I was born with heart disease. At the age of 4 I had my first heart surgery - open heart surgery for an ASD repair. I had one hole in my heart that was as big as a 50 cent piece!
Near the age of 40 I had been experiencing dizzy spells, out of body experiences (scary, huh?), felt lethargic. My cardiologist at the time recommended pills. That didn't really work, so I chose to quit seeing him since he wasn't really helping me. Probably not the best thing to do! Luckily I was having a physical exam with a new primary care physician and she was able to quickly detect I was in AFIB and she was able to get it on tape. She made a call and I met with a new cardiologist the next day. After a number of tests, I was referred to a electrophysiologist, and three months later I had a cardiac catheter ablation. That was life changing! I felt better within a week. Two weeks later I was at Disneyland with friends and rode whichever ride I felt like. After years of feeling terrible I finally felt like I was living again!
I don't know if this is the end of my heart disease, but I'm glad to have found a good medical team to help me, should the need arise again.
As we age, it's important to know the risks, for both men and women.
It's time to unite, take action, and save lives. Every dollar donated, means more people trained in lifesaving CPR, more research, education and more lifesaving moments for everyone.
I Walk to Save Lives. Help me reach my goal today!
