Fighting Daily with Heart Failure

Fighting Daily with Heart Failure

This is what heart failure looks like.

Not what you thought, huh. My name is Beverly. Two and a half years ago, just three months before this picture was taken, I was diagnosed with Viral CardioMyopathy. No family history, no previous symptoms.

It all started at a Labor Day camping trip. The tent was up and the fire was blazing. The family was having fun around the campfire; stories, s’mores, memories. When it was time for bed, teeth were brushed, the fire extinguished and we all laid down. I started feeling and hearing this indescribable wheezy, cracking sound as I breathed in and out. I had never heard anything like it so I just assumed it was the beginning of a cold and I needed to get it checked out when I got home.

When I got home, I made an appointment with my Primary Care Physician. She went through all the normal tests and said I probably caught a bug and she put me on a weeks worth of Amoxicillian. The second week, I wasnt feeling any better. I was having a harder time breathing so they ordered a puffer to use a couple times a day. I’d never suffered from asthma or used a puffer before but just thought the cold must be going into my chest.

On Saturday, we drove to the beach because my husband thought the good, salt air would clear up my breathing. We parked and I started walking to the beach. Every few steps, I had to stop and catch my breath but I made it to my chair on the shore and took deep, long breaths to clear this stuff up.

Through out these weeks, Im getting weaker, not eating well and having trouble walking very far. Im having “occular occurances” which mean for about 30 seconds at a time, my eyes stop working together. I can see fine if I close each eye but both opened, I see cross eyed, then it just clears up. It didn’t happen often but it was really freaky. I am also starting to throw up. I call my Dr. and they are still pretty sure its just taking me a little longer to get over this bug and start me on a Zpac antibiotic.

Another night of vomiting and weakness and my husband has had enough. It didn’t seem like anything the Dr.s were doing was working so he took me to the ER. I got some bloodwork and a chest x-ray done and then we waited. We weren’t real anxious, we just thought the congestion moved into my chest and I may have pnuemonia. The Dr. comes into my room looking troubled and a little frazzled and said “Your heart is huge.” I said, “I don’t like what I’m hearing.” He said, “Well, I don’t like what I’m looking at. I need to call the cardiologist to come and see you.” We started praying!