I'm a proud mother of a heart warrior, my daughter Addison. When I was six months pregnant with Addison, my obstetrician discovered an abnormal heart rhythm in utero, with a doppler. She sent me to specialists at Christ and Children's Hospital for the rest of my pregnancy to monitor this arrythmia and perform ultrasounds. It was determined that she had frequent PAC's (Premature Atrial Contractions) and once she was born her heart rhythm would hopefully return to normal.
A C-section was scheduled a week before my due date so her heart would not be stressed during a natural birth. When Addison was delivered at Mercy Fairfield an EKG was done right away and was abnormal. Her heart rate was in the mid 200's and she was given medication to help slow her heart rate but that did not work. Within an hour Addison was transported to Children's Hospital by their critical care unit, where the cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr. Timothy Knilans, took over her care. He attempted a cardioversion on her twice, but both were unsuccessful. She was diagnosed with SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) and WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome) and started on the medication Sotalol twice a day to slow her heart rate. She spent a week at Children's Hospital, half in the Cardiac ICU and half on the heart telemetry floor, being closely monitored and administered medication.
She continued to see Dr. Knilans and took Sotalol twice a day for six years. On September 18, 2014 at the age of six Addison had an SVT and WPW ablation performed to treat the abnormal electrical pathway. The procedure lasted four hours and was a success! After one year from her ablation, with no medication taken or abnormal heart rhythms Dr. Knilans released her from his care.
Since her release from Dr. Knilans she has been healthy, thriving as a senior in high school, and looking forward to continuing her education in the medical field. She has continued to have a relationship with Dr. Knilans which has helped her look into the medical field.
I also support the American Heart Association for all the patients I see who come through the cardiac cath lab. As well as my dad, Pete Wilson, who recently had triple bypass surgery with an a fib clip and valve repairment.
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