For all my past, present and future heart sisters, and to those who lost the battle!!
Imagine going in to the hospital to have your child... Mind you I was expecting a C-section, but wasn't expecting to be told that I had to be put under completely... Next thing I know I am waking up unable to breathe, begging for Lasix... I got to see Foster for MAYBE a minute or two and was able to give him a quick kiss before being rushed up to the ICU where I was put on Pitocin, lots of pain medicine and sleep medicine.. I remember hearing the nurse say I had heart damage... I remember thinking "heart damage?? I just had a baby what does she mean heart damage?? She must have the wrong patient" So I dealt with the pain of the Pitocin all night.. woke up the next morning scared and confused.. My AMAZING cardiologist came in and explained to me that during my pregnancy with Foster I had developed PPCM *Post Partum Cardiomyopathy* and my ejection fraction *EF* was at 12% ... my heart was working at 12%... REALLY??? I knew I would have a long road ahead of me... Fast forward to today, after years of in and out of heart failure, being scared of the slightest pain in my chest, an implantable heart monitor, my EF is finally at 62.1%... Yes there is a chance I can go back into heart failure, but I am working as hard as I can to make myself stronger...
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 08/10/2010
- Child: 2
- Initial EF: 12
- Current EF: 62.1
Story By Erika Hess-Raines