A coincidence ...or i would have been dead.

3 min read

Starting from my pregnancy it was fairly easy. During the last 3 months I was diagnosed with gallstones! That was major hell. It hurt like crazy! That is th eonly thing I've EVER had wrong with me and my body....

Fast forward to my sons birth......

HE came out very fast. I only had hard labor for 45 minutes and received my epidural and 5 hours later I was pushing! He came out in 10 minutes flat! I was so happy everything went so well...

Even after going home i was so healthy I danced to try to lose the baby weight...never had any symptoms that I had noticed, thank goodness. So July 22'nd I beleive is when I went to go have surgery for my gallbladder to be removed...Easy precedure right? Fast right? Hardly anyone has complications right? Well for me I am sad to say WRONG.

The surgery must have been the breaking point of stress on my heart! Once surgery was done I was in the recovery room recovering from surgery (I was still knocked out so this is what I was told by doctors and my grandmother) I had started to go under...my heart was pumping 15% out of 100%...I was dying. My lungs...filling with fluid....None of the doctors knowing why this young 17 year old lady was going under.....

I can remember fighting people off of me and a bright light with heads up aorund me (it was EXTREMELY blurry and i DID NOT have any feeling..it is just what i can remember from trying to wake up but they knocked me out reallll fast.)

There were several docotrs filled in the recovery room trying to revive me and to stabalize me.....then one doctor..one amazing doctor looked at my file saw that I had given birth just 3 or 4 months before that day and suggested PPCM.....They stabalized me...I was flown to Danville PA....I was taken to PICU (pediatric intensive care unit)...I was under 18 so i HAD to go to PICU....BUT i had an ADULT condition....weird mix huh?

They are the ones who SAVED my life! So I was flown there to Danville hospital...AMAZING hospitall BY THE WAY.

I can remember the first night I was there in the hospital. I did not try to pull my breathing tube out which they were surprised because most people  panic and try to get it out...I was sooo drugged up but apparently i was texting and writing on paper to commmunicate since I could not talk.

The breathing tube hurt the next day....I wasnt as dopped up butI was still nodding in and out I tihnk I was dopped up on moraphine.

For 2 days I had the breathing tube in...Not once did i yank it out or anytihng. And when they did take it out ouch! I was awake for it and everytihng and it was HORRIBLE.

I was on liquid diet for 1 day and a half...I was finally able to eat!

I was on 2 medications plus Oxy's for my gallbladder. I had doctors come in and out poking at me for the whole 5 days. I had med students come in my room because the docotrs was fascinated with sharing me with their students to learn about it. I was fine with that...no big deal.

I learned alot about my condition after the hospital stay. And god...I wish they would test or even monitor women for this....

If I wasnt in the hospital to get my gallbladder out I probably would have eventually died from the disease. In the end of my hospital stay I had a total of about 6 or 7 doctors.

To this day I am still scared...I go for my stress test next month..I hope im okay...

During my stay at the hospital I recovered FAST. My heart looked normal by time I left but I was still on the medication for about 6 7 months i beleive. I went for a check up and was taken off of my pills.....I hope next month goes smooth...

Lately I have been having feelings of pinching and/or tightness over my heart....I think I need to go back to the doctor. It is a constant feeeling and I am very scared for myself...I do not want to die or go through anything with heart failure EVER...it is a vital organ and I have a family of my own to be here for....I have a husband I love who I do not want to leave and a beautiful baby boy who needs his mother.

As I am writing this feelings of anxiety and distress overcome me..I am not ready to leave this earth...I have to much here for me...I have a purpose...

If you want to know more about me or have any specific questions please..just ask me.

I am not sure what EF and pregnancy number is...so im leaving them blank.....

My echos were perfect and my ultrasounds were perfect on my heart  the last itme i got them done. even during the hospital stay i was almost perfect...

My Details

  • Date Diagnosed: 22/07/2011
  • Child: 1
  • Initial EF: ?
  • Current EF: ?

Story By Brittney Lines

Related Articles

Woke up confused.

I have a hard time finding another story quite like mine no matter how hard I look. I was 26 and pregnant with my second

Help Support my work

Money goes towards my writing, advocacy work, hosting and web development.

Support me

Subscribe to My Heart Sisters

Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox