My Pericarditis Story
By Zhiaea Mitchell
Hi, my name is Zhiaea Mitchell. I am 20 years old, 21 in June. I was first diagnosed with pericarditis in August 2023. Initially, I went into urgent care with sharp arm pains, assuming there was an issue with the way I slept or that I wasn’t getting enough sleep. From there, I was rushed to the ER because urgent care suspected my appendix had burst. Once in the ER, the appendix idea was quickly ruled out. I was then approached by a cardiologist, who said, “There’s fluid around her heart.”
It seemed I was used to getting bad news in hospitals so after the initial shock I was oddly fine. The doctor explained the inflammation process and how this may have been caused. My official diagnosis was idiopathic pericarditis. I ended the visit the following day with a prescription to help with inflammation. Weeks after taking my medication I still had fluid around my heart. The medicine helped with my pain, but not so much with inflammation.
Suddenly in November 2023, I had a very severe episode of pericarditis. I couldn't move or speak for a few hours because of the extreme chest and arm pains. That night scared me the most: doctors and nurses flying all over the place, machines being shoved near me and the looks on my parents’ face. I couldn't tell when or if I would make it out of the hospital. It was later decided by my doctor and me that I taper off my medication. My official diagnosis changed to severe recurrent idiopathic pericarditis. I have now been taking a new medication for 15 months. Based on the research available to me at the time, I assumed that after a few months of medication, I would be fine, but it seems that every case is different.
This diagnosis has had a personal effect. This entire process started when I was 19. To be a teenage girl not able to work, or work out anymore, due to physical restrictions was hard. To be in a house filled with forced silence was hard. I sometimes didn't have the energy to walk around or entertain myself in any way to fill time. After some time passed and I could step outside for a few hours, my body wasn’t even prepared for all the little things: laughing a little too hard, talking too much, sitting in a moving vehicle for too long and a number of other things. Those nights always ended with me exhausted for days and unsure of what limits I was willing or allowed to put my body through.
Today, March 24, 2025, times can still be hard, but it does get better. Knowing when to listen to my body has been very helpful. Some days my body insists on doing nothing, and I have to be fine with that. Hopefully by the end of this year, I'll be completely healed, but until then, I've learned to remain patient.
The American Heart Association’s Addressing Recurrent Pericarditis patient education is nationally supported by Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals.
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