Tannie was living her best life in Houston, Texas. She worked as a Court Service Officer and ran a wedding and event planning business when she started getting tired easily, experiencing shortness of breath, trouble laying flat, weight gain, and her “legs got full.” Her PCP said it was Menopause, so Tannie made an appointment with her GYN, who agreed, it was Menopause and “didn’t dig any deeper” says Tannie.
Tannie went on with her life, but she got concerned about the shortness of breath not long after. She felt something wasn’t right and went to Urgent Care, thinking she may have an upper respiratory infection (URI).
They did a chest X-ray and referred Tannie to the hospital. Tannie went to the ER and was admitted for what she said was “fluid around my heart.” When Tannie walked into the ER, she had no idea her ejection fraction was operating at 12% when anything under 30% is considered severe.
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She stayed in the hospital for five days, lost 35 lbs, and went from a size 12 to an 8. “That’s how much fluid they removed,” she explains.
Minutes before being discharged from the ER, someone decided Tannie should see a Cardiologist. That was the first time a Cardiologist examined her and that’s when Tannie received the devastating diagnosis; she had familiar congestive heart failure.
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She had also been told she had acid reflux. Tannie says the “acid reflux was actually fluid.”
After being diagnosed, Tannie was devastated. She had to quit her job and shut down her business to focus on her health. Tannie had to wear a life vest as she was “subject to sudden cardiac arrest.” She says her life was “flipped upside down.”
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Flashback fifteen years and Tannie remembered a routine “screening” she had for work when the X-ray tech asked her if she could breathe. Tannie thought that was a strange question and expressed her concern to her PCP, who “blew it off” and assured her that everything was fine.
Tannie had been a responsible patient. She gave her PCP her family history; her father died from heart failure, so why didn’t her PCP know that Tannie had heart issues? Tannie says it was because her health insurance prevented her from being “properly diagnosed.”
She didn’t present as someone with heart failure, so her insurance wouldn’t have covered the necessary tests. This is why Tannie stresses the importance of advocating for yourself. She says, “in hindsight, I should have asked for additional tests.”
Tannie wishes “all doctors would listen to their patients more” and “encourage patients to join a support group” once they are diagnosed with a condition or disease.
Tannie is now a proud advocate for Hear Your Heart, an empowering health initiative that provides education and resources for women with heart failure (especially Black and Latina women) to help optimize their care. Tannie says that being a part of this program was important for her mental and physical healing.
Tannie has advice for patients:
- Keep a journal and record all medications and the different reactions.
- Get care and if you feel uncomfortable, speak up.
- Find a support system right away.
Tannie not only advocates for other women with heart conditions, but she is her family’s biggest advocate. Because her father and grandparents died of heart failure, her three children and brothers get routine EKGs, cardiac echo exams, and blood work.
After experiencing such a close call, Tannie is doing well. She changed her diet and she is working out. She’s helping other women prevent having their symptoms dismissed like hers was.
To learn more about Hear Your Heart and access additional resources for women with heart failure, click here.
