Debbie

4 years since diagnosis


Debbie’s experience with heart failure started in 2018. She had not felt well all year – being tired a lot, lethargic, unmotivated, and low in energy. After feeling extremely unwell one day, she decided to finally see her doctor about it. Her doctor advised her to get an X-ray and blood work done. The next day, her doctor called her back and explained that the results showed there was fluid in Debbie’s lungs, and told her to go to the emergency department (ED) immediately where they’ll be expecting her. At the ED, Debbie got her EKG, got her a room and told her they were concerned about her heart. Throughout all this, none of what was happening was computing in Debbie’s mind. She was admitted to the hospital and ended up staying for 17 days. She was told that she had heart failure and her ejection fraction was 20%. Debbie questioned the cause of her heart failure, whether it was hereditary or as a result of the drugs from chemotherapy when she had breast cancer. Shortly after being discharged, Debbie described feeling the most intense dizziness she felt in her life and passed out on the floor. She was rushed to the ED where she had a heart attack and had a near death experience, and woke up to significant pain as a result of the CPR that was performed on her. She has since had a pacemaker implanted in her neck and attended a heart function clinic. A year after her heart attack, Debbie is now stable and sees her cardiologist every 6 months. In this interview, Debbie describes the quality care she received from her care team, her experience with the health care system, and how she had to adjust living with heart failure, especially in dealing with other chronic conditions.

 

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