Being diagonsed with Pulmonary Hypertension

It all began in the summer of 1999. I was going through a very rough divorce and working about 60 hours a week. I had a 12 yr old daughter and a 2 yr old son I was raising alone. It seemed I never seen them as I was working to make ends meet. Then it happened I got sick. It was the Friday before Labor Day. I was at work and just feeling very bad. Had a very bad headache and was so tired. I just thought it was from working so many hours.

I was glad for the long weekend so that I could rest and I would feel better in a couple of days. That didn't happen. As the weekend went on I didn't feel any better. Went back to work on Tuesday and as the day went on I kept feeling worse. I started noticing that I was having trouble breathing when I would walk any distance. The room that my desk was in was a very large and long room. Of course my desk was way back in the corner from the door. I started getting really out of breath when I walked about from my desk. I had been there about 10 hours. I walked to my supervisors desk which was about 10 feet away and could not breath. I had to sit down to catch my breath. I told her I was going home.

I knew that something had to be wrong. By the time I got to my car I could not breath and was afraid that I could not drive. I knew I could not go back in the building. The front doors were locked and I knew I could not walk around to the docks to get back in. I sat there for a while and prayed. Once I was feeling a little better I drove myself to urgent care. They ran some test on me. They told me that they had called an ambulance cause they thought that I had had a heart attack from my EKG. I was really upset. I called my mother and told her what was going on. She met me at the hospital. They admitted me to the hospital.

The next morning my doctor had ordered lots of test. One of the test was an echo of my heart. She came in later and told me that I had Pulmonary Hypertension. I had never heard of it before. I was thinking hypertension means high blood pressure so they were going to give me a pill and I was going to be alright. Boy was i wrong. The next step was to send me to a pulmonologist. I went and he agreed that it was Pulmonary Hypertension. I told him that I wanted a second opinion. So we went for a second opinion. The second doctor agreed that it was Pulmonary Hypertension.

Our next step was to go to a cardiologist for a heart cath. This was the only true way to get the true reading of Pulmonary pressures. We went and had the heart cath done. The doctor said that he had never seen pulmonary pressure that high before. A normal pulmonary pressure is 25 or below. Mine was 125. He told me that they would put me on medicine and I would be fine. I am still thinking that they are going to give me a pill and I am going to be fine. My doctor told me that I would have to go on a treatment. My mom asked him what would happen if I didn't go on any treatment. He told her that she would come in and find me dead.

A few days later my doctor called me at work and told me that I had to go to the Cleveland Clinic the next day. This is when I knew that it was really serious. They don't just send you to the Cleveland Clinic unless it is really serious. I was going through a lot of emotions at this time. Mostly I was worried about my kids. What would happen to them if I could not take care of them or if I died. Next time I will tell you about my journey to Cleveland Clinic.