Skip to main content

Heart of the Matter: Update

Image
By
I am still on a journey to find out the cause of my challenged health. It is almost like an episode of Mystery Diagnosis when I reflect on my experience. I have been back and forth to the doctor (not only of recent but throughout the years as well) and getting a series of tests done. My previous post, "Heart of the Matter 2," revealed that I did not have a heart issue but I recently got a message from my doc stating that they reviewed the video the Cardiologist sent them and his notes indicated Pulmonary Hypertension. She ordered a rush chest X-ray to see if anything is going on with my lungs and everything came back normal, which was good news. My doctor has advised that she wanted me to get a CT Pulmonary Angiogram done since the first one did not focus on my lungs. I scheduled that for January 2nd. Once that comes back, we will know more and I may be referred to a Pulmonary specialist for further testing.

Of course, I googled Pulmonary Hypertension and found out that it is a type a high blood pressure that affects the arteries in my lungs and the right side of my heart. It is harder for blood to flow through my lungs (possibly-not confirmed yet) which causes the pressure to raise in my lungs. All of this weakens the right side of my heart. Here are the symptoms as published on WebMD:

  • Shortness of breath (dyspnea), initially while exercising and eventually while at rest
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness or fainting spells (syncope)
  • Chest pressure or pain
  • Swelling (edema) in your ankles, legs and eventually in your abdomen (ascites)
  • Bluish color to your lips and skin (cyanosis)
  • Racing pulse or heart palpitations
I have experienced all symptoms except edema and cyanosis. The complications of this disease are quite serious. I try not to think about all that could happen, especially because I do not have confirmation on whether this is a true diagnosis or not. The only way to truly find out if I have Pulmonary Hypertension is if I get a right heart catheterization. This is a test you take after your doctor has confirmed Pulmonary Hypertension from the echocardiogram. I figure this will be somewhere in the list of things to do soon.

It has been quite the struggle dealing with the fatigue in particular. I have a husband and 2 kids. I can barely keep up with the day to day things. All I do is lay down and watch them play because I am so extremely tired. At times, I am irritable because of the fatigue. It has been a struggle to get things done around the house without feeling short of breath or light-headed or dizzy or completely tired. About a month ago,  I cleaned our bathroom and that took me out for the rest of the day. My husband has since taken over daily chores (I still wash the dishes and do light cleaning). He has been so wonderful throughout it all. He tries not to "baby" me but he does make sure that I am cognizant of my limitations at this time. I can't help but think "is this my life now? Will I get worse??" There are so many negative thoughts that creep around the corners of my mind but I have a strong support system that pushes more positive thoughts in my mind to crowd out all the negativity. Right now, I am soaking in my good days and coping with the bad. That is the ebb and flow of life I suppose.

In the meantime, my kids still love me. My husband adores me and God will NEVER leave me. I'm good.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who Are You My Beloved?

By
After watching a series of Iyanla Fix My Life episodes I felt compelled to write a post about who I am as a woman. Have I truly explored that question? Who is Aisha? I have all these parts that make up the whole but what is the whole? Let's break it down by the parts first. A part of me is: 1. A wife 2. A mom 3. A daughter 4. A sister These positions in life add to who I am. Now WHO AM I at my core? Here is what I am discovering: I am a woman who has a great deal of love and respect for Jehovah God. This is the biggest part of who I am. How I move in life, whether it be spiritually,  physically,  emotionally or mentally, is wrapped up in my relationship with Jehovah. I am a woman who cares about the well being of others and is moved to help where necessary. I do not like to be overbearing and I am very sensitive to others feelings. I am observant and intuitive. At times I can be proactive and at other times I can be reactive and I am okay with that. I am a woman that lo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Let's Play?

By
I think I have lost my ability to play. Many times I wonder where my imagination has gone. I admire those moms that can think of myriads of play activities. I can't think of a single one. So when I say to Desi, "Wanna play with mommy?" When he says "yes" (sometimes he will say "no mommy") I am thinking, "okay what should we do?" I get slight anxiety. LOL! We'll run around and play with cars, but I'm not sure if that is enough. I guess I can google activities to do with a 1 1/2 year old, but shouldn't this come naturally? I don't know why this is an issue to be honest. I feel pretty silly even writing about it but I am hoping I am not the only one in the motherhood feeling this way.  Case in point, Desi and I were playing at the park the other day. He goes to sit down in the mulch and he says to me, "sit mommy, sit." I sit with him and start wondering what should we do. So I pick up two sticks and we have a stick f...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's Bedtime!

By
I love the bedtime routine we have set out for Desi. He gets his bath and a good rub down. We say a prayer with daddy and we read 2 books. The first book is always "My Book of Bible Stories" and the second book is "The Snuggliest Snuggle in the World." I bought the second book for Desi when I was 3 months pregnant and I just knew and felt that it was going to be his favorite book. Mommy's intuition did not steer her wrong! He loves the book! He really gets into the voices I make for each character, we point out colors and animals. He will turn the page and when the story is over I say, "The end. Okay close the book Desi." He will, then, close the book. I tell him night night and we go over to the light switch. I tell him to turn the light off and he turns the light off. A moon is projected on the wall so we say goodnight to the moon and I turn on the heartbeat sound on the projector. He gives mommy a hug and I put him in his crib. He holds my hand unti...
1 comment
Read more