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DeAndrea Lynch

English Composition 1201

Professor Katie

May 7, 2021

Research Paper

Socrates said “ The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old,

but building on the new”. There are things that happen in people’s lives that cause them to

have to make a drastic change quickly. Events such as marriage, childbirth, graduation, etc. are

all examples of enjoyable events; however, sometimes there are negative repercussions that

come with such occasions. A life changing event is an occurrence that requires an adjustment

or effect a change in an individual’s pattern of living. How do you think having a life changing

event can alter one’s life? It can prevent one from living life to the fullest. Life altering events

are able to change one’s mindset, attitude and outlook on life. Life is precious and in the blink

of an eye, your whole life can be changed drastically.

Imagine getting married only to find out that your spouse has being living a double life

the whole time. Can you imagine thinking you’re going to graduate, only to find out that you

are short on your credits? Now picture giving birth to a beautiful baby, but you almost lost your

life. The happiest moment in your life quickly turned to the scariest moment in your life. These

life changing events can be unforeseen, but sometimes we just have to learn to do things

differently.

In 1990, at the age of 25 Ann Marie Larkin was diagnosed with peri partum

cardiomyopathy shortly after child birth. Ann Marie had to make some life changes in order to
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live a healthier life. She stated that she had to give up smoking cigarettes, take her medication

daily and follow her physicians’ instructions; by doing those things, she was able to live a

normal life. Ann Marie’s journey was similar to mine. I also was diagnosed with peri partum

cardiomyopathy.

On October 10, 2017 I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. I was so happy

and extremely excited. I was in the hospital for three days after I had her. While I was in

the hospital, I was experiencing shortness of breath. I brought it to the doctor’s attention, and

she stated that was a normal side effect after childbirth. Next, the nurse came in my room and

provided me with an inhaler. The doctors did not think to check for anything else. I was

discharged from the hospital on October 13, 2017. The day after I came home, I was sitting on

my couch holding my baby and was still having shortness of breath. I grabbed my inhaler for

some relief, and assist with my breathing; however, the inhaler was unsuccessful and the

shortness of breath continued. I figured it was time for me to go to the emergency room. I

called my aunt to ask her to watch my daughter because I needed to go to the emergency

room.

When I arrived at the emergency room, I was taken back into a room immediately. At

this time, not only did I suffer shortness of breath, I also had swollen ankles. The doctor in the

emergency room ordered an X-ray. The results of the X-ray came back, and the doctor

discovered that my heart was enlarged and I had fluid around my lungs. He then decided to

admit me into the hospital. I was in the hospital three days before I was diagnosed with peri

partum cardiomyopathy. While in the hospital for three days, the doctor ordered multiple tests.

I had my blood drawn multiple times, and they were monitoring how much I urinated. Their
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goal was to get the fluid off of my lungs. While admitted into the hospital, the doctor gave me a

water pill to help with releasing the fluid from my lungs. In a three day period, I urinated eight

liters. In the blink of an eye my life was changing. Not only was I a new mother, but I had to

make some changes to make sure I was around to raise my daughter. In those three days, I had

to be separated from my newborn daughter. I had different family members taking turns going

to my home to watch my baby. It took a toll on me emotionally because I was away from my

daughter. I did not want her to come to the hospital to visit me because she was too young.

Peri partum cardiomyopathy not only caused me to suffer, but my suffering resulted in the

distress of my family as well.

Peri partum cardiomyopathy is the onset of congestive heart failure between the last

months of pregnancy and five months post delivery. It’s a disease of the heart muscle that

makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. This is a rare

heart condition but it has been around since 1849. Although this diagnosis is rare, it is higher in

African Americans. According to NCBI website, this diagnosis happens to 10.3 patients per

10,000 live births. Older women are more likely to be diagnosed with peripartum

cardiomyopathy. It is more common in South America, but anyone can be subject to the

diagnosis.

Signs of cardiomyopathy include hypertension, shortness of breath, swelling of legs and

ankles, fatigue, and difficulty laying flat to sleep. The cause of cardiomyopathy is still unknown.

There are different forms of cardiomyopathy that a person can be diagnosed with, such as

dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy affects the hearts ventricles

and atria. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart muscles become
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abnormally thick. Although there are different types of cardiomyopathy, they all still relate to

how the heart pumps blood through the body.

