I'm an alcoholic, and I'm in the early stages of heart failure

Hello everyone. My name is Georgiana Lupescu, I'm 36 years old, and I’m an alcoholic.

I also live with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Fibromyalgia, and the lasting effects of a Stroke. Recently, I was admitted to the hospital severely anemic and malnourished. Years ago, in 2009, I had an iron infusion and experienced a mild allergic reaction. During this hospital stay, the doctor reassured me that they would use a different type of iron supplement.

Fifteen minutes after the infusion began, I rolled onto my side. The next thing I heard was a voice urgently saying, “Give her adrenaline.” Suddenly, there were doctors and nurses all around me. An oxygen mask was pressed to my face as medications were pushed through the line. I could hear the urgency in their voices as they worked to clear fluid from my lungs. Someone said, “You’re going to feel a sharp prick in your leg.” As I slowly regained consciousness, I saw the resuscitation equipment beside me and realised they had been fighting to save my life. In that moment, my thoughts weren’t about fear. They were about the people who would be devastated if I were gone. I thought about the people I love. I thought about my little fur child, Daisy, who still needs me.

I was later moved to the High Dependency Unit because doctors were concerned about a secondary Anaphylaxis reaction. While I was there, my doctor delivered another difficult truth: my heart was beginning to fail. One side of my heart muscle was not pumping as it should. The swelling in my feet and ankles—something I had noticed but tried to dismiss—was actually a warning sign.

The hardest part is facing the cause. My alcoholism has played a role in bringing me here.

Now I’m waiting for a FibroScan, a scan that will show how my liver is functioning. I live with Hepatitis B, and the last scan I had in 2021 showed early Cirrhosis. I don’t know what the next result will reveal.

When you’re confronted with the possibility of heart failure, liver disease, and everything that comes with addiction, it becomes impossible to ignore the truth: this is life or death.

Sometimes I wonder if people have to stand at death’s door before they finally understand what addiction can take from them. But I’m still here. And while I’m here, there is still a chance to choose life with God and those who love me!