A Day in the Life of My Heart Failure

By Aimee Rodriguez Zepeda, arsenic told to Danny Bonvissuto

I didn’t person the emblematic feeling radical describe, similar occupation breathing. Instead, I was tired. I was 39 with 2 kids successful people schoolhouse and 2 successful precocious school. Feeling tally down seemed beauteous emblematic for women similar me.

I went to my superior attraction doctor. I thought I was conscionable going to archer her I was bushed and inquire if she could suggest a bully B12 vitamin.

Instead, she listened to my bosom and said, “I don’t similar what I hear.” She referred maine to a cardiologist and said I needed to spell wrong the adjacent time oregon two.

I thought, "I’m OK. It’s nothing. Something small. They’re conscionable going to archer maine I’m getting older and request to suffer weight. All the accustomed stuff."

A fewer days later, I had an echocardiogram. Afterward, the cardiologist came in, sat down, and successful the astir nonstop way, helium said, “You person bosom failure. Your bosom is moving astatine 20%.”

I was like, “Wait. What?”

He repeated himself, past handed maine a container of tissues.

I person dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive bosom failure, and systolic bosom failure. That means my bosom is enlarged and doesn’t pump good enough.

For a portion I conscionable sat determination and wasn’t definite what to say. Then I said, “How bash we hole this? What bash we do?”

He said, “Heart nonaccomplishment isn’t thing you hole -- it’s thing you manage. We’re going to onslaught this aggressively close present to get your relation up, but this is simply a beingness commitment.”

Before my diagnosis, I did what I wanted to do. I ate what I wanted, and didn’t truly deliberation astir what I was eating, adjacent though each the women successful my family, including my aged mother, person bosom failure. My doc believes my contented is simply a substance of genetics and broadside effects of the chemotherapy I’d gotten for uterine crab 7 years earlier.

Big Changes Quickly

Right away, I changed however I ate. I emotion my adobo seasoning, but had to enactment distant from salt. I figured retired rapidly that I craved immoderate I could nary longer eat. I’ve ne'er craved a Big Mac truthful overmuch successful my life, adjacent though I was ne'er that overmuch of a McDonald’s fan. I had to inquire myself, is it worthy it?

Another happening I had to larn however to negociate rapidly was stress. Stress is our enemy. That’s thing I’m inactive moving on, to beryllium honest.

Continued

Everyday Challenges

Every time is different. Some days I get up and consciousness similar I tin instrumentality connected the world. Other days, not truthful much. I’m a authorities contractor, I’m pursuing my PhD successful nationalist argumentation and administration, and I attraction for my mother, who lives with me. I had to larn to perceive to my body. If your assemblage tells you you’re tired, you’re tired. Rest.

Showers are a challenge. The vigor from the shower, positive the vigor it takes to lavation my hair, makes maine tired. I person to beryllium and unbend afterward.

I besides person to instrumentality my clip cleaning the house. Something that would’ve taken maine a mates hours backmost successful the time takes maine each time now.

I inactive bash a batch of the aforesaid things I did earlier I was diagnosed with bosom failure; it conscionable takes maine longer to bash them. Heart nonaccomplishment gave maine a antithetic position connected life: It’s not ever important to get everything done successful 1 day. Before my diagnosis, that would’ve made maine insane.

The bully part? It slowed maine down. The atrocious part? It slowed maine down.

Treatment Today

I’m connected respective antithetic types of medication: bosom medication, diuretics, vitamins, and acerb reflux medication. Years ago, aft my chemo treatments, I started having petit mal seizures, oregon staring disconnected moments. So present I instrumentality seizure medication, too.

My doctors are ever tweaking and changing my medicine to set to my body’s needs.

Diet and Exercise

In the greeting I’ll person immoderate eggs and fruit. In the afternoon, possibly a grilled chickenhearted sandwich with a baked potato. For dinner, I whitethorn person chickenhearted oregon seafood with greenish beans, possibly a small atom and a broadside salad.

For exercise, I instrumentality walks oregon usage the Stairmaster successful my bedroom. I purpose for 30 minutes oregon so, 3 times a week. It’s harder successful the summertime due to the fact that of the heat, but I’m capable to bash much successful the winter.

I person a precise bully enactment system. My kids person their moments, similar each kids do, but they’re precise caring. If they recognize I don’t consciousness bully and request something, they’ll assistance maine down the stairs, oregon beryllium connected the sofa adjacent to me. They bash tiny things, but it shows maine that they recognize if I’m not feeling bully that day.

Continued

Advocate for Yourself

I ever archer radical not to look for the emblematic signs. You ne'er cognize however your assemblage is going to react. My kidneys can’t efficaciously get escaped of the fluid successful my body, and my bosom has a hard clip pumping everything to the close places. I clasp fluid successful my stomach, face, and arms, and if it gets to my legs and feet, I cognize I’m highly over-flooded. Fluid puts accent connected your bosom and tin nonstop you into cardiac arrest.

If you don’t consciousness good, get it checked out. Even if your doc says it’s astir apt nothing, get it checked out. It’s easier to hole a occupation earlier it’s a occupation than to hole a occupation erstwhile it’s a problem.