His Heart Story: A Testimony of His Faithfulness

This past December held a life-changing experience for me: I had heart surgery. Because of this procedure, I’ve been inspired to write about all that transpired in order for surgery to be a possibility. With that, I present “my heart story.” I have always known that I had a hole in my heart. A visiting pediatrician discovered my murmur when I was only 6 months old. As one would expect, my parents were quite concerned, and from that point forward, I saw several cardiologists to discuss what should be done. While one suggested immediate open-heart surgery, others suggested watching the hole’s size over time, rather than having me undergo a needless operation.When I was around 2 years old, my parents and I moved to Colorado, where I began seeing a new cardiologist at Children’s Hospital. Dr. Schaeffer was diligent in monitoring my case. I went in for regular check-ups, which included EKGs (a study of the electricity of the heart), echocardiograms (an ultrasound of the heart), and the occasional stress test (having my heart rate monitored while exercising). By regularly measuring the size of my hole and functionality of my heart, it was easier to determine whether it was increasing, decreasing, or remaining static. My hole, also referred to as an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), grew steadily until I was five years old, and my cardiologist determined that in order for me to be healthy, open-heart surgery to close the hole was necessary. It was almost the size of a nickel. As plans were made for this operation, my parents took me to the elders of the church, where I was prayed over and anointed with oil. The next time I went to Dr. Schaeffer’s for an exam, he found that my ASD had closed just enough that surgery was no longer necessary. This is only one of the ways that the Lord would prove himself faithful!Over the years, I had a harder time keeping up with physical activities that other kids participated in because of the shunting, or backwards blood flow, occurring in my heart. This flow also caused my oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix, resulting in me getting tired more easily than the average child. I also had to take penicillin every time I went to the dentist, because if any germs from the dental tools entered my bloodstream, I could contract a fatal heart infection. In spite of these things, I was able to have a normal childhood and tried my best to keep up with what everyone else was doing (although to this day, I am no athlete). As the years went by, I continued to visit Children’s Hospital for bi-annual check-ups. In the fall of my 8^th grade year, Dr. Schaeffer determined that my hole was now very small (around 3 mm), and that I was cleared for all activities (except scuba-diving), and that I no longer needed to be seen to monitor my hole. He estimated that it would eventually close on its own and would never be a problem again. You can imagine my joy at hearing this news! I felt great, and should only be feeling better as time went on! I could participate in athletic activities, and would no longer need check-ups or treatment.Around a year and a half later from being cleared, I began to experience lots of palpitations, or irregular heartbeats. As I had done so many times before, I went to see Dr. Schaeffer in Denver. I explained the exhaustion and strange fluttering sensations that I was feeling, and he had me wear a heart monitor. After I wore and returned the monitor, he explained that I had had a virus in my heart, which had caused these symptoms. He also shared that I was perfectly fine and had no cause for worry. Relieved, I went on with my daily routine as a high school student. Though my heart was no longer an issue, I continued to experience some inexplicable symptoms such as constant fatigue, difficulty with lots of exercise, and getting sick easily. Despite this, I remained very involved with school, church, and extracurricular activities throughout high school. By junior year, however, I realized that my peers had far more energy than I did, and I never felt truly great. So, I saw my general practitioner, who thought I might have had mononucleosis, but considering my cardiac history, recommended that I see a cardiologist to eliminate the possibility of my heart being an issue.In December of my junior year, I saw Dr. Greensides at the Children’s Hospital campus in Colorado Springs (since he was closer), where I underwent the usual echocardiogram and EKG. What he found was surprising: the echo showed that my hole was around 11 mm, which was around 3 times the size it had been when I was cleared just a few years before. However, he was skeptical that this was accurate information. He ordered a 2-hour long MRI for the next month where technicians would be able to get a closer look at my heart to determine its true size. In January, I went in for the MRI, which for someone who has a hard time sitting still, felt like an eternity of laying flat and not moving. When it was over, the technicians who performed the study explained that it was hard to be certain, but that they thought I was fine. The first test was ruled out as simply “technician error.” While I was relieved to hear that my heart was still fine, I was still frustrated that I didn’t feel well, and hoped that the reason behind my fatigue would be discovered. The following summer, leading into my senior year of high school, I was hiking on Spruce Mountain, a 7,800-foot mountain behind my house. I had climbed this several times before with only slight shortness of breath, but this time was different. As I ascended the mountain, my heart began to beat wildly to the point that I could barely breathe. My lips turned blue, and I grew very pale. All I could think about was the fact that my heart rate continued to climb, and there seemed to be no oxygen in my lungs. Never had I been so scared in my entire life. In that moment, I thought that I was going to die, and I mentally prepared for the worst. Just as my mom was about to call Flight for Life, I began to breathe again. She and my brother helped to carry me down the mountain.Curious to find out what had happened on the mountain, and concerned that it might happen again, we called Dr. Greensides, as he was the most recent cardiologist that I had seen. He suggested that I use a rescue inhaler and see an allergist for the possibility of allergy-induced asthma. Thinking that this could be the answer, I saw an allergist and was diagnosed with that very thing. I began using inhalers, but my chest still felt tight, and I was often tired and dizzy. Because of this, it was decided that I had normal asthma, and was given new inhalers. I continued taking different medications for nearly a year, but nothing helped. Finally, in an act of desperation, I began to research my symptoms on the Internet. I knew something was wrong and I had to know what it was. I was that person (who knew that self-diagnosis based on websites was a bad idea, but was fed-up with always feeling badly). After this self-conducted research, I decided to see a pulmonologist to see if I even had asthma, and if I did, why the inhalers didn’t make me feel any better.So, I went to see Dr. Uragoda this past August, and after a full lung-function test, I discovered that my lungs were perfectly fine and that I did not have asthma. Even though I was now out of his care as a pulmonologist, he was the first specialist to really listen, and ordered an echo with a bubble study (saline bubbles shot through an IV to see how they flow through the heart) to examine my heart yet again. After having seeing the test results, Dr. Uragoda explained that he was concerned about my heart, and suggested I see my cardiologist again. So, I went to see Dr. Schaeffer in Denver once more. He looked through the first few minutes of my 30-minute echo CD, and decided he was not concerned about my heart. He concluded that my symptoms were a result of stress and dehydration. He suggested I drink more water, eat more salt, and limit stressors. In spite of listening to what this expert had to say, I had a gut feeling that something was still wrong beyond dehydration. So, I went back to my general practitioner, who referred me to an adult cardiologist. I met with Dr. Rosenbaum, who also truly listened, and who requested to see a copy of the bubble study. After meeting with him a second time, he shared that he was worried about the amount of bubbles flowing the wrong way through my heart, and wanted to do a Trans Esophageal Echo, or TEE. For this procedure, they would put me under and use a tube camera down my throat to get a better view of my hole.The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I went in for my test. As soon as I woke up from the test, I was told that my hole had grown significantly, and in the words of Dr. Rosenbaum, “was almost the size of a penny.” I also learned that I was, and had been, at risk for stroke and instant death. I had also been at risk for heart infection when I had braces and got my wisdom teeth out, because I hadn’t taken penicillin. The fact that I had not had a stroke or infection was incredible, and can only be attested to the hand of the Lord upon my life, protecting me through it all. The little voice that said something wasn’t right had been the Holy Spirit prompting me to keep pursuing it and never give up. 18 years and 15 doctors later, I have answers. I think the Lord allowed me to go through this heyday of doctors’ appointments to illustrate that even experts can be wrong, and that he is alone is God. He alone is sovereign. He alone is healer. It is by his grace that the doctors found the problem, and through his mercy that I was healed. On December 16^th, 2014, I had my ASD closed. The surgeon went in through catheterization in my leg. They used an Amplatzer patch, made of nickel mesh and cloth. I was awake for the procedure and was able to watch the whole thing- it was a special privilege to be able to see myself being healed after years of prayers and waiting for answers. Today, I am healed! I have energy. I am whole. By the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness, I am made new. I am a living testimony of his grace!