10
Loading video...
By Alyce Collins and Bella Tumini
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
I have always been one of those people who stayed healthy no matter what, and maintaining my fitness was hugely important to me. I love sport and played tennis all through college, so taking care of my health and fitness has just always been part of who I am.
That said, in recent years, I kept suffering allergic reactions to certain foods, I was constantly breaking out in hives, and to top it all off, I was dealing with long COVID. I was always so diligent about my physical health, and I hated feeling like my body was constantly fighting against a problem beyond my control.
After talking about this with a medical practitioner, they recommended that I try doing a blood detox to help deal with my symptoms. Some of my friends had tried it before, and it’s supposed to filter the bloodstream and allow the body to reach its full capacity.
Read More on My Turn
...
The process was essentially like dialysis of the blood. They would put in a catheter to drain blood out, then it goes through a filter that removes pathogens, bacteria and mold, and then the clean blood would go back into my body. My friends said they felt a lot better after doing it, so after looking into it further, I decided that the benefits of the procedure outweighed the risks.
I arrived at the clinic on July 6, ready for the procedure to start at around 8 a.m. It was supposed to take around four hours, so I would be home in no time.
But if someone had told me that it would lead to life-changing heart surgery and months of recovery, I never would have gone through with it.
‘My Heart Could No Longer Contract’
As I sat down in the chair, the anesthesiologist came over to place my catheter in for the procedure. It was an internal jugular catheter that went in my neck, and once inserted, I just had to sit and wait as the detox took place.
What I did not know, however, was that the catheter had punctured my heart. It went in one side and came out on the other side of my heart, creating two puncture holes for blood to seep out of.
At first, I was not bleeding out rapidly because the catheter was acting like a plug in the punctures, but throughout the four-hour procedure, my pericardium was gradually filling up with blood.
Eventually, my heart could no longer contract, and I went into cardiac arrest.
...
The last thing I remember was sitting up and feeling extreme back pain. It felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife in my upper back. The last thing I remember is throwing up, multiple doctors rushing into the room and them calling a code blue, then I passed out.
After that, I don't remember anything until I woke up a day and-a-half later in the ICU.
I was slowly coming to, and my cousin and sister were waving at me. They did their best to reassure me, as they repeatedly told me, "you're OK, just stay calm." Gently, they informed me that I had been transferred to the Cardiovascular Institute of UC San Diego Health for emergency open heart surgery.
I had only gone in for an elective blood detox, how could this even happen?
I didn't really know the full extent until a couple of days later as the doctors wanted to ensure I got through the ICU and felt OK before finally revealing all.
When I woke up, I was in so much pain, and they told me that I had partial breaks on every single rib because they did 21 minutes of CPR to save my life. So not only did I wake up having open heart surgery, but I also had a ton of broken ribs.
A couple of days later, I finally learned the reality of what I had endured due to medical error.
‘I’m So Grateful To Be Alive’
The physical recovery from open heart surgery was tough to say the least. Waking up in hospital was really scary—especially as someone who hadn't spent a lot of time in hospital before.
Yet, here I was, my chest cut open, my abdominal muscles torn, and several broken ribs.
...
The first week I spent in hospital, I actually slept on a chair because I could not get into bed. I had multiple drainage tubes protruding from me, and one of them hit my lung in an awkward position, making lying down feel impossible. Even when I was discharged and moved back home, I slept in a recliner for a while.
The pain was excruciating and unbearable. I remember crying constantly for the first 10 days out of sheer agony.
It was seven weeks before I was able to get into a bed. When I arrived for the procedure on July 6, I never would have imagined that I wouldn’t be able to lie in bed until September.
Mentally, it has been a journey. Even now, I have good days and bad days.
I was never a very emotional person before. I didn't cry often and it took a lot for me to let my emotion show.
Whereas now, the emotions pour out of me. I spent every night crying from the pain, and when I couldn't sleep, I would journal to help process the trauma. I haven't really experienced any anger, rather, I just feel overwhelmed with gratitude.
I'm so grateful to be alive.
I'm grateful to the doctors and my family. In a weird way, this was a second chance at life. I've been trying to channel that into something positive and to reflect on how I was living before all of this happened. In fact, the experience has made me consider what I truly want to carry with me into this new normal.
I used to be really focused on my career, and I spent a lot of time prioritizing work. I do marketing for food and beverage brands and, while that has been super rewarding, I was constantly traveling and grafting. Recovering from emergency heart surgery made me question what I was doing all that for.
This has shown me that life is short, so now I want to slow down and prioritize things outside of work. I want to spend time with friends, family, and get back to my passion projects.
I couldn’t do much for six weeks after surgery, and it made me realize just how much I took for granted. I love going to the beach, so when I went back for the first time, touching the sand and seeing the waves had me in tears.
...
All the little things that I used to take for granted mean so much more now. This has given me a huge perspective shift on what really matters in life. From now on, I want to make sure I get to the beach every week, that I call my friends more often, have people over for dinner, and tell people how much they mean to me.
Life is short and we're not promised tomorrow.
We always tell ourselves that there will be more time or that we can slow down later. But take it from me, that is not guaranteed.
'Blood detox' (apheresis) procedures are alternative therapies not recognized by mainstream medical consensus, and invasive procedures like central venous catheterization carry inherent risks of severe complications, including cardiac tamponade.
Bella Tumini, 36, who resides in San Diego, California, has discussed her recovery from heart surgery on social media (@bellatumini on TikTok and Instagram). She uses her experience as a reminder of how precious life can be.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and James Debens
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines