Multiple Doctors Failed to Diagnose Her Heart Failure — so She Made Them
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Marian Dancy started to notice strange symptoms about six months after she gave birth to her fourth child. She dismissed the swelling throughout her body and her fatigue as a normal part of postpartum life, a side effect of her hormones returning to normal.
But one day, Dancy, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, stepped off an elevator on her way to work and lost her vision for a few moments. This prompted Dancy, who was 35 at the time, to see her doctor.
Her doctor said she was healthy, but her condition worsened over the next few weeks. Dancy experienced muscle fatigue and chest congestion with no cough. She had trouble lying down because it caused shortness of breath. Her swelling and fatigue got worse. But when she sought help, this time through a telehealth appointment, she was told that nothing in her personal or family medical history was concerning, so she should just keep an eye on her symptoms.
She did, and shortly started experiencing her symptoms every day, this time with persistent shortness of breath. She went to the emergency room, and was diagnosed with pneumonia. When she asked how a young, healthy person could have pneumonia, she didn’t get an answer.
The hospital sent her home with medication and an inhaler to treat the pneumonia. Then her health took a sharp turn.
Dancy found herself in the emergency room again, just a couple of weeks after her initial doctor’s visit, getting an electrocardiogram, to determine if her symptoms were linked to her heart.
She remembers hearing the nurse tell another clinician, “I think we have a case of heart failure.”
Dancy was hospitalized and spent two weeks in the intensive care unit. The doctors were searching for answers, and there were a few days where they weren’t sure she would survive the heart failure, which had gone untreated for weeks. But they finally found the root of the problem: peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM).
Dancy’s road to recovery was tough, but she was determined to take her health into her own hands as much as she could. She went through cardiac therapy — which includes physical therapy and education about healthy lifestyle changes people can make. She found a therapist to help her deal with the stress of being a mother and working full-time. She also changed her diet and started exercising, and she learned to ask for help from family and friends when she needed it. Today, she has recovered and is still maintaining those lifestyle changes that helped her do so.
We sat down with Dancy, who is part of the AHA’s Go Red for Women Real Women 2024, to hear how she advocated for herself after multiple doctors missed her symptoms of heart failure, and where she found support.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Everyday Health: You began to think something was wrong about six months after giving birth. What made you advocate for yourself and seek answers even after your initial diagnosis?
Marian Dancy: I was being treated for what the doctors thought was pneumonia when my health really declined. I was dragging my legs — I could barely walk the few steps to the bathroom, I couldn’t lay flat for any period of time, and I was talking like I couldn’t breathe in between words. I finally took a sick day from work and thought, if I don’t figure this out, it’s not going to be good.
EH: Mental health is something that is often left out of the heart health discussion. Can you talk about what prompted you to seek out that care as well as cardiac therapy when you were diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy?
MD: When I was in the hospital, the cardiologist was asking me about different aspects of my life. I had never considered it before then, but I had a pretty stressful life. I had three children and at the time one was a young baby, plus a career. I put together a holistic plan where I could do everything in my power to help my condition and my doctor said to reach out to a therapist, too. Your health is all of you. It’s mental, it’s physical, it’s emotional. Your mental health can affect your physical health and vice versa.
EH: You were a mother of four going through all this. What was your support network like?
MD: Prior to going through this, I was very independent and I kind of took care of everyone. It took this happening for me to be vulnerable and elicit support. I had my mom, who is great, and I had friends, but I never really called on them to help me. That’s one message I have for others — tap into your community. There are people who care about you and want you to be well and will support you during your diagnosis, or even before. It’s a reciprocal relationship; don’t be afraid to lean on them, and they may need you at some point, too.
EH: You changed your whole lifestyle to support your heart health. How do you stick with it?
MD: I got my whole family involved. We prepare meals together, we exercise together, we do wellness activities together. I do cardio and strength training at the gym on my own and take walks and do yoga and stretching with the kids. I do mindfulness activities, journaling and counseling, for myself. I’m so grateful for my journey and I hope that I can get the message out that if this happens to you, it’s not the end of the road. You can get everyone involved with your lifestyle changes and it can ultimately be a good thing.
EH: What advice do you have for new moms who may be newly diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or who think something might be wrong?
MD: Lean on that support system and develop those healthy habits, because if you’re not healthy, you won’t be able to take care of your family.
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