In October of 2023, then 42-year-old Angela Coates of Casco fainted after going out with friends. She attributed the fainting spell to not eating and drinking enough that evening. She had fainted before, and didn’t think much of it this time. Her life was very busy as a stay-at-home mom to a five- and three-year-old.
However, when she told her friends and family about this fainting spell, they became concerned. Her father, who had cardiomyopathy – a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body – suggested she get her heart checked. He suspected she could possibly have a similar condition. He underwent a heart transplant following his diagnosis and is doing well today.
Angela decided to take their advice and see her doctor who performed an electrocardiogram (EKG) which measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat. This test came back normal. She was later referred to see a cardiologist for further testing.
At the cardiologist, she had an echocardiogram (or echo) which uses high frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to make pictures of your heart. An echo test can allow your health care team to look at your heart’s structure and check how well your heart functions. Angela’s echo showed a 46% ejection fraction. According to the American Heart Association, ejection fraction (EF) is a measurement, expressed as a percentage, of how much blood the left ventricle pumps out with each contraction.
An EF of 60 percent means that 60 percent of the total amount of blood in the left ventricle is pushed out with each heartbeat. A normal heart’s EF is between 55 and 70 percent. This indication of how well your heart is pumping out blood can help to diagnose and track heart failure.
Finally last February, Angela was officially diagnosed with heart failure possibly caused by cardiomyopathy – the same disease her father had. She was in complete shock after receiving this news, and she worried about taking care of her young children and herself.
Luckily after taking medication to help improve her EF, she could tell a difference in how she felt. “I felt better and even though I didn’t know if my EF had increased or not, I thought it did and I was right,” she recalled.
Since she may share the same condition as her father, she was offered a genetic test that came back negative. However, she was told it might be because the specific mutation is not included in that test yet and she can retake it in five years when it might be added. Medication and not eating as much salt has worked so far to improve her symptoms. Her last echo showed an improvement from 46% to 54% in her EF.
While she’ll never know if fainting was due to cardiomyopathy or not eating and drinking enough, she has an important message for other women. “I think I just got lucky and found out about my condition by accident. The reason I’m sharing my story is because I don’t want anyone to feel alone – especially women my age. You’re not alone. Please get checked if you faint no matter what the reason is.”