Heartfelt

I am Astha living in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh with my loving family. Leading a normal and good life. Did I mention that I’m a heart transplant recipient?

Life is full of surprises and that is what are realised in 2014. I realised that whenever I put a little bit extra energy into anything that I did, I got more tired than normal. Being an energetic and active this was unusually alarming for me. When this started happening frequently even my husband noticed and we both decided to go to consult with a doctor.

We went to a hospital and doctor got an ECG done the reports came and our worst fears come true. We lived in small town and the doctor suggested that we go to a big hospital and get complete check-up done. So, we reached Delhi. And our life’s biggest struggles began.

My husband and I went to GB Pant Hospital, Medanta Hospital and AIIMS Delhi, in all the places there were many tests done like ECG, ECHO, Holter, MRI, the experience of MRI was not good. Then my all reports came. I was suffering with Cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), and my heart was enlarged. I was sad but I was not scared. Finally, we decided that we would continue our treatment in AIIMS New Delhi. Doctors told me I am with risk of sudden Cardiac death. But I was not that serious initially because the symptoms were not so prominent. My EF (ejection fraction) were 65%, my all organs were healthy completely and I was in stable condition. I remember when a doctor had asked me if I ever feel dizziness? I said no (with a smile), he understood by looking my face expressions that I am not worried about this disease. Then he said to me “Your first fatigue maybe the last fatigue of your life.”   That was enough to stress me quite a bit because until then I was very brave person, and I was not afraid of anything can I did not even know what future held for me.

My treatment started and I had to visit the hospital regularly, sometimes after 6 months, and sometimes after 4 months. Years passed like this, but now the medicines were increasing but my condition continued to get worse. Now I was really worried because now I started to get tired even during small task, I was starting to get tired while speaking and walk and even while reading, watching TV or phone.

I shared all these my doctor and he advised me to go for ICD. But I was not ready to get a foreign device inserted in my body and did not want to live with a device. I always thought a miracle would happen and I will be alright. But…. 11th August 2019 that was the worst day of my life.

Suddenly there was extreme pain in my legs which I could not bear.  I was rushed to the hospital, and it was the case of ‘bilateral femoral embolectomy’.  I was operated within hours and the doctors did a surgery to remove blood clots of my arteries of legs. I recovered from this episode but the time of I got discharge from hospital my heart failure symptoms suddenly started. That time my EF was just  20% , I was shocked when I heard about that heart transplant is my final treatment. I didn’t know anything about transplants. It was too scary to even consider.

The heart failure team come to me and try to make me understand about the whole process, they also made me meet another heart transplant recipient. She was fine now and was able to live her normal life. Seeing her gave me confidence but I was still hesitant. My transplant work up was started but after some time my work up was stopped after seeing my condition improving and I was also not 100% sure about this surgery that time. The time I was in the hospital for 39 days.

My condition was such that one moment I would be normal and suddenly I would feel very weak.

In 2020 CRT D device was implanted for support me. For some time, I was stable and could do small task. But once I was very stressed, I receive shocks from device and this experience was not good.

In 2021 I got epicardial lead placement by surgery. But my condition continued to get worse, many times I wanted to give up, and many times I wanted to die I did not have anything but there was hope. Life was very hard sometimes I needed wheelchair.

It was then that I had strongly decided that I have heart transplant. My heart transplant work up restarted and completed. Then the waiting began. Would I get a heart? Who would give it to me? Would I even survive till the time one was available?

After 5 months I received the call from my surgeon and that time I was surprised as well as happy. A heart was available. In January 2022 my heart transplant surgery was completed successfully, and my doctors and transplant team told me that the first year I have to take special care of myself because of medications. After heart transplant my new journey has begun, and I can smile again without any pain.

Now I can sing I can dance I can ride a scooter or car again and I can do all I ever wanted to do. I feel so blessed.

I am truly truly grateful to my family, doctors, and team, and most of all my donor’s family, without I wouldn’t be alive today. And I am thankful to God. My donor is an angel for me. I want to say people of all religions should donate organs. Healthy organs are very precious. Don’t burnt to ashes or let them rot underground. Please donate them.🙏🏻