Pericardiectomy Treatment in India

Myra Iyer, a 58-year-old retired school...

Myra Iyer, a 58-year-old retired school principal from Chennai, had always been active and health-conscious. For over a year, she battled a relentless, crushing fatigue and shortness of breath that made climbing her apartment stairs feel like a marathon. Her ankles swelled, and she developed a persistent, dry cough. Initially dismissed as stress or aging, her symptoms worsened until a routine echocardiogram revealed a severely thickened and calcified pericardium, constrictive pericarditis, likely a late consequence of a childhood bout of tuberculosis. Her cardiologist, Dr. Rao, explained that her heart was trapped in a rigid, unyielding sac, preventing it from filling properly. Medication could only manage symptoms; a pericardiectomy to surgically strip away the diseased pericardium was the only definitive cure. Terrified but out of options, Myra agreed. The surgery was long and complex, but successful. In the Cardiac ICU, the immediate relief in her breathing was profound. Recovery in the hospital was painful and slow, requiring careful management of her heart rhythms and fluid balance. Back home, guided by cardiac rehab, she regained strength week by week. The emotional journey was a rollercoaster: from the fear of a heart operation and grief for her lost vitality, to a cautious hope post-surgery, and finally, to profound gratitude. Six months later, gardening again without gasping for air, she feels she has been given her life back.