{"id":938192,"date":"2026-05-05T00:36:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/938192\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T00:36:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:36:22","slug":"at-23-my-shortness-of-breath-and-a-swollen-abdomen-were-diagnosed-as-gallbladder-issues-they-were-actually-signs-of-end-stage-heart-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/938192\/","title":{"rendered":"At 23, my shortness of breath and a swollen abdomen were diagnosed as gallbladder issues. They were actually signs of end-stage heart failure"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of 2020, Jenny Milne was a healthy and active 23-year-old. However, she started to feel severe pain in her abdomen and realized it was quite distended. She went to her local hospital, about an hour and a half outside of Vancouver, in Chilliwack, B.C., where doctors noted she had free fluid in her abdomen, while her blood work showed a high elevation of white blood cells.<\/p>\n

She was also diagnosed with a non-functioning gallbladder \u2014 and she’d go four months with that misdiagnosis.<\/p>\n

“Nobody thought \u2014 especially at 23-years-old in the middle of a global pandemic \u2014 to check my heart,” Milne said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. “It just made the most sense that my gallbladder wasn’t working.”<\/p>\n

In reality, Milne was experiencing end-stage heart failure. She had restrictive cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition in which ventricle walls become rigid and proper blood flow is restricted. Her illness presented as retaining fluid in the abdomen and lungs, rather than in the legs, a typical sign of heart failure.<\/p>\n

“I wasn’t presenting with the typical heart failure symptoms,” she said.<\/p>\n

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.<\/p>\n

How she received her diagnosis<\/p>\n

As she prepared for surgery to remove her gallbladder, she mentioned to the general surgeon that she wasn’t sure an anesthesiologist would be able to put her under. She’d been noticing her asthma, which she had since childhood, was getting a lot worse.<\/p>\n

Typically, her asthma symptoms presented while exercising and when she had a cold. However, her inhalers were no longer helping.<\/p>\n

\"Today,<\/p>\n

Today, the 29-year-old is raising awareness about heart failure among young people. (Image courtesy of Milne)<\/p>\n

(Jenny Milne)<\/p>\n

In February 2021, she visited her general practitioner’s office to get her shortness of breath under control before having her gallbladder removed. Prior to the visit, she researched what other condition she could be experiencing, and search results suggested the possibility of a heart issue.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong>: I was diagnosed with heart failure days before my 29th birthday. Warning signs and symptoms every Canadian should know<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“I know you’re not supposed to use Doctor Google,” she reflected. “But I’m 23 years old, and I don’t know what that could mean.”<\/p>\n

Her health-care provider happened to have a passion for cardiology, and she was given a 24-hour heart monitor to track her heart rate and blood pressure. Her heart rate never went below 150 beats per minute, which is significantly higher than the normal range of 60 to 100 beats per minute.<\/p>\n

“I was basically running a marathon,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I was very grateful that once we figured out it was my heart, internal medicine got a hold of my case within my local hospital and quickly realized that I was not a typical textbook case,” she continued. “I was going to be needing a cardiologist with a higher calibre of expertise.”<\/p>\n

On Feb. 24, 2021, Milne was officially diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. Her heart was enlarged and two valves were leaking, but the full picture was still emerging.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

What began as abdominal swelling and shortness of breath led to a life-changing diagnosis for Milne. (Image courtesy of Milne)<\/p>\n

(Jenny Milne)Not just an ‘older person’s disease’<\/p>\n

Today, the 29-year-old is raising awareness for Heart Failure Awareness Week<\/a>, which runs from May 3 to 9. This year, the Canadian Heart Failure Society issued a joint call to action <\/a>with the Canadian Cardiovascular Society to support young Canadians living with heart failure and raise awareness that it’s not just an “older person’s disease.”<\/p>\n

That’s a view that’s been common among many people, according to the president of the Canadian Heart Failure Society, Dr. Margot Davis. While older people are typically the most common ones to face heart failure, cases among younger Canadians is trending upward compared to recent decades. On the other hand, rates in older patients are stabilizing or even improving.<\/p>\n

