The 10th Anniversary of My Triple Diagnosis
By Ceirra Zeager
“You just had a heart attack” were not the words I expected to hear as a 14-year-old girl when I woke from my hospital bed.
Ten years ago, I attended my first winter formal as a freshman in high school with my sister and best friend. It was “the best night ever” -- not only did I get to spend it with the people I loved most, it was also my first dance with a boy. I felt my heart thumping and racing on the way home from the dance and the feeling did not go away. Even after I settled down for bed. I thought “this must be what it feels like to like a boy.” Little did I know my life was about to be flipped upside down.
The next morning, I was awoken by my mother to get ready to go to the mall to celebrate my younger brother’s birthday. I picked out my favorite pink shirt to wear and began to get dressed. I quickly realized something was not right. I was incapable of putting my shirt on.
Confusion set in as I walked down the hallway to my parents’ room looking for help. I found myself on the floor, short of breath and feeling ill. Everything was black. My mom found me struggling on the floor, quickly gathered my family, and rushed me to the emergency room.
After what felt like a lifetime, a few hours had passed, and I received a diagnosis of teenage anxiety. This was heart-wrenching for me. I thought to myself, if this is what teenage anxiety feels like, I do not want to live.
The doctor decided maybe a second opinion would be best, and I was transferred to the nearby children’s hospital after my alleged diagnosis. I spent hours at this hospital with no answers. Finally, a blood test from the first hospital came back which indicated I had a blockage somewhere in my heart.
A cardiac catheterization was performed, and it was soon discovered that I had an undiagnosed hole in my heart as well as a blood clot lodged in my coronary artery.
My blood clot was caused by elevated lipoprotein(a). After learning more about elevated lipoprotein(a) and how it is genetic, we thought it was important for our family to get checked. We soon learned that this condition was passed down from my mother’s side of our family.
Being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, heart disease, and elevated lipoprotein(a) all at once was a lot to unravel. I never truly understood any of my conditions until adulthood.
As I navigate adulthood, I have realized how difficult this journey has been on my mental health. The health anxiety after diagnoses is real. This is something I face each and every day.
I have learned to accept my conditions and do whatever it takes to lower my risks and stay healthy. Throughout this journey, I have found ways to cope with my conditions such as working out, cooking, baking, and pampering myself.
This journey could have broken me, but I firmly believe God used it instead to build me into the woman I am today.
The Lp(a) Discovery Project is supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
Learn more about this health topic: Lipoprotein (a) | American Heart Association.
Ceirra is a valued member of the Support Network’s Lp(a) Patients and Families online support group. If you or someone you know is living with elevated lipoprotein(a), please consider joining the Support Network and then the peer group. The Support Network community is private and free to join.