That’s the whole lung thing I mentioned earlier. One day I was at home, in horrible physical and mental shape not being able to walk from my front door to my car and passing out. I lived by myself, I felt like a failure in every aspect of my life and I still didn’t think I should go to a Doctor!

Fast forward after a wonderful Doctor kept her practice open late to do bloodwork and took me by my hands and said “this is bigger than us”, I was at my local cardiologist where I was diagnosed with “really bad” heart failure (yes he used those words). He was convinced I was suffering from something called “Broken Heart Syndrome” – insert eye roll here.

Within a few days I was scheduled for a heart surgery at my local hospital and was saved by the Grace of God! What saved me was not the surgery but the fact the only Doctor that could perform it was on vacation. Come to find out later, that surgery would have killed me. I was rushed to another hospital about an hour away, where I died.

https://phassociation.org/pah-diagnosis-leads-to-new-outlook-on-life/

(this is an article I wrote about my experience and those are my two boys!)

Sounds dramatic but it’s true. That Tuesday, that horrible day, I was in and out of conciousness in ICU waking occassionally to look at my beautiful, strong, college age boys wondering if this was going to be the last time they saw their mother.

After my Dad came in (we had not spoken in awhile) and grabbed my hand and said WHEN you get out of here, no reason to look at the past, we start over. You see, my Dad was one of my best friends in the world and at that moment, I had him back in my life! After this experience I have always said you have to have peace to live and you have to have peace to die. I chose to live in that moment.

This leads me back to the question: What is Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension? When stable (I wasn’t even stable enough to fly) I was trasported by two Angels to Emory in Atlanta 3 hours away. I will never forget those EMT’s keeping me calm on that scary ride. The Doctor at the new hospital had a collegue there that specialized in Pulmonary Hypertension – and this dude, I am grateful to say, is still my Doctor today!

What it is:

• High Blood Pressure in the Lungs: IPAH causes the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries to become abnormally high, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood through the lungs. 
• Progressive Disease: IPAH is a chronic condition that worsens over time, potentially leading to right-sided heart failure and death if left untreated. 
• Idiopathic (Unknown Cause): The exact cause of IPAH is unknown, meaning it’s not caused by any known disease or condition. 
• Rare Disease: IPAH is considered a rare disease, with an incidence of about one case per million inhabitants. 

How it affects the body:

• Narrowing of Blood Vessels:The small blood vessels in the lungs become narrowed and thickened, increasing resistance to blood flow. 
• Increased Workload for the Heart:The heart has to work harder to pump blood through the narrowed pulmonary arteries, leading to strain on the right side of the heart. 
• Right-Sided Heart Failure:Over time, the increased workload can lead to right-sided heart failure, where the right side of the heart becomes enlarged and unable to pump blood effectively. 

Symptoms:

• Shortness of breath, especially with exertion .
• Fatigue .
• Chest pain .
• Dizziness or fainting .
• Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet .
• Heart palpitations .
• Cough .
• Hoarseness .