Help Tracie Overcome Atrial Fibrillation

Story

Hello Friends & Family! I will be having the Cardiac Hybrid Convergent Atrial Fibrillation Ablation With Atrial Clip Heart Surgery on July 19th at UCLA hospital. I wanted to make everyone aware of my condition and explain what A FIB is and the surgeries I need to correct it. I’m so grateful for the emotional support so far from some friends and family who know of my A FIB journey. I’m grateful for the new technology in treating my heart condition. The surgery I’m having has been around only 2-3 years. I’m only the 100th patient at UCLA to get this new heart surgery. I know God has been guiding me to the right Dr’s this past year. My cardiologists and cardiac surgery team are just amazing and I have full trust and faith in them to help me. On July 5th 2023, I was diagnosed with a heart condition called Persistent Symptomatic A FIB (Atrial Fibrillation). The past year my heart condition has become much worse, requiring two heart surgeries to correct my irregular heart rhythm into normal sinus rhythm. My cardiologists have tried to regulate my irregular heart rate with medication “Metoporol” and “Eliquis”. Back in October 2023 I had the Cardioversion procedure at UCLA but it only restored my normal heart rhythm for 3 days. I have a resting heart rate that averages between 125-160 even if I’m resting. Due to the irregular heart rate and rhythm, my heart isn’t pumping my blood fully out of the bottom of my heart. There is an appendage on our hearts that blood can collect in if the heart isn’t pumping properly. This appendage is where all the blood clots come from that cause stroke, TIA, embolism and they believe can lead to dementia. Due to the fact that my heart isn’t pumping out fully due to irregular heartbeat blood can form in this appendage and lead to strokes, etc 5x greater than people who don’t have A FIB. The first heart surgery I will be having is to treat the cause of irregular heartbeat on the outside of my heart with ablation. The surgeons use catheters to burn or freeze the heart tissue that is firing irregularly to restore normal heart rhythm. They will also be putting a clip to close off the appendage on my heart so I’m not at risk of stroke and other side effects from clotting in that appendage. I will be staying at the hospital 3-4 nights after the surgery for pain management and to constantly monitor my heart rhythm. Recovery will be about 3-6 weeks. In 8 weeks, I go back to UCLA in September for a Cardioablation to treat the irregular heartbeat coming from the inside chambers of my heart. This procedure is minimally invasive and only requires a one night stay at the hospital. I have excellent Blue Shield PPO health insurance. However, there is a $8,700 yearly out of pocket maximum co pay for major medical expenses such as surgeries, medical testing, hospital stays, Dr Visits, MRI, CT Scans, Echocardiograms, EKG check ins, blood labs, x rays, etc. I’ve already paid over $4k towards all the above mentioned this year that some went towards my maximum out of pocket co pay. I moved back home with my parents to save money on rent and living expenses to put towards medical expenses. Also, I’ll need support and care after and in between my two heart surgeries as I recover over the next 3 months. All of this really came as a shock to me as I’m on the young side to have A FIB, let alone such a complicated case of persistent A FIB. However, with these procedures and the heart clip, I should have about 70-80% restoration of my normal heart rhythm putting me into a normal sinus rhythm. I look forward to eventually being able to walk, hike, and be active again. Currently, I’m out of breath and extremely fatigued and exhausted all the time because my heart is pumping and circulating properly. I have edema in my body from circulation issues from an irregular beating heart. My right and left atrium of my heart is dilated and enlarged. However, tests show that I have a CAC score of 0 and I have no hardening of my veins and arteries and no plaque or blockages in my heart. Besides, the irregular A FIB heart condition my heart is in good shape. My prognosis is good once I get through these two surgeries. With the clip being surgically inserted on my heart appendage there’s a good chance now that I won’t have to take blood thinners my entire life. I have had my cardiologists ask me how long they think I’ve had this condition. I was diagnosed as a fluke last year. Starting about 4 years ago I started being told when getting my blood pressure checked at random dr visits that my blood pressure was very high. It was always until then on the extremely low side. I told my dr last May that I was feeling short of breath and had horrible and pounding heart palpitations. Everyone thought it was just stress or a panic attack. However, this would happen when I’d just be resting. My dr did an EKG in his office finally and sent me immediately to a cardiologist where I’d get my diagnosis of A FIB. I want to let people know that if you are feeling heart palpitations, racing heart, shortness of breath to get an ekg and get checked out. I just thought I was having anxiety. After the age of 50, women are 10x more likely to have heart disease than men. If you are able to donate to help me with my co pay I will be so grateful. Most of all, I’d love ❤️ prayers and support through this journey. I have faith that all will go well and hopefully I can finally get back to my energetic and normal self again soon. I love you all and thank you for reading this and any support. I will be updating my surgeries, ❤️‍ recovery and experience here. Feel free to check back for updates. God bless you all. Much Love! Tracie