babies and dodgy tickers apparently don’t go well together…anyone had a MRA or microvascular angio?

[MarmiteB]

hey guys!

So, bit of an update. It’s nearly a year since my bypass and Christ, hasn’t time flown by?! I’m now the grand old age of 35. I know, just a baby!

So, our/my plan was to get pregnant a year after my bypass and my surgeon/cardiologist at the time was ok with that but they wanted me to see an obstetric cardiologist specialist. The problem being that the obstetric cardiologists that exist specialise in congenital heart disease and in her words “women really don’t tend to have babies AFTER a bypass because they are normally much older”…thanks. I know that lol. So there is just no literature on women like me, so nothing to go on. Again, in her words, I sit in the “weird and wonderful” category.

When I first met her back in May she was actually ok with me going ahead with getting pregnant but wanted to do a couple of tests first. The tests came back showing some reversible ischemia in my heart and I have had just one episode of angina since the op. Also I had an exercise test and she doesn’t think I’m as fit as I should be for my lifestyle (young, slim, hikes with the dog)…I don’t know why but it felt like a real kick to be told I was unfit! Did you know that being pregnant is the equivalent to doing the Tour de France for your heart?! Give the mothers you know a hug!

So, she is now worried that being pregnant might kill me off/bugger up my heart more or they’d have to terminate the pregnancy because of my heart not being able to cope. If I am lucky and I’m successful (this is not impossible), the labour would need to passive…again, never heard of that. Slight oxymoronic…labour and passive are two words I wouldn’t put together. They basically give you an epidural and pull the baby out…not allowed to be in pain or push at all. No c-section allowed apparently much harder on your heart.

What next? More tests. They are trying to pin point this ischemia and get as much info about my heart and vessels as possible so they can build a more accurate picture. They are going to give me an angiogram to look for microvascular issues and an also a MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) to image all vessels from brain to pelvis. They are also worried I have fibromuscular dysplasia (when your blood vessels are too fibrous).

So, what are my questions? Has any one had a MRA? Or a microvascular angio? Has anyone reading this has a bypass and a baby after?! Ok, I know that third question is less likely to get a response lol.

I just feel a bit bleugh. Partly cos I’m lying here with Covid and can’t taste a thing …partly because I feel like I’m going backwards. After the op I felt SO MUCH BETTER! I could walk with the dog pain free, I didn’t get chest pain by just lying in a hot bath, I wasn’t breathless from slightest exercise - I was fixed! Bring it on! Now, although pain free I’m being told that I could get super sick from doing what I want, starting a family. It totally sucks. And also, can you imagine getting to 18 weeks and having to have a termination? I’m in total denial about that. It’s unthinkable.

Any advice is always welcome, you guys are the best xxx