Kera Knox
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Support Network
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Hey everyone ........... its so nice to know i am not alone.
I have a 2.5 year old boy, Xander...I am so thankful that I get to enjoy everyday with him. I too was diagnosed with ppchf in april 04
I was in labor for 23 exhausting hours. I had been in and out of the hospital for months due to chronic high blood pressure. The drs would put me in on observation and once my blood pressure would come down they would send me home.
I remember very well the day that I went to the ob office and my baby wasn’t moving as much as he should the dr. sent me for some kind of detailed ultrasound........everything was not normal this was on a friday the dr called later that day and said my bebe's kidneys were not functioning well. I was due that following monday so i begged for him to send me on into labor/delivery. I was not feeling well at all my feet, and hands, face were so swollen that I was miserable and that day at the docs office my bp was 190/108 still not enough apparently for the drs. to start my labor. the dr. explained because it was friday there is only an oncall dr at the hospital and they dont like sending any patients to the hosp unless in active labor.... can you believe it I had to suffer because they didnt like to work weekends.
Anyway monday i was induced at 6 am on pitocin for 23 hours I rarely ever saw any ob drs only nurses around 2 am the epi had wore off and i was trembling in pain . i also had a low grade temp and was vomitting profusely. my gorgeous son was born c-section after reaching 9cm on april 27, 2004 because of the fevers and amount of swelling i was kept at the hospital. my family and i knew something was wrong I had gained so much water weigh that I looked like you could pop me with a pin. I remember how uncomfortable I was. My vagina had swollen to the size of a grapefruit from water retention and guess what the dr. said put ice on it. the nurses pushed me to get up and walk around they were very busy this time of year and needed my room because i had decided to breast feed. i never slept NEVER there was always a nurse in the room pressuring me . I remember my breast were so swollen from fluid that my son wasn’t able to latch on. During all this i was still trying to breath we kept telling everyone something was wrong but they didnt seem to care. I knew that if i stayed there i was going to die. we went home and i kept telling myself that i could breathe i was just overwhelmed. not the case several hours after trying to breathe it was hopeless my dad called 911 when they arrived they were unable to get a bp because it was too high. i remember the emts were playing music in the ambulance and talking they didnt think there was a problem with me besides i was having anxiety over the arrival of my baby. but that still didnt explain my oxy levels . i was only breathing at i think 72% anyway i was fighting for air at this point the head er dr . took one look at me and said get this girl into the room now. they started draining liter after liter off of me eventually within a week 55 pounds of fluid......everybreathe was a struggle i thought i was going to give up but i couldnt i wanted to see my baby....my poor mom and dad had to witness this tragedy. when the nurse pulled the blue code i could hear my mom screaming please not my baby girl.....it was aweful..My whole life flashed before me I saw a bright white light and my husband and baby standing befoe me. I wasn’t ready and God knew that!!! the head er dr. took my mom and dad aside and said you cant do this in front of her she is critically ill and may not make it while this is happening i could hear this. the nurse said if you do not keep the oxygen mask on we will intubate, i remember my mom took my hand and said in the name of jesus give her air at that moment everything changed my air supply was coming back my stats were all coming down ... i went to icu for the night not knowing really what the cause was they did say it was either a blood clot on my lung or chf......thankfully(i guess) it was chf. after that came the healing and trying to understand what had happened. i spent a week on the cardiac floor on several meds and then was released i still have high blood pressure but my ef has went from 30% to 50% unfortunately i have battled with constant dizziness ever since the heart failure which after several tests they believe my inner ears were damaged from the fluid rising up. I am happy that God has given me my life back. i love being a mother and watching my son grow this is not the end of the world but only a test to make me stronger. i struggle with not having anymore and there is a hope inside of me that mabe one day i will go on to have another child. but unfortunately my husband is not willing to try this was too hard on him and he doesnt want to risk losing me again. All of you are my heroes because I know how hard this trial is but have faith your healing will come.
kera and xander