According to medical professionals, there is no cure for cardiomyopathy but there are

several different treatment options. The purpose is to treat the signs and symptoms of

cardiomyopathy. Depending on how severe the cardiomyopathy is, it can be treated with

medication. The medication that are usually prescribed is to improve the hearts ability to pump

blood, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, etc. It can also be improved by changing your

diet and exercising regularly. It is also important to limit your sodium intake. In more extreme

cases, you may require a pacemaker. A pacemaker is an artificial device for stimulating the

heart muscle and regulating its contractions.

Physicians administer several different tests to discover cardiomyopathy, such as chest

X-rays, echocardiogram, treadmill stress test, and cardiac catheterization. A chest x-ray is an

image of the chest used to diagnose a condition. Echocardiogram is where patches are placed

on the body to measure electrical signals from the heart. An echocardiogram can detect

abnormal heart rhythms. Treadmill stress test is when your heart rhythm, blood pressure, and

breathing are monitored while walking on a treadmill. Cardiac catheterization is a thin tube that

is inserted your groin and threaded through the blood vessels to your heart. The purpose of this

test is to determine how blood pumps to your heart.

I had to follow up with my cardiologist six weeks after I was discharged from the

hospital. Within a six week period, my heart function had decreased. The medication that the

cardiologist wanted to prescribe to me, I could not take because I was nursing at the time. He

prescribed me something that was safe for my baby. After a couple months, I stopped nursing
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and was able to start taking the stronger medication. It took eleven months for my heart to get

back functioning normally. I still have to take my medication everyday and I have to follow up

with my cardiologist every six months.

This is an image of the heart and how it is divided into the four main chambers of the

heart. The four main chambers include the left and right atrium, and left and right ventricle.

The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it over to the right ventricle. The left

atrium receives blood from pulmonary veins. The blue area is the blood that has already

delivered blood to the body. The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body.

When your heart is not functioning properly, it will affect your lifestyle. When the heart does

not pump enough blood throughout the body, the blood backs up and causes fluid to build up
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around the lungs and in the legs and ankles. The fluid around your lungs is what causes the

shortness of breath. Having shortness of breath and swollen legs can affect a person’s life; it

limits you from doing daily activities, and it is painful to walk.

What I’ve discovered about this topic is that it is important to pay attention to your

body. You only get one life, so its imperative that you are going to your doctor regularly and

listening to their instructions. If I did not do what my cardiologist instructed me to do, it could

have cost me my life. I also discovered that although this disease can be life threatening, there

are several people who have survived it, such as Ann Marie Larkins. I discovered what the

symptoms of peri partum cardiomyopathy are, how it can be treated, and how it can change a

person life. I discovered the importance of doing cardio, such as walking, jogging, jumping rope,

etc.

“Don’t think there are no second chances. Life always offers you a second chance…it’s

called tomorrow.” The words of Pete Rose inspired me to continue to pursue a healthier

lifestyle. As a survivor of peri partum cardiomyopathy, I had to change my diet and exercise

regularly. I had stopped eating red meat and limit my sodium intake. I eat a lot of salmon

because it is good for the heart. I try to walk at least thirty minutes a day. Being diagnosed with

peri partum cardiomyopathy has changed my outlook on life.

This is an image of a normal heart versus an enlarged heart. When your heart is larger

than normal, it has to work harder. As you can see in the image, the veins in the enlarged heart

appear weaker than the normal heart. It is lighter in color because the blood is not pumping like

it is supposed to be. In the normal heart, the blood is flowing properly and the muscles are

stronger. There are several reasons that a heart can become enlarged, such as stress on the

body, pregnancy, and other medical conditions. A physician can first discover an enlarged heart

on an X-ray. The physician will then do additional test to determine the cause of the enlarged

heart. The normal heart function is between 50% and 75 %, and abnormal heart function is

below 35%.

Having below normal functioning heart can alter a person’s lifestyle by making normal

daily activities more of a challenge. Overall, cardiomyopathy is a life threatening disease that can

alter a persons perspective on life. It is the decision of the person diagnosed if they want to live

or die. A doctor can do all that they are able to, but if you don’t change some things it can be

detrimental. In my case, I decided to live and fight for my life, so I had to make some extremely

hard decisions.
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