Hi, my name is Rya, I am 34 years old. I have a beautiful 6 year old daughter, a 2 year old son, and a baby boy who will be 3 months old this Friday. I was diagnosed with ppcm 3 weeks postpartum on May 11, 2012 with an EF of 50%, BP of 160/100, and a Bnp of 778.3. Doctor put me on Torsemide 20mg and Lisinopril 10mg . On May 15, 2012 he added Carvedilol 3.125mg once results from echo and blood work came back. By May 29 my Bp was down to 100/60 and I was not short of breath as much as I was before. He cut my Bp med in half as well as my water pill because I was getting dizzy upon standing due to low bp. On June 29, 2012 my bp was still at 100/60 so he again cut my bp med in half as well as my water pill. because my Bnp was now at 5.8 he cut my carvedilol in half. I go back near the end of August for a second echo and we will go from there.
Because of the damage done to my heart my loving husband decided that 3 kids is enough and had a vasectomy. He didn't want to chance my health. From what my doctor told me I had to have had an extended period of high blood pressure. I told him the only time my bp was raised was while I was pregnant. My normal non-pregnant bp is around 100/60 and while pregnant with my first child it was always around 120/80 or higher. When I would tell the dr that it was high for me she would say it was just because I was pregnant but I was swelling in my hands and feet as well as really short of breath and bad dizzy spells. i would have heart palpitations after just taking a couple of steps. With my second child I had the same symptoms and again they dismissed them as just pregnancy and anxiety. So with the third pregnancy I change doctors and they listened to me that something was not right but the obgyn still passed it off as asthma so I went to internal Medicine doctor who immediately thought ppcm. It turns out I was the second woman in a month he saw who suffered from ppcm. I am thankful everyday that I listened to my gut and went to someone other than my obgyn and that ppcm was formost in his mind to put all the sypmtoms together.
Just went to my Doctor and my ef is now at 80% and there is some minor leaking of some of my valves but nothing to be too worried about. since he had me on 3.125mg of coreg a day, half in the morning and half in the evening he had me stop taking it all together as he couldn't put me on any lower of a dose and my heart function was so good. i still have days were my energy is low but they are getting fewer and fewer. He also told me that my heart must natrually be strong for me to be in heart failure with a ef of 50% so he thought it would be much more efficient once fully recovered wich it is. I ended up having ppd and was put on zoloft which has helped a lot.
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 11/05/2012
- Child: 3
- Initial EF: 50
- Current EF: 80
Story By Rya Daniel