Carrying twins was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I carried to 37 wks and 3 days and delivered via c - section. During my 3 day stay in the hospital after having them my o2 level would drop into the 80's and they would slap oxygen on me and get it back up to normal and forget about it. On day 3 they released me from the hospital. Just 3 days after being home I took a nap on the couch and when I woke up I could not breath. My husband rushed to get my boys dressed and in their car seats and rushed me to the hospital. I was holding so much fluid while pregnant and after having my twins I had only lost 20 lbs when I left the hospital from having them. The er took me back immediately and took me down for a ct scan. Once the results came back the doctor came in and said ok I'm going to give you some fluids (mind you I was full of fluid and still looked about 7 months pregnant) and send you home. I'm kinda thinking at this point umm okay I guess. But while waiting for my release papers shift change occurred. Another doctor came in and said umm your not going anywhere I said why he said well you have congestive heart failure. I said what and he explained that my lungs and heart were surrounded by fluid and he couldn't believe the other doctor was going to give me more fluids and send me home. So here I am at the hospital with 6 day old twins and told a devastating diagnosis and wondering what's going to happen to me I'm only 21 yrs old and what's going to happen to my boys am I going to leave them without a mother. My whole world felt like it had just stopped. They took me to the maternity floor so I could keep my boys with me. The next day they did the echo on my heart and said my ef was 25 to 30. They kept me one more night and moved me to the cardio floor and put a heart monitor on. The next day they let me go home on a water pill BP pill and heart pill. I was crushed and all I could think is this shouldn't be happening to me I'm a new mom I shouldn't be worried about heart meds and BPs and what time to take this and that. I should be worried about my boys and them alone. I started seeing a nurse at the hospital once a week so here I am with a heart condition my husband's at work so im dragging not one but 2 newborns out to the hospital fighting with their double stroller and taking them in a germ filled hosptal. Not only tired from lack of sleep but wore out just from the task of getting them in and out of the car and into the stroller. It's a nightmare. My boys are now 2 and a half months and I'm waiting for my next echo on Dec 15th. I was told I'm not allowed to work until after the next echo depending on the results being good. This is a devastating and life changing diagnoses that I had never even heard of until being diagnosed with it . And I wish someone would have told me about it and that's why I want to tell my story and help raise awareness because it is a serious condition.
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 11/09/2014
- Child: 1
- Initial EF: 25-30
- Current EF: 47
Story By Rebecca Ackerman