Heart Journey Update

I used to get a bit anxious when my health was “steady” so to speak. Sounds kind of odd, right? Who doesn’t want steady? It made me nervous in the sense that I knew “something” was on the horizon because that was how life was going. Always waiting for the next shoe to drop. But maybe it won’t drop?

I know it’s been a bit since I have given an update, but I would say we are in a “steady” season. Not sure what will happen next, but I serve a God who isn’t dictated by the ups and downs of life, who isn’t surprised, and knows the exact circumstances of my future. And I don’t, WHEW! Sure glad I don’t have to figure it all out!

So where am I at? After an attempt at taking a new medication around Christmas to help bypass a transplant in the near future, and learning quickly that my body did not like it, we are back to the drawing board. They have upped another medication, which means even more pills (up to 25 a day), but so far I am doing okay with the increase. It’s minor, but it’s a start. They are hoping my ejection fraction (how hard the heart squeezes) will increase, with the increase.

I am meeting with a new doctor in March, who is an advanced electrophysiologist. When I first looked him up on the good ole google machine, I learned he travels the world educating others about the heart, has written textbooks, and is very good at what he does. He actually was called in during my last ablation, and even though that one failed, we are hoping that since I already have a small history with him, that he will have an idea of where to go next. I appreciate my other doctor recognizing that my case is more than he knows what to do with, due to the advancement of my heart arrhythmia. I’m not expecting anything earth-shattering to come from this appointment, but hopefully an idea of where we are heading, since I know I’m having extra beats again.

I am battling fluid retention pretty heavily at times though. I often have about 10-15 pounds of fluid that I am carrying, which makes daily life tiring at times. Regular blood draws at the local hospital are such a gift! I am SO thankful for a medical facility nearby that I can go to for on-going care, such as blood draws!

Like I said in my last post, a transplant is always part of the discussion and on my mind, which isn’t easy always, but we know God holds my future. We are thankful for a more mundane past few weeks in the realm of heart failure. I continue to learn so much about the heart, about heart disease, and the influence it has on my family, especially our daughter. I hope to one day share about this too, in hopes that those who are struggling as a parent with an illness, that they too, have support.

God uses all circumstances for a purpose and for his good. Sometimes God opens our eyes wider than other times to those purposes, but we are trusting forward that God’s arms are the safest place to be in. We live with confidence that He will continue to carry out his good and perfect plan, even through heart failure.