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Heart of the Matter: Update

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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.


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