I'm 22 years old, when I was 18 I found out I was pregnant with my son. My pregnancy went pretty well. No complications. Toward the end of my pregnancy I started feeling short of breath, had a lot of swelling. When I went to my last appointment they just assumed it was regular pregnancy symptoms. I had my son in September 2013. Every thing went well, we went home. I few weeks go by and still short of breath, tired, weak. I go to a urgent care. They tell me I have post partum cardiomyopathy. They send me to the hospital Immediately. At the hospital they run test. X-rays, blood work, cat scan the whole nine yards. Doctors comes back and says you have pre-pneumonia . He gives me meds for that and sends me home. I take the medicine as directed. For two weeks. im getting worse, I go my primary doctor. He gives me more preniminia and sends me for more X-rays. I get a call on a Friday saying they schedule me for a echo Monday because they saw a spot on the xray and need to rule something out. Monday I go get my echo done at the hospital. They sit me in the waiting room for hours and then sends me to a cardiologist.
I drive there to get the bad news. He tells me you have peripartum cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure. I had a blood clot on my heart, my heart never shrunk back to normal from my pregnancy, my whole body was failing on me, I was retaining water in my lung. He said it would be best to be admitted to the hospital and asked did I have somebody to watch my son. I'm so glad i have My family for support. I was admitted For a week. I was put on about 8 different meds. Water pills, blood thinners, heart meds, even had to do injections in my stomach. Good thing I was going to medical school, one thing my family couldn't help me with because they are to screamish. I had to have a life vest just in cases. Months go by, my blood clot has gone away, stopped retaining water. Check my heart again, I'm at 20-25. My doctor tells it's time to get defibrillator. I'm 19 at the time so of course I don't want that. I ask can we wait longer and see if it continues to improve. Well it didn't. October 2015 I get defibrillator implanted. I'm very small I don't even weight 100, that was the worst thing ever. I was in bed for about two weeks. I couldn't get out of bed without assistance. I'm glad my family and boyfriend was there help me. I finally recover from that. I'm young and I haven't even had any time to live. It's really depressing to know you have a heart condition at such a young age.
I pray and pray that I can get a miracle and my heart would be heal. June 2016 I get another echo done. August I get my results. My heart improved a little more. I am now at 40-45. That is Like the best news I had gotten in a while. I pray one day my heart will get all the way better. I love kids and I've always wanted to have multiple. I'm so grateful for my son now, but I would love to have more. The feeling of being pregnant was the greatest feeling ever. I hope one day, I will get that feeling again and be able to have another child with no complication. ppcm is such I rare condition and it isn't talked about enough. If we caught this early on, maybe I would have got the treatment I should have gotten and I would have never been so weak and struggling to recover now. But that is my story. I have faith one day my heart will be back to normally and I can live my life how I want to live my life. Keep fighting and never give up.
My Details
- Date Diagnosed: 30/12/2013
- Child: 1
- Initial EF: 5-10
- Current EF: 40-45
Story By Netia Smith
