A month ago I was admitted to the hospital and stayed there for what felt like weeks, but in actuality was exactly 7 days and 6 hours. I’d arrived at the ER by ambulance with my heart beating 160 bpm at rest, a 103.2 temperature and was getting weaker by the minute in the ER. I was diagnosed with double pneumonia, severe sepsis and peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Being the researcher that I am I googled the one diagnosis I wasn’t familiar with, Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM).PPCM is form of heart failure that occurs during the last month of pregnancy or within a few months after giving birth. My Google search returned the bleakest of news especially in the area of subsequent pregnancies. I instantly thought back to all of the well-meaning people who when I’d had miscarriages and even after losing Jacob said that I was “young and could have more babies”. Those words have never been comforting to me, but I understood that people just don’t know what to say in these situations. Now faced with the possibility of not being able to carry or birth anymore children those words stung even though they’d been said weeks prior. I felt helpless, but hopeful so I joined a support group for PPCM survivors. I learned that much of the information I’d found online was outdated and that many of the women in the group had gone on to have successful pregnancies. I also got pointed in the right direction of updated information. These ladies, my Heart Sisters also provided and are still providing me with so much support. I’ve learned so much from them and have gained some awesome allies. I’ve also gained a great resource in Dr. James Fett whose article Peripartum cardiomyopathy: A puzzle closer to solution was the first article I read after being pointed in the right direction.
The purpose of this post is just to create awareness. After doing my own research I thought back to days leading up to my delivery and the days just after and I had all of the symptoms that are listed in this PPCM Self Test. I attributed my symptoms to being pregnant or from just having a baby. I knew nothing about PPCM and had I not been ill with pneumonia my heart failure may not have been diagnosed and would not be getting treatment.
You can learn more about Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Here and Here.
[…] failure that is related to pregnancy. You can read about what led to my diagnosis in my blog post Empty Arms and a Broken Heart. I was terrified after my diagnosis and I went in search of information and support. That’s […]