Cardiomyopathy & Ventricular Tachycardia

Back in April 2016, I gave birth to my sweet baby boy. My first baby. 2 months later I had gotten really sick. I was coughing up blood & having shortness of breath. I immediately went to the ER. Of course, did xrays and other tests & that's when I found out I had postpartum cardiomyopathy. My OB & Cardiologist both recommended that I get on birth control right away because it was too risky for me to go through another pregnancy. And so I did because I was so scared that if I did get pg, I was going to die because that's how they made it sound pretty much. Anyways, I had multiple visits with my cardiologist and did tons of different heart tests almost every 2 weeks or so.

May 2017, I had the ICD implanted. I felt great, everything went well & I was on a few meds. Fast forward to March 2018, I ended up back in the ER because I was feeling heart palpitations and it was very uncomfortable. So then I was told I had Ventricular Tachycardia. Docs Proscribed new meds. Mexiletine & Sotalol. 

Soooo... Lately I've been thinking about getting off the birth control & try for another baby but I've been so worried about having a successful pregnancy with the cardiomyopathy, the ICD & VT. Does anyone have a reason why I shouldn't get off birth control? I know there's high risk teams & high risk doctors so I kinda feel ok about it??!!! 

I've read a few posts on here tonight and boy I am so glad I came across this website because it makes me feel like there's HOPE & that it CAN HAPPEN!!! I'm definitely praying on it too. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. God Bless You All. 

1 Comments

OB and EP

by Tracey_E - 2018-10-07 08:37:57

This is not a decision to make on your own. Your OB and EP need to have a conversation about your risks. Many of the meds that control VT are not safe for a fetus, so that's the biggest concern. How safe is a baby if you are on the meds, how safe are you if you stop taking them? Good luck to you. I hope it works out the way you want it to. 

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