again... like he did on our first date when food allergies hit me hard and my throat started closing. Brought me to the same hospital too. I love you forever @vincehizon12! Thanks for all you've been doing for us! #Godsplan #Godsaves"