Carrie O'Connor

 Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Support Network

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My name is Carrie O’Connor. I am a nurse with a four year history of working in labor and delivery. I live in central Texas, close to Austin.

My husband and I were so excited to find out that we were expecting out first child in February of 2003. I choose one of my favorite OB’s to work with to be MY OB. Everything went well with the exception of some nausea and vomiting in the beginning. I loved being pregnant and could wait to meet my child.

I was working 12 hours shifts at the hospital and started to notice swelling in my ankles around 28 weeks; I really thought nothing of it. Swelling was something I saw everyday and my blood pressure was fine.

At 30 my blood pressure had started to climb so I cut back to 8 hour shifts. One week later my pressure at work was 140/95; I took off my shoes and couldn’t get them back on! I was sent home on modified bedrest. I went to see my doctor every week for non-stress tests and Ultrasounds. Baby was great! I was checking my BP three times a day. It was high, but I would lay around and it wound go down.

At 35 weeks I came off bed rest. I had reached the point where delivery was not dangerous to my baby, so if my BP’s continued to rise I would just be induced. I loved being up and about. I felt great, except I had this nagging cough and sometimes felt short of breath.

At 36 weeks and 2 days I woke up with an awful headache. My blood pressure was 160/120!! I called my OB, went to her office. From there she sent me to the hospital to be induced. I delivered at 7 PM after an uneventful induction and an hour of pushing. Brantley Austin arrived weighing 6 pounds 6 ounces, very healthy and alert!! I had one episode of shortness of breath the next morning at 3 AM. I was given lasix anc soon felt much better.

I was discharged the next day and went home feeling great. My blood pressures were back to normal and I had lost 17 pounds. I was home a day and a half when I woke at 4 AM gasping for air. I was terribly congested and sweating. I could feel my heart racing. Being a nurse I didn’t want to wake up my doctor so I waited until the office opened. The office clerk took my message and told me my doctor would call back. After an hour of waiting I called back; this time I was told she wouldn’t be in until noon. I asked to speak to a nurse who I knew by name and she proceeded to tell a partner of my doctor the situation. He called me at home almost immediately and told me he would page my doctor and have her meet me at the ER.

I dropped my 4-day-old baby off at my aunt’s and my husband and proceeded to the ER. I was seen relatively fast. They gave me IV Lasix, Potassium, hooked me to monitors and did a chest x-ray. My doctor got caught in an emergency delivery, so I didn’t see her until I was admitted to the heart floor with very little explanation. She told me what was going on and that she was transferring all care to a cardiologist. I then had an echo and more blood work.

I then met the doctor that I have complete trust in. My cardiologist. He informed me that my EF was 30%, I needed to be on a whole list of meds and they were going to keep me for a couple of days. Being a nurse I had heard of PPCM, but never had the chance to see it personally. Let me tell you I learned a lot in those 5 days in the hospital. 6 months after diagnosis my EF was 50. 2 years later I am holding steady at 60, I am still taking Coreg and Vasotec twice a day, but I am restriction free. Brantley is a happy and healthy 2 year old who keeps us very busy. I am back to working full time, but I have left the stresses of the hospital. I am now a school nurse and loving every minute of it. I now have more time to spend with my family and I take nothing for granted. PPCM taught me multiple things, but most of all it has made me a better person.