Leslie collapsed September 20, 2010.  We never really figured out what happened, we just know she was pulseless and not breathing on the scene.  We know she was found to have blood clots in her left leg and her lungs a few days later, after she had been nonresponsive and on the vent.  We know she had a few bouts of an arrhythmia while she was in the ICU.  But that's pretty much the only facts we KNOW.

In January 2011, I started having a lot of chest palpitations,  It would feel like my heart was skipping beats and I would feel light headed and kind of dizzy.  I saw my primary who referred me to a cardiologist, who just happened to be the same cardiologist who saw Leslie.  He did some testing on me, and came to the conclusion that I have nonischemic cardiomyopathy.  He DOES believe my sisters incident and mine are related.  He believes these cardiac issues are genetic.  Our problems are not the same, but we both have heart issues.

I was prescribed 2 drugs to take to help my heart perform more efficiently.  I started taking them and learned very fast that they knocked me out.  They are usually given for hypertension, and I do not have high blood pressure AT ALL.  They also lower your heart rate, and I am ALWAYS told I am bradycardic.  So basically, I am taking meds that make me want to just go into a coma, yet still function.  It sucks and it's hard!

But now lately, the palpitations are back with a vengence.  They are making me feel like I am going to pass out.  I'm scared.  I'm taking my meds just as they are prescribed (and I have for a couple weeks now when it started) ...but did I mention I was scared?  Every time I feel my heart go into this crazy rhythm, I want to take myself to the ER, but they won't be able to do anything.  I don't know.  I am calling the cardiologist tomorrow and hopefully I can get an appointment very, very soon (I was due to see him in September anyways,)