Hi! My name is Candice Lee. I had my third child, a little boy on July 1, 2014. This was a definite suprise baby, as my other two are 16, & 13!
My pregnancy was much more difficult than I remembered! Plus I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes around 17 weeks. Starting around 34 weeks I started feeling... Just different. Definitely more pregnant, but much different. I was starting to take long afternoon naps, my feet were swelling to huge amounts! At my obgyn appts my BP which had always been really low, started going up. I can't quite explain, other than I was completely miserable, and it was only getting worse. I complained to my ob, only to be told that I was in my 30's, and VERY pregnant. Finally at 37 weeks I convinced them to induce at 37-5 days. July 1, 2014 the big day came. Labor was normal, other than synthetic water having to be placed back in due to the baby distressing, I delivered a healthy baby boy at 8:46pm! All was well! The next day I had my tubal, and two days after that I was sent home.
The baby was due for his first check up the following Monday. Starting late Saturday night, I was complaining to my husband that I couldn't breathe right. It felt as if someone had tied a belt around my chest, and I could only take little gasps of air. I have never experienced anything like it. Obviously with the sleep deprivation, breast feeding, two older children, and a husband... Most of my family honestly thought I was panicky, and possibly having some depression. Through the night the breathing issue got so bad, I did actually start crying. I felt like I was being suffocated slowly. It was horrifying! Anyway, I made it through that night, and on into Sunday. The issue was obviously still there, but I trudged through Sunday, and then we got to Sunday night. At this point I was convinced I was dying. My husband suggested that I try to sleep sitting up in his recliner. Which I toughed it out, and made it until Monday morning. We woke up to get ready to take the baby to his first check up, and I told my husband that after the checkup he was going to need to take me to the er.
This is exactly what we did.
Upon arrival no one told me anything. They put a forced air mask on me, and started all the test. That thing was such a relief! Even taking it off to go to the bathroom brought back the breathlessness, and panicky feelings. I quickly started googling my symptoms, and told my husband it was one of two things. Peripartum cardiomyopathy or a pulmonary embolism.
Sure enough a few hours later, a cardiologist was introduced, and I was on the road of peripartum cardiomyopathy! I was placed in the cardiology floor, there I was warned about the recent mrsa outbreak on the floor... (yikes) and told to "wash" twice a day with special wipes. My husband took my older kids to my parents, and brought the baby, and himself to stay in my room. I was basically forced to stop breastfeeding, due to the diuretic killing my milk supply. I won't go into graphic detail of my week long stay, however the story does get worse... As I contracted mrsa in my tubal site...
My lvef was at 28%, when I left the hospital my lvef was supposedly increased to 38%. My mrsa was caught, and treated two weeks after my hospital stay.
At my 6 month check up my lvef had only increased to 40%. I am awaiting my one year check up which will be July 7, 2015.
This has caused a nightmare for our family, especially by something none of us had ever even heard of! We do have a gofundme page, and I would appreciate anything from kind, encouraging words, to just sharing of our page. Anything would be greatly appreciated! Thank you again for your time!
Sincerely,
Candice Lee
http://www.gofundme.com/nz87c0#gofundme
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 07/07/2014
- Child: 3
- Initial EF: 28
- Current EF: 35-40
Story By Candice Lee