• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Immunocompromised Care
    • Top Blacks in Healthcare
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / Heart Failure / Air Force Member Diagnosed With Heart Failure: “I Could Barely Move”

Air Force Member Diagnosed With Heart Failure: “I Could Barely Move”

congestive heart failure
Photo credit: Kassandra Benson/AHA

As a logistics planner with the U.S. Air Force, Kassandra Benson deployed to Pakistan, where she worked long days and nights coordinating and troubleshooting special operations troops’ equipment and travel needs.

After a year abroad, she returned home. A post-deployment health check at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia showed that her blood pressure was slightly elevated. Otherwise, her health was good.

Benson took a week of leave and flew to Minnesota to visit her family. During her leave, she felt exhausted.

She noticed her calves were swelling, which had never happened before. She thought her body was acclimating to being back from deployment. Her fatigue was also odd for someone so active and fit.

You May Also Like
When Your Pudge Just Won't Budge! What to Do When Belly Fat Won't Go Away

Two months later, at home in Newport News, Virginia, Benson hopped into the shower during Memorial Day weekend to get ready for a barbecue. She started coughing.

After showering, the coughing intensified. She brought up blood and couldn’t catch her breath.

“I think I need to go to the emergency room,” she told her boyfriend.

At the hospital, tests showed Benson had congestive heart failure. Her heart wasn’t efficiently pumping blood. She was coughing because of fluid buildup in her lungs.

You May Also Like
9 Foods You Should NEVER Eat after Age 30

RELATED: What Is Congestive Heart Failure?

She ended up spending a week in the hospital. Doctors performed a cardiac catheterization procedure to get a better look inside her heart. They found no blockages.

A month later, at a follow-up appointment with a new cardiologist, an ultrasound uncovered that she had mitral valve regurgitation. It’s a type of heart valve disease where the valve between the left heart chambers doesn’t completely close, allowing blood to leak backward into the chamber it just left.

Her doctor gave her medication. She continued to work, despite the fatigue. But over the next few weeks, her body

Continue Reading

The Latest In Heart Failure

yoga and heart failure

Breathe Easy: 5 Ways Yoga Benefits Heart Failure Patients

Heart failure, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, can be a real downer. It leads to a reduced quality of life and can send healthcare costs skyrocketing. It happens when your heart isn't pumping blood like it should, read more about Breathe Easy: 5 Ways Yoga Benefits Heart Failure Patients
best vitamins for your heart

Best Vitamins for Your Heart

Your heart needs a lot in order to keep it functioning at its best. Many of us assume that, so long as we keep moving and breathing, our hearts are fine. However, this isn’t always the case.  Many heart-related problems read more about Best Vitamins for Your Heart
heart failure

Ohio Mother Goes Into Heart Failure After Fourth Pregnancy

Marian Dancy is a mother of four and a payroll specialist with a local law enforcement agency in Columbus, Ohio. Her fourth pregnancy was the easiest, giving her a third daughter to round out her family. When the baby was read more about Ohio Mother Goes Into Heart Failure After Fourth Pregnancy
CPR

NFL Coach Saves 3-Year-Old’s Life: “Truly a Miracle”

Raheem Morris left it up to his 13-year-old daughter Amaya: Should they go to the pool? Or hit the arcade? It was Memorial Day weekend and Morris, the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, was in Las Vegas. He read more about NFL Coach Saves 3-Year-Old’s Life: “Truly a Miracle”

NFL Hall-of-Famer & Coach, Deion Sanders, May Have Foot Amputated

The legendary multi-sport star, Deion Sanders, who famously played professionally in the NFL and MLB at the same time and most memorably suited up for each game, respectively, in the same day, recently revealed that he might need to have read more about NFL Hall-of-Famer & Coach, Deion Sanders, May Have Foot Amputated
sex life

3 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Sex Life With Heart Failure

Anxiety about sex is normal and is especially common for those who experience heart failure. Heart failure is a term used to describe a heart that cannot keep up with its workload. The body may not get the oxygen it read more about 3 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Sex Life With Heart Failure

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

The 14 Different Types Of Headaches: Which One You’re Experiencing?

The 14 Different Types Of Headaches: Which One You’re Experiencing?

6 Things In Your Home That Can Cause Cancer

things that cause cancer

5 Amazing Things Salt Water Can Cure

salt water benefits

5 Exercise Moves That Never Work

exercise moves

5 Items You Need In Your Lupus Flare Up Kit

lupus flare up
Find a Culturally Sensitive Doctor

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.