Ruby Grohoski - Invasive Aspergillosis following a heart transplant

 Hi, I have severe invasive Aspergillosis, which I contracted 6 month after my Heart transplant. It was found by my retinal specialist due to it broke off into my blood stream and went to my right eye. I had never heard of this condition before and I really had my heart doctors scrambling to figure out what was going on. After a second attempt cardiac MRI with contrast they saw a mass growing on my heart wall and infected pus and blood surrounding my heart. I then went to have a cardiac vacuum procedure to try and remove the mass . They were able to remove a lot but the contrast was shutting down my kidneys and in the attempt to remove the growth I went into shock and they stopped the procedure. I was on a ventilator for almost 2 weeks and then I had pneumonia so that was a complication in getting me off of it. I pulled through had dialysis to bring back my kidneys and had to go to rehab to learn to walk again while sporting a dobutamine drip to help my heart become stronger. I ended up going with the drip to try to wean off. I was in the hospital for about 3 months but went back for fluid build up and they did another cardiac vacuum procedure and this was successful in getting the growth with only a stalk remaining, which was taken out by the antifungal voriconazole. I was on voriconazole for 6 months and then I was switched to Cresemba, which I will take for life along with my anti rejection medication and other medications. Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions about my story please message me. Ruby