Mar 29, 2022
Pulmonary hypertension patient, KC Yates, discusses battling COVID-19 twice during the pandemic and how she relies on her inner-strength to battle her rare disease.
KC Yates:
My name is KC Yates. I'm from Michigan. My PAH just came on
randomly. I was pretty much having headaches, where you couldn't
talk to me. You couldn't make noise around me or anything. Then I
moved down to New Mexico, and on November 15th, 2018 is when I
first got diagnosed. I went into the hospital, because I was having
shortness of breath and the headache still, and couldn't barely
walk around the house. So we went up to the house and they said I
had idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The first few months were scary, because me and my husband at the
time didn't know what was going on, what we were dealing with or
anything. We had my mom come down to help us. When we took her
back, I had my initial first appointment with my pulmonary
hypertension doctor. He was like, “I want you to get on the
subcutaneous pump. And I want you to have that safety net of the
lung transplant evaluation.” So we went through all that, the nurse
came out. I got on the pump. I was scared at first to get on it. We
trialed an error with. I went up and did my double lung transplant
evaluation. And they told me that my lungs were too healthy to even
consider getting the lung transplant. So that was relieving.
I kept on asking my doctor if I could get off the pump, because it
hurt so bad. I just wanted to be free again. I felt like I was tied
down to something. I couldn't take showers by myself. I couldn't
walk by myself. I couldn't do most things that I'm doing right now
by myself with that pump on. A year later, I got off the pump. I
went on the oral meds and titrated up to the same dose that I was
on with the subcutaneous pump. Made myself sick a couple times to
get to that right dose. Then a year after that, I got a divorce.
Now I'm on Opsumit and Sildenafil. My heart is back to normal. I am
doing super good. I'm considering going back to work. I'm happy
where my health is, but they said that I still need the two meds to
cope with everything. Then I developed some other medical issues on
top of that. So just managing them all together is frustrating
right now, but I'm getting there.
When I moved back up to Michigan, I got a new doctor and they did
the right heart catheterization. They did all my testing over
again. They were like, your numbers are awesome. We want to see if
you can stop all meds. If not, we'll put you back on two meds that
we think are going to help you. So I stopped all meds. I did
another right heart catheterization, and my numbers jumped up a
little bit. So they put me back on the Opsumit and the Sildenafil
and I'm only on those two right now for my heart.
When COVID actually started becoming a thing and we went into the
lockdown, I was not doing anything different. I was wearing my mask
in the stores. Sometimes I wouldn't wear my mask because it was
hard for me to breathe in them. I had to get a special cloth mask
that I could actually breathe in. Around Thanksgiving time, I got
COVID and I was down for two weeks. All my health problems jumped
up to more intensified. I couldn't eat anything. I couldn't smell
nothing. I couldn't taste nothing. Thanksgiving dinner didn't taste
good at all. I got over that. Then my grandpa got it. So I got it
again, unfortunately. But this time it was less of a sore throat
and a headache. So I'm glad that I did get my vaccine. I'm not
boosted yet. I don't know if I want to get boosted, but they told
me that if I didn't get my vaccines when I did and got COVID, it
would've been more worse with my PAH.
So the first reaction, it was weird because my hip was numb. So I
went up to the hospital for my hip being numb, I'm like, my hip's
numb, and I have a headache and my chest hurts. They sent me home
because nothing was broken in my hip. Then the next day I'm like,
okay, more intensified symptoms. I told one of my best friends who
works up at the hospital and she gave me a COVID test. Within an
hour she's like, yep, you got COVID. She's like push Pedialyte.
Push any meds that you can take, like cold meds. So I pushed a
bunch of cold meds. I pushed a bunch of water. The only thing that
I was concerned about is not eating and not sleeping. I couldn't
even keep the water down. I couldn't keep nothing down. So it was
scary to not be eating. I lost about 70 pounds from not eating.
They were worried about me losing pounds, so I went to my GI doctor
and she put me on some anti-throw up meds, which I'm still on right
now. Then everything went back to normal.
I have celiac vomiting syndrome. So certain foods I can't eat like
pizza, tomatoes. Anything acid I can't eat because then I'll just
throw it up. But it wasn't a big deal. Not seeing anybody was big.
Not being able to do nothing was my biggest concern, because I was
bored. The not sleeping. But other than that, it was okay.
I am considering going back to work. With all that, I moved back to
home. I got a divorce. I'm living with my parents, because I can't
afford nothing by myself. I went back to school for my medical
assistant degree. I just finished with that. Now I am waiting to
hear back from two jobs that I've only applied for. If I get it, I
get it, great. Then I'll go through the hoops of the social
security to go back on work and all those major questions. Then, if
I don't, then I'm going to focus on my associates degree. I start
that for nine months, and then see where I go. I'm not pushing hard
to get a job, but if I get it, I get it. I have to try at least
something. If I don't try, I will never know.
I would say, be patient with this disease. Try new things, because
not everything's going to work out for you like it did with me.
Everybody's different in their own aspect. Trial and error with
your doctors, see if there's any changes that you guys can make.
Some doctors are willing to help you get off the meds, and some
doctors are just like, no, you can't ever get off these meds. Just
try. If you don't try, you will never know. From where I was, not
being able to take a shower by myself or walk around the house, to
where I am, where I can walk around my house, I can take a shower.
I can do anything I want right now. It's a blessing. I just went
with the flow. And I knew my body was going to do whatever it
wanted to do. I knew that if it was meant to be for me, it was
meant to be. If I was meant to be on that pump for my whole life,
it was meant to be. But I am glad that I'm not on that pump
anymore.
It makes you stronger. I've realized going through all these health
issues and seeing where I was before, I'm the strongest I will ever
be. I encourage everybody to take that strength and put it to their
health, because the stronger you are, the more stuff that you can
take on. I took on more health problems and it doesn't phase me, I
just take it like a champ right now.
There are Facebook groups that you guys can get on. I've been
helping about five people so far with their pumps and with their
meds and just pretty much helping them navigate what I've gone
through and telling them my tricks and my tips. What you should not
do or do, if this is right or that's right. So everybody's
different. You've just got to navigate yourself, for yourself.
My name is KC Yates, and I know I am rare.
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