An Uncoordinated Heart ❤️

What we learned from our recent visit to Mayo

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Hi, friends!

I didn’t really intend on making this newsletter about my health journey, but this is the best way to broadcast the news to our friends and family about our most recent visit to the Mayo Clinic.

Every newsletter will not be a health update, so if you’re new here because you subscribed for my Witty newsletter, thank you. I’m glad you’re here! Just know, that every now and then, we’ll pause the witty and bring life. Maybe they’ll always be a combination of life + witty?

Regardless, I’m glad you’re here and that you feel comfortable with me sharing the good, bad, ugly, and sometimes witty. (Feel free to unsubscribe if you feel like you’re not getting what you signed up for—there will be no hard feelings whatsoever!)

In my last newsletter, I explained that I was diagnosed with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, which basically means the left ventricle of my heart is enlarged and is not pumping blood through my heart efficiently.

My heart is uncoordinated.

The doctor gave me two prescriptions to fill and asked me to come back in three months for more tests to see if taking those pills improved my heart function.

The short answer, the pills did not work.

The long answer, my heart is not responding to the drugs I’ve been taking since July. My heart is still only pumping at 25-30%.  The tests I had done this week show no improvement.  

The cardiologist at Mayo recommended surgery to implant a CRT-D (Cardiac Resynchronization Training Defibrillator) device into my chest.    

This device will hopefully do two things: 1) coordinate my heart to fire properly and pump blood more efficiently and, 2) act as a heart monitor for if/when I ever have a “cardiac event”, it will shock my heart back to life.

What’s next?

A consultation with a Mayo Clinic electrophysiologist in January to discuss this further and to establish a timeline for the surgery.

As you can imagine, the weight of this news is taking some time for us to process. But it definitely explains why I’ve still struggled with fatigue the past several months.

For some unknown reason, my heart needs some assistance.

This is not a fun path to be on but we are full of hope.

Four weeks ago, my daughter Eden underwent a five-hour surgery to repair her misaligned hip. Family and friends gathered around her with their prayers, gifts, food, and friendship. Their love spread hope.

She is doing great and is gaining strength each day fueled by the support of others and her determined grit.

Our family will continue to gather that hope in the coming season of unknowns.

Having a heart that is physically uncoordinated does not make us question God’s goodness, it only enforces it. It makes us rely on Him so much more.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever. Psalm 73: 26