I had the easiest pregnancy ever. I went to every prenatal appointment and was the picture of health...or so i thought. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I began go randomly feel my heart skip beats and I'd get light headed. I spoke to my OB and he told me it was normal and i shouldn't worry. At my 37 week appointment my blood pressure was higher than my normal but again I was told not to worry. I had no protein in my urine so they didn't think it was Preeclampsia, but rather that it was an anomaly. My baby girl was born healthy at 38 w and 2 days. Delivery was easy and i got to hold her in my arms....atleast for a short while. About 30 min after giving birth, my BP skyrocketed to 200/100 and i became unresponsive. Because of passing clots and my Chest pain, doctors were concerned abt an amniotic embolism and i was rushed to get a cat scan, X ray and off to the ICU. I was diagnosed with postpartum Preeclampsia.
I was seen by specialist after specialist who all said they didn't know why things happened the way they did but with some medication to control my blood pressure I should be fine. My echo was normal, my EF was 60. After 4 days in the hospital I was sent home and I felt great.
A week later I had the same heart flutter that made me feel light headed but it passed and i ignored it. I see now that I shouldn't have. Another week passed and suddenly I found it very difficult to breath. I again. Didn't take this seriously. I assumed it was my asthma so I used my inhaler and continued on for 3 days. On the 3rd day, breathing was almost impossible. I coughed up pink frothy phlegm, vomited, and coughed up more phlegm. I was rushed to the ER and diagnosed with pulmonary edema. The ER doc suspected my heart was to blame and did an ultrasound but didn't like the results. I was put on the horrible BiPAP machine to help me,breath and was wheeled to cardiac ICU. This is when my heart broke
I was told for the first time about the possibility of PPCM and i had to do my own research. It's more common on African American women and it hurts that noone took my pre natal cardiac complaints seriously. Could this episode of edema have been prevented? The cardiac physician said that even tho my last echo had an EF in normal range, my heart looked like irregularities were brewing. My new echo showed an EF of 44. I was told I could no longer breast feed because prolactin only makes the damage to my heart worse. I had to choose between binding w my princess, feeding her naturally and my own life.
I was diagnosed on 1.22.16 and i write this on 1.23 from my hospital bed. I still don't know enough abt this disease but I have to stay strong for my baby. I need to be here for her, especially since she will probably be my only child.
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 22/01/2016
- Child: 1
- Initial EF: 44
- Current EF: 44
Story By Domonique Moody