Sunday, August 31, 2008

My Heart Story

Well this all started when I was three years old and I was Diagnosed with cancer (Leukemia). I made it through the Chemo and all, but now 10 years later, they told me I have Cardiomyopathy (and it's a Heart Disorder) from the Chemo Therapy that I received for my Leukemia. In November of 2007 began a new journey for myself and my family... I need a new heart to stay alive. With my family and myself, we decided on working very hard to get me a Heart Transplant. So now I am with my mom at PCMC (Primary Children's Medical Center) in Salt Lake City and on many different medications, waiting for my new life to happen... Well this is how we found out, well me and my family went to Fiesta Fun the one in Saint George and I was walking up some steps to go down the slide.I was going down I guess when I got out of the slide I guess I was getting dissy. Stuff like that and I all most passed out so my mom thought I was having a heart attack so the next day my doctor, Dr. Nygard he did a EKG and he realised that my heart went kind of funny so he was really worried so he ordered a Echo Cardiogram and that's when they take pictures of my heart. So another doctor looked at the pictures, Dr.Etherigde, and she told my mom that there might be something wrong with my heart. So she said we will have to take some more test and that they can only do those test up in Salt Lake City at PCMC. So the next day or two, we drove up to Salt Lake and we got to the hospital to see this heart Doctor, Dr. Everett. And did some more test, she came in and said I think she has a heart condition and that the left side of my heart is really sick. So then we made lots more appointments and so while we went up to see the doctor about till December. Then Dr.Everett came in and said that Megan needs a Heart Transplant Cause the left side of her heart is enlarged and that it's really weak and it's working too hard that it gets really weak and tired like it wants to stop. So they put me on lot's of Heart Medication, they did all the tests so they could put me on the list, but when they did the Cath Lab Test and after they finished that small surgery I wouldn't wake up so it scared everyone especially my family. The nurses said they couldn't do anything that I would not wake up with no response, so my mom was really worried so she called the Cardiologist down in Saint George Dr.Millar and she asked him why I wouldn't wake up and he said my Metabolism was slowed down cause my Heart was so week that it take a long time to get out of my system so I was asleep for about four hours with no response, so then I finally woke up and then that night I left the hospital. The next day I had to do more tests for my heart. Then a couple weeks later we finally got the pager and then I had to wear this life vest which it's a vest that has a Defibrillator attached to it that I have to wear 24/7, but I can only take it off for a half of an hour to take a shower and every week we have to down lode it to the hospital so the doctor's and it will go off if my heart has to many V TAKS in a row. So then every week we drove up to Salt Lake for tests. So then on July 12, Saturday I got really sick so a couple days later I went to see my Doctor and so he did some small tests and that night he said to my mom that I was going to be life flighted up to Primary Children's Medical Center so they flew us up there and we got there about at midnight. And the next morning Dr.Everett said that they are taking me to the ICU, so they took me to the ICU cause my heart had some problems that night so I stayed in the ICU for about four days and I was really sick and they had to put a feeding tube in me and some water in my IV, but then they finally put me on the 3rd floor and then I stayed there for a couple of days, and then I went back down for another reason, and then back down to get a pic line in, but the first time it didn't work cause they gave me the wrong medicine but the second time worked but they had to put me completely asleep. And then I was moved back up to the floor, and the last time I went to the ICU was cause when I was on the floor I was having a stomach ache so they gave me some medicine and some oxygen, and I went to sleep. So the nurse came in and said Megan Megan wake up and she thought well she's just still asleep, so they kept coming in and then they finally knew that I was not responding so they tried to wake me up so then they took me down to the ICU, and tried to wake me up but I just wouldn't wake up I was asleep for a very long time so then they were starting to put in a Breathing Tube but then I finally woke up and I was on alot of oxygen and then they put me on Milrinone a heart Medicine that helps my heart pump. So I stayed in the ICU for a couples of days and then they finally put me back on the floor, and I have been on the floor for about two weeks and they put me in Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, I had casts on my feet cause I had drop foot but then I finally got them off yesterday I had them on for three weeks, I have gotten sick a couple of times, and we almost had a heart twice, but one of them was a false alarm and the other was that the heart was to damaged. So ya well my heart is not better and I still have a feeding tube, lots of IV's with my heart Medicine to keep me alive and my heart is getting more sick every day, and now we are just waiting.