Bri’s Heart Journey

02/14/2026

Update - she’s being discharged. She’s in a very low “normal” lots of follow ups this next week. On continues iv meds the last 3 days up until discharge: The goal is to keep her numbers up. Kidneys were struggling as well with the heart rhythm problem and the electrolytes. She was listed as critical when we brought her in, and she’s up moving around and feeling a bit better. Lots of rest the next couple of days. ♥️
One of her favorite cardiac rehab nurses came to visit her and brought valentines necklaces♥️

02/13/2026

Little update on my Bri. It’s been a very long night into today. Her QTC is still long at 520, which poses the risk for Torsades, a fatal heart rhythm. Her potassium is very slowly coming out of the 2’s….5 is normal. Sounds like she will remain in the hospital for at least another day as they will be running more tests this afternoon and just really trying to stabilize her numbers and get the QTC to come down. Please say a prayer if you are willing…she (we) could really use them ❤️

02/13/2026

Getting admitted to the heart hospital.. labs are bad, and heart is not in a normal rhythm.

02/13/2026

Say some prayers… at the heart hospital ER

02/13/2026

Update ♥️
The last few days I have not felt good - it started with the bad chest pain/ pressure/ pitting edema/ cough - we added a dose of a potent diuretic on top of my regular diuretics. I woke up Wednesday morning and my hr was at 160 sitting in my bed, and I was feeling nauseous and so weak. I had dropped 10 pounds overnight from Tuesday- Wednesday in just fluid weight. Losing that much so fast is hard on a “normal” person, then you add in your electrolytes being off, being dehydrated, and stomach issues from the antibiotics, and recent infection - not a good combo. My hr has been high with any activity. The friction from nothing being around my heart to protect it is irritating it, and not having a “normal, healthy” heart and being immunocompromised is so hard. The tooth infection is gone but the lasting effects are still lingering which isn’t helping my situation on top of everything else. Cardiology explained that to me today, and just every thing is working against each other which equals me feeling like crap. We have added a stomach med which is a gel type liquid, and increasing some other meds. Hoping to get back to Mayo in a few weeks without any setbacks.

02/09/2026

Just a few days left!!! Get your orders in ♥️

Thank you everyone for the support! It means so much to me!!

02/06/2026

My character for heart week! Don’t forget to wear Red tomorrow!! Show your support ! ♥️
Don’t forget to get your shirt orders in!!

https://www.customink.com/g/hyu0-00d1-7hmw

02/05/2026

Everyone!! Please get your shirt orders in! ♥️♥️ the support means so much!

Thank you everyone for the support! It means so much to me!!

02/04/2026

02/03/2026

Update - I saw the heart failure team today. She reviewed all my labs from the ER this weekend, the blood clot test she believes is high from inflammation in my body. This has been high in the past - everytime I’ve had an infection around my heart. She had said given all my meds, and being so immunocompromised my body is running in an empty tank trying to fight off an infection. A person with a normal healthy heart would be knocked down from this, let alone someone with no immune system and multiple heart surgeries. I also found iut today that the glucose that was spilling into my urine is from one of my heart failure meds. For the chest pain part she thinks that the remaining pericardium is causing the pain I’ve been feeling- I go to Mayo Clinic In a few weeks for a cardiac mri to check the status of the pericardium and my heart, and see what we should do about my arcalyst. I will get labs done next week again and see where things are at.

Get your shirt orders in!! ♥️

https://www.customink.com/g/hyu0-00d1-7hmw

Thanks to HeartWorks for this name design! ♥️♥️

02/02/2026

Day 1 of heart month ♥️♥️
I was healthy until I was 20, then my life turned upside down. I was diagnosed with a “fatal” congential heart defect. I went in for emergency open heart surgery. Surgery went well, then I got sick. I got pneumonia, my lungs collapsed, I got pericarditis, and a pericardial effusion. Pericarditis was missed by the local team, which put me in heart failure. After 7 months of not being diagnosed I got to Mayo Clinic and was admitted to the step down icu for 9 days. This is where we learned my ivc artery was failing, and I had a lot of fluid around my heart. Despite countless medications and steroids, hospitalizations and diuretics I wasn’t getting better. Then my heart started to swell and Mayo scheduled emergency open heart surgery. Surgery went well, then I hemorrhaged and went into afib, 2 of 4 chest tubes fell out and my lungs filled up with fluid. After a week of being home my incision ruptured open, and the infections around my heart came back and I’m back in heart failure. My incision was open for 7.5 months. Recently I’ve been hospitalized for fluid overload and rhythm issues, and my heart trying to go to torsades. The surgeries doesnt mean everything is over, this has become our life. Countless appointments, labs, testing, traveling, medication’s etc. the life of a “heart warrior” has taught me a lot, your life can change very fast, one minute your are fine and the next you are not.
I have overcome multiple things
♥️ 2 open heart surgeries
♥️ 7 heart related procedures
♥️ 1 device implant
♥️ 24 new medicstions
♥️ mixing the med, and giving myself shots
♥️ heart failure, a-fib, other rhythm issues
♥️ 60+ wound clinic appts
♥️ hundreds of lab draws, clinic visits, collapsed lungs, pericardial and pleural effusions.

https://www.customink.com/g/hyu0-00d1-7hmw?pc=TXN-173480&utm_campaign=gof_org_open&utm_content=body_gof2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=gof_org_txn

Please get your orders in to show support! . Just a little over a week left!! The goal is to sell 10! ♥️

02/01/2026

Update - no clot in arteries. ER doc believes I’m still feeling like this from the tooth that was pulled 2 weeks ago. They think the blood cultures were done too late a few weeks back as I already had 5 days of multiple antibiotics in my system. She thinks the blood clot test is high from the tooth or the heart failure. Thanks everyone for the kind words.. I got to go home and I see the heart failure team Monday morning.