Matters of the heart

The roller coaster continues....

The night after we got back from Louisiana, I woke up in the middle of a deep sleep with awful chest pain and could hardly catch my breath. The nurse in me thought I had a blood clot since we had just recently spent two days driving in the car. I came downstairs and Theo could tell something was not right. We rushed to the ER (thankfully one of our neighbors came over and stayed with the kids).

The ER doctor was also concerned about me possibly having a blood clot since I was already at risk being pregnant and all. We all debated on whether or not I should have a CT scan since I was just 9 weeks pregnant. But I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep not knowing if I had a blood clot or not.

They took extra precautions with me so we agreed I should do the scan. The CT did not show a blood clot fortunately but did show I had an enlarged ascending aorta. I had an appointment Tuesday with a cardiothoracic surgeon and was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm. Scary, I know! But mine is small and doesn't require anything at this point but monitoring. I do have to get an echo of my heart to check my valves (as this can be abnormal too in someone with this problem). I don't have to go back for a year and then depending on if a repeat CT scan shows the aneurysm has grown or stayed the same, then we'll decide how often I will need to be followed. It is very likely when I'm older (hopefully much older) I will need surgery to repair this. If left untreated and it grows, I am at risk for sudden cardiac death if the aneurysm ruptures or if I have an aortic dissection. Again, scary! Especially for a 30 year old otherwise healthy person to think about.

Truthfully, I was really worried about it at first. But I have prayed harder these last few weeks than I ever have in my life and I really do have a peace about this. My whole life is in God's hands. I will trust him. I do trust him. I know he has my best interests at heart.