Bubble-wrapped

Abstract

Illness during pregnancy poses a unique challenge to clinicians, who must consider both maternal and fetal welfare during diagnosis and management. Here, we present the case of a 29-year-old pregnant woman who came to the emergency department with complaints of dyspnea, retrosternal pleuritic chest discomfort, and swelling of the neck and both upper arms. She described the swelling as making her “feel like bubble wrap.” Although her pregnancy, at 34 weeks, had been uneventful, she had been experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection for 1 week and severe coughing spells for 2 days prior to presentation. She denied any retching or vomiting but had suffered coughing spells throughout the night. She had no prior history of asthma and had a 10-pack–year history of smoking.