In estimates from 2023 to 2024 alone, more than 5,000 Canadians aged 40 to 49 were newly diagnosed with heart failure, according to Heart and Stroke’s Analysis of Data from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System.<\/p>\n

In fact, the number of younger people being diagnosed with heart failure in Canada is on the rise: Hospitalizations for heart failure among adults aged 20 to 39 have risen by 55 per cent for men and 25 per cent for women between 2007 to 2016.<\/p>\n

That makes heart failure one of the fastest-growing cardiovascular conditions in Canada. Part of this shift is tied to rising rates of risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity in younger populations.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/strong>21-year-old’s heart was ‘the size of a football’ when she was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. Warning signs and symptoms she wants you to know about<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Coronavirus<\/p>\n

The most common symptoms of heart failure typically remain the same across age groups. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Maridav via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The common symptoms of heart failure \u2014 shortness of breath, unusual fatigue and swelling in the ankles or abdomen \u2014 remain largely the same across age groups. The challenge is that younger people may not recognize the signs as serious until the condition has progressed.<\/p>\n

“Younger patients are often otherwise healthier and their bodies are often better able to withstand the stresses of heart failure,” Dr. Davis said. “So they may get quite far along in the disease process before they require medical attention.”<\/p>\n

For example, in advanced cases, some patients may experience difficulty breathing while at rest or when lying down.<\/p>\n

That’s why Canadians of all ages should be aware of the signs and symptoms of heart failure.<\/p>\n

“We also want to raise awareness in the medical community that heart failure is a disease of younger patients as well as older patients,” Dr. Davis said. “So that when these patients are going to see their family doctors, complaining of shortness of breath, that they’re not just being told they have asthma or a viral lung infection.”<\/p>\n

From a pulmonary embolism to ‘thriving with heart disease’<\/p>\n

After Milne’s initial diagnosis, she was admitted for 24 hours to undergo tests and discharged with instructions to return if her symptoms worsened. Within a week, she was back in the emergency room with bilateral palpitations after feeling chest pains getting ready for bed one night.<\/p>\n

“My chest was killing me,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"Milne's<\/p>\n

Milne’s heart failure was put into remission after a mitral valve replacement surgery in 2022. (Image courtesy of Jenny Milne)<\/p>\n

(Jenny Milne)<\/p>\n

She was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism<\/a>. Further imaging revealed a small embolism in her heart. The clot in her lungs eventually resolved as fluid levels improved, but the one in her heart remains embedded in the tissue.<\/p>\n

“There’s no risk of stroke or anything, as I’m on blood thinners, but that one’s still hanging out,” she said.<\/p>\n

Then, on March 1, 2022, Milne underwent mitral valve replacement surgery at age 24.<\/p>\n

“That put my heart failure into remission,” she said.<\/p>\n

Today, Milne noted she’s “thriving with heart disease.”<\/p>\n

During her journey, she found valuable peer-to-peer support within the heart failure community, and now she is the community engagement manager of HeartLife Foundation<\/a>, a patient-led charity that empowers people living with heart disease.<\/p>\n

Her advocacy work focuses on early detection and raising awareness.<\/p>\n

“It’s not just an old white man’s disease,” Milne said. “Heart failure can affect anybody at any age. I’ve had friends who were diagnosed at 19 years old, all the way up to in their 70s.”<\/p>\n

Though her life looks different from before her diagnosis, she’s able to live pretty normally while managing ongoing fatigue, getting a good night’s sleep and monitoring her activity levels.<\/p>\n

“I have learned to cope, and I make sure that my battery is always charged.”<\/p>\n

Let us know what you think by <\/strong>emailing us<\/strong><\/a> or threading us <\/strong>@yahoocanada<\/strong><\/a>. Follow us on <\/strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>WhatsApp<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n