Processing News

I've been so angry this past month trying to rectify everything that has happened since April 1,2024. The day that I had my Angiogram, right heart Cath and biopsy. I was informed on April 2nd that my new heart was damaged during the procedure. I now have severe Tricuspid valve regurgitation. The plan was to monitor how I feel and get another Echocardiogram on May 1st. When I was first told I didn't even know what to think or what questions to ask. I needed to process this news. The more I thought about it the angrier I became. My new special heart is broken. I'm furious and crying all the time. Every time David and I are together he's hugging me. He's as upset as I am but he knows I need to be comforted.

I was scheduled for an Echo and an appointment with the heart failure clinic on May 1st so of course I did some research. Severe Tricuspid valve regurgitation can lead to right heart failure as well as kidney damage. I was adamant that I wanted this valve to be fixed. I created a list of questions to amour myself when I spoke with the doctor and I had David on my side. When I met with the doctor . All my questions were answered. Unfortunately, they will not be fixing my valve. I told the doctor that I want the valve fixed and I didn't want to go into congestive heart failure because that is what led to me needing a heart transplant. The doctor said the risk of the surgery greatly outweighs the reward at this time. They are going to manage it with medication and monitor me for signs of right heart failure- such as increased shortness of breath, swelling in my lower extremities or abdomen and fluid retention. This happened 1 month ago and I'm already showing signs that I'm retaining fluid. I have difficulty breathing when laying flat and now I sleep with 3 pillows. I also had some jugular vein distention so they have prescribed me a diuretic called Lasix. This is all just so scary. My anxiety is off the charts. I know that my body is taking a long time to recover but my heart was doing great! I had no doubt that I would get back to being me but now I'm not so sure of that. I'll keep fighting. I definitely will not give up no matter how hard it gets!!!

Each 💔 Beat Matters

KellyAnn