Surgery Update

During my pregnancy, I experienced  tachycardia after about 24 weeks. My heart rate would often go above 200 beats per minute. It was very scary and very uncomfortable. We heard so many possible reasons from so many doctors: you body has twice the amount of blood due to pregnancy, it could be a birth defect, you are over stressed, hormones, etc. All we knew was that my heart was having to work even harder. You heart is a muscle and it can become fatigued. What were we to do?

After a night in the hospital, an ultrasound on my heart, and some other testing, it was decided the best course of action was medication, and then re-visit the issue after the baby came.

During all of these appointments, we were assured the baby was safe. The only issue that could arrise would be delivery. If my heart was fatigued already, would I be able to handle the stresses of delivery? Needless to say, we prayed. We prayed, our family prayed, our friends prayed, our church prayed, and our team prayed. God was with us all along, constantly letting us know He was in charge.

Our delivery went well. During and after the birth, my heart beat remained strong, slow, and steady. It was a miracle! But to be on the safe side, there was a cardiologist on speed dial. I was tested afterwards and my heart rate has remained perfect. Since I experienced the issue during pregnancy, the question became, "will it happen again during pregnancy?" Because we will be leaving for Africa in less than a year, the possibility of being pregnant in Africa is very high. We decided to investigate some options in order to reduce the risks in Africa. Our decision was a Cardiac Ablation.

I was scheduled for surgery the Wednesday before Christmas. The doctor worked for 2 hours attempting to replicate the rapid heart rate, but no matter what he tried, my heart remained strong, slow, and steady. There was nothing to fix. Once again, God remined us that He was in charge! We feel grateful there is nothing wrong with my heart and the possible culprit appears to be pregnancy related.

Now the cardiologist is going to write a prescription for medication right before we leave for Africa (just in case). That way I can self-medicate if the problem happens again. In the meantime, we are trying to eat healthier and exercise more to strengthen my heart, hopefully preventing a reoccurrence. Thank you so much for your prayers during this time!