Tania

Atrial fibrillation

Heart failure

From an overseas holiday to atrial fibrillation, organ failure and a coma

Tania, a fit and healthy grandmother, was excited for a trip to visit family before starting a new adventure. But her Melbourne holiday quickly became a nightmare after having heart failure, multiple organ failure and ending up in a coma for five days. 

Tania was ready to embrace a new chapter. After more than a decade delivering mail on her trusty NZ Post bike, she had finally hung up her helmet and booked a long-awaited trip to Melbourne to visit her sister – a chance to relax, reconnect and recharge before her next adventure.  

Known for her love of animals, live music and cycling, Tania lived on the go.  

In November 2023, at home on the morning of her flight, everything felt normal.   

But once she arrived at the airport, she felt the first symptoms of what would end up having a long-term impact on her life.

Feeling unwell at airport 

Arriving at Auckland Airport, ready to start her travel to be reunited with her sister, Tania began to feel hot and unwell.  

She headed inside the airport, hoping the air conditioning would cool her down, but it wasn’t enough.  

“I didn’t cool down. I just got hotter and hotter. So I went into the toilets, shut the door of the cubicle, and just stripped off everything and sat there to cool down.   

“I would have been 20 minutes in that cubicle cooling down. So, I got dressed and splashed water in my face.”   

Tania simply put it down to being busy and tired. She made her way through security and boarded the plane.  

After arriving in Melbourne, she caught the bus to Ballarat, arriving around midnight, to meet her sister. Still, something felt off.  

“When I hugged her at Ballarat, I sort of stumbled into her and she went, ‘Oh, are you okay?’ And I went, ‘I'm just a bit tired. I think it’s been a big day.” 

Three days of discomfort then an urgent A&E visit 

For three days Tania struggled to eat, was extremely tired and started to experience shortness of breath. All she wanted to do was drink.   

“I was really thirsty, really hot and really tired. By the third day I said let’s just go to A&E [accident and emergency] and get this sorted.  

“I was extremely lethargic and just wanted to curl up into a ball and for people to leave me alone. I couldn’t even walk. By the time I got to A&E I had no energy to talk. I couldn’t even think. My sister had to answer all the questions for me.”  

Tania, who was placed in a wheelchair when she arrived, could barely hold her head up to answer questions. Very quickly after arriving, she was taken to a room and put onto an examination bed. 

Atrial fibrillation, and a five-day coma

Tania was told she was in atrial fibrillation (AF) and needed to have her heart shocked back into a normal sinus rhythm.  

“I remember the feeling. It was almost like my heart was going to choke me. It was just intense and hot and I was just stressed by this stage because that’s not what I expected to happen when I was going to A&E.”  

Tania was first given a range of medicines, which didn’t work. She was then given ketamine so they could give her an electrical cardioversion to shock her heart back into rhythm, which gave her an unsettled feeling.   

“I thought I’m on a roller coaster here, and I’m really stressed. My sister said it was awful.  

“I thought I was whizzing around on a table on my back. I didn’t know what was happening, I think I thought I was dying. I saw a light show. I felt completely out of control.”  

From there she was placed in a medically induced coma so her body could rest and recover. After three days, she was transferred by road to a second hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Heart failure, cardiogenic shock, multiple organ failure and near death 

Waking up from the coma was difficult. Tania learnt that not only did she have heart failure, she had also had multiple organ failure.  

“I was not expecting to be told I had atrial fibrillation and heart failure.”  

After being told about her condition, she went to speak, but nothing came out.  

“It took me a while to talk. I was really slow, and nothing was making sense. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t walk. I don’t even know why that was. If I’ve been in a coma for five days, how come I felt so terrible?” Tania asked.   

On day three of her coma, Tania’s kidneys and liver had failed, caused by cardiogenic shock, a life-threatening condition where the heart can’t pump enough oxygenated blood to the body’s organs, leading to organ damage.  

  In the short time from when she left for her holiday until waking up from her coma, Tania had lost 14kg.   

“I was terrified. I couldn’t understand things. I still thought I was going to die.

“I thought after everything I’ve gone through, I wouldn’t make it out of this. Especially when the cardiologist said, ‘Your heart is really bad.”

Recovery at home and getting an ICD  

Tania was in hospital for around 10 days before spending another couple of weeks at her sister’s in Ballarat. Finally, after a month-long ordeal, she returned home a few weeks before Christmas.  

She is now on medication for her heart and has since had a CRT-D implanted, which is an ICD that includes pacemaker functions to help keep the heart’s rhythm regular.  

One of Tania’s biggest challenges now is a mental challenge, not being able to switch off thinking about her heart condition.  

“It’s always there with you. I’m not saying every minute and every waking moment I think about my heart failure. I did at first, it just consumed me. It’s all everybody was talking about, because they were worried and there were still questions.   

“I lived and breathed it for months, but now I can go days and not even think about it.”   

Another battle was getting her head around taking medication, something she has never had to do her entire life.  

In the last couple of years, Tania has had regular echocardiograms every two to four weeks to track her heart, giving her peace of mind.  

As of now, Tania is happy with how her heart is doing and hopes to avoid a heart transplant.

Lifestyle changes and advice 

While Tania feels well, she says several changes to her lifestyle have naturally happened.  

“I can’t ride my bike as fast as I used to. I’ve got a dog and I can’t run with her. Now I have to walk her. If anything, she walks me because she’s naughty,” Tania laughs.  

Initially one of the biggest changes for Tania was the feeling of wanting to be alone and isolating herself from others.  

She was always feeling tired and her tolerance for people dropped. But now, Tania is back out seeing friends and regularly going to see live bands again.   

“I just started going out again to watch live bands and things like that, which I love.”