I went down to see family with my two boys who were 8 and 9 at the time. We spent a week visiting family and had a great visit. On the last night there I stayed the night with my grandmother. I stated having a very hard time breathing and would sit up and gasp for air. I thought I was allergic to something in her home. I went back to my parents the next morning to get the boys and head out for our 8 hour drive home. I used my sons inhaler and my breathing seemed to improve. By the time we got home I was very tired and not feeling well. I told my husband that I just needed to lay down. I began to feel worse and continued to do so for the next day or two. Well the night of the 23rd of June I was in so much pain and asked him to take me to the hospital and he said no because he did not want to wake our two boys. He insited I was constipated and that was all. He went to sleep on the sofa in the family room and I layed in bed in so much pain I could not get up to get a phone and call someone. Hours passed...suddenly I felt a gush and just passed out. Finally I came to and called him to the room....I had a baby!! I had no idea I was pregnant!! Well he called 911 and they came and took me and the baby to the hospital. My baby was very sick and they had to fight to get him stable and then transfered him to AR Childrens Hospital where he spet two weeks in NICU. He weighed 9lbs 10oz. The dr said he had developed too many red blood cells. Two days after his birth I was to a point I could not breathe again only this time it was so bad I was gasping for air and my lips were turning blue. When I got to the er my bp was 195/121 and I had 1400 units of fluid on my lungs. The dr quickly diangosed me with ppcm. My ef was at 20%. I spent a week in the hospital and finally was able to come home. A week after I came home from the hospital my baby boy was able to come home. I was on several different type meds and went on a low sodium diet. A little over a year and I was fully recovered. My son is a happy healthy boy. This was the scariest time in my life and the most challenging time. I learned a lot through all of this and as scary and hard as it was I would not change any thing. It opened my eyes and really taught me what life is about. I am happy to say that almost ten years later my son and I are both doing great.
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 26/06/2003
- Child: 3
- Initial EF: 20%
- Current EF: 55%
Story By Angela Wells
