Back in February of this year, I had quite a scare. I wanted to share with you all to continue to increase awareness. On January 31st, I went to CareNow Urgent Care and they said I had the flu. They sent me home with a prescription for Allegra D and Tamiflu.
On February 1st late in the afternoon, I got extremely dizzy. No problem, I’ll just go sit down and it will go away. I then started getting short of breath and couldn’t figure out why. I took out my KardiaMobile card I carry with me in my wallet and tested my heart rate because at this time I could feel my heart beating very fast. It was 189. Knowing what I know about the signs that something could be wrong with my heart, I “should have” called 911. Not thinking clearly, I called a very dear friend and told her what was going on - she said call 911! Then the panic set in because I had confirmation from someone I trusted, and she was telling me it was time to do that. I called the ambulance, and they took me to one of our HCA hospitals. Yes, I was in AFIB. By the time they gave me fluids everything seemed to calm down, but they did several tests to make sure my heart was okay. EKG, Ultrasound, etc. By midnight, I was okay to be released, and my sweet neighbors were there to take me home.
The next evening around the exact same time, it happened again and this time it was worse. Heart Rate was 198. I immediately called 911 and the ambulance took me to a closer HCA hospital because going to the first one I chose the night before would have been too far. Nothing scarier when they bolt out of you complex with the sirens on. Yes, I was in AFIB again. More extensive tests were run this time, and I was kept in the ER overnight. After speaking with the cardiologist, I was released late in the afternoon the next day. Very grateful for my two dear friends that stayed with me that day. He said there was no doubt both nights I came in with AFIB, but that I didn’t have AFIB. He said he believed it was the perfect storm of having the flu, being dehydrated and taking decongestant that caused my heart rate to increase. He said it sounded more like PAC. Premature Atrial Contractions – extra heartbeats that begin in one of your heart’s two upper chambers (atria). The extra heartbeats disrupt your regular heart rhythm.
Since the issues above, and after having a stress test and calcium test (check for plaque in your arteries), all results have come back perfectly normal. Nothing is wrong with my heart – Praise God! Next steps, meet with a cardiologist again in year just for a check-up.
What I’ve learned through this process ...
- Accept the love, kindness and help of those around you!! It’s hard for me to do this sometimes, but I know I could not have gotten through this if it wasn’t for my family, my very close friends and my HCA Family. I tear up as I write this last part, because I could never repay everyone back for what they did for me during this time. With love and a grateful heart -THANK YOU to each one of them!
- Know what is going on in your body and trust your instincts!
- Do not be afraid to call 911 because you think this can’t be happening to me.
Wishing everyone a healthy day!
