Can I heal from this?

[Dee]

I am a 32 year old woman who had my 3rd baby on June 12. There were no complications and my baby is fine.  One week later I was nursing my baby when I started not to be able to breathe. I then experienced terrible back pain.  I was air lifted to the nearest hospital.  I sat in the emergency room for 7 hours and a nurse finally called a cardiologist. He told me I had had a heart attack.  I was shocked because there is no history in my family of heart attacks.  I had a heart cath and nothing was found to cause a heart attack. My heart looked heathly except for a small amount of damage by the heart attack.  I was in the hospital for 4 days when I started to feel bad again.  I was taken for another heart cath.  He found my arteries to be constricted but no blockages.  He tried to put a stint in and disected my LAD. I was rushed for emergency bypass.  I had been on blood thinners and there were not clotting agents present in my body. Complications arose and I almost died.  Now I am trying to heal.  It has been three months and I am still having pain from the surgery.  Also, I don't know what caused the heart attack and I am very scared that it is going to happen again.  I have seen every type of doctor from a cardiologist to an immunology doctor no one has answers and they keep referring me to some one else.  Can my body heal?  A doctor in Houston told me that 60-70% of my heart was functioning and that the enfraction rate was 35%.  Can this improve with exercise and diet?  I have 3 girls under the age of 5 and I want to do every thing possible to be around for awhile. Please help me.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Dee,
This is an unusual story.  It is possible to have coronary artery  dissection spontaneously during the peripartum period and also cardiomyopathy can occur during this time.  It dosen't sound like that was exactly the situation in your case but there may be some overlapping elements.  

As far as your question of healing I would say that yes it is possible.  Be sure you see a doctor who is a specialist in heart failure.  There are a variety of different drugs (e.g. beta blockers, spironolactone, ACE inhibitors) that have been shown to be beneficial in individuals with low ejection fractions and you should make sure your doctor knows about these drugs and their use in your case.  Best wishes to you and your girls.

[To Dee from Lenore]

Your posting brought tears to my eyes as I also have two young girls and this is a very touchy subject for me. I am not a doctor but learned from experience that taking magnesium supplements has literally 'stopped' my heart arrhythmia in its tracks. Of course I have never had a heart attack but from what I have read, many people are deficient in magnesium which can lead to a wide range of problems including heart attack. I urge you to read the book "Heart Healthy Magnesium" by James Pierce, Ph.D. It is very easy reading and at this point it certainly cannot hurt. Please feel free to email me at: ***@**** for more information. Good luck to you and I pray that you and I will be around for a long long time to raise our children! Be Well!

Lenore

[Bill S.]

It sounds like you are a victim of malpractice and should seek out a good malpractice attorney.  Attempting to put a stent in your LDA when there was no blockage present probably was not a very good move.

As far as recovering from your current situation, daily walking as much as you are able, would be a good first step.  As you can do more, start putting some hills in your route and go up and down as much as possible.

The ACE Inhibitors Altace and Zestril have been proven to help with cardiomyopathy and low ejection fraction.

[Dee]

I appreciate your comments.  I have an additional question about spironlactone.  I was taking this and the doctor in Houston took me off of it because I was dehydrated.  Should I question him about this?

[ginny]

Dear Dee,
Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic.   Because you became dehydrated, your doctor stopped this medication.  Also, if your doctor put you on an ACE Inhibitor(i.e. Zestril, Prinivil, Monopril, Vasotec, etc.), he would have removed Spironolactone because it does not work in combination with this drug type.(i.e.ACE Inhibitor)
Sincerely,
Ginny

[from Dee to Ginny]

I am taking Lanoxin and Coumadin for my heart, and Prilosec for acid reflux.  That is all the meds I am on.  Could the doctors be trying to see what my body is going to do on its own before trying medication?  I am really confused about all of this and I don't trust any doctor right now because of everything that happened to me.  No one agrees on anything.

[Mike]

Ask your doctors if they ruled out fulminant myocarditis. It may explain the decreased heart function and lowered EF. If that is the case, the last thing you want to do is exercise. Our prayers are with you and your family.