Marie was a busy mom with a full-time job and a house to run. So when she started feeling unusually tired while in her mid-40s, she chalked it up to her full schedule.
“At first, I figured I was doing too much,” says Marie, now 52.
As time went on, routine activities, like climbing steps or walking short distances, became increasingly difficult.
“I was always short of breath,” Marie says. “All I wanted to do was sleep. I knew I had to go to work and do all of this stuff, but my body wasn’t cooperating with me.”
Marie began to notice other changes that concerned her and her family. Because her breathlessness made it hard to eat, she lost weight. What’s more, she sometimes fainted at work.
Marie’s primary doctor suggested she go to a rheumatologist, who eventually diagnosed her with both lupus and scleroderma. With two autoimmune connective tissue disorders, Marie’s condition was complex. Her rheumatologist needed time to determine how the conditions were affecting her and how best to manage them.
Then Marie’s health took a serious turn. Breathless from walking up the steps at home, Marie lost consciousness. Her daughter convinced her to go to a local emergency room. The doctors there, recognizing that Marie urgently needed a higher level of care, sent her to Temple University Hospital by helicopter.
A new diagnosis — and a way forward
Marie’s health had been declining much more than she realized. By the time she arrived at Temple, she was critically ill, and several of her organs were failing. In the intensive care unit (CICU), doctors and nurses worked to stabilize her condition.
At Temple, Marie’s care team discovered she had a serious form of heart failure: pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In PAH, arteries in the lungs become narrowed, reducing blood flow from the right side of the heart to the left side of the heart. This forces the heart to work harder to pump blood, but eventually the heart muscle becomes weak over time. Overworking the heart like this can lead to right heart failure.
Although PAH currently has no cure, there are treatments that can improve a person’s quality of life and help keep their disease from getting worse.
Marie knew she was in good hands. Temple’s Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Failure & CTEPH Program is a national leader in treating PAH. At Temple, internationally recognized specialists provide comprehensive care, with leading-edge treatments ranging from advanced medications and procedures to surgeries.
Anjali Vaidya, MD, FACC, FASE, FACP, Co-Director of Temple’s Pulmonary Hypertension Program, led Marie’s care.
“Dr. Vaidya is one of the most amazing doctors,” Marie says. “She cares about you like you’re family. She always made sure I was OK. She cried with me when I cried. She always explained everything to me.”
Dr. Vaidya prescribed medication that helped relieve the pressure in Marie’s lung circulation to help her heart function and control her PAH symptoms. In addition to pill medications, Marie was given a subcutaneous pump, a small device worn on her stomach, which released the medication into her system. Marie also takes medicine to help control atrial fibrillation and right heart failure, which developed because of her PAH, and she’s also being treated for her autoimmune disorders.
“Before I left, the doctor came in, and they had a team of people show me how to use the pump, how to fill it, how much I needed, and how many times a day,” Marie explains.
The treatment worked. Marie gradually gained the ability to increase her physical activity. Although she has good and bad days, she says, breathlessness and the possibility of passing out no longer prevent Marie from living an active lifestyle.
“I’m doing good now,” she says. “I’m able to do my housework without having any trouble breathing. I’m able to take care of my cat, cook, and take care of my yard.”
