Hello All,
September 3, 2019 is a day I will never forget! My cat Emmett was scratching my bed for me to feed him. Scratching always gets my attention because claws, as you know, damage things! It was 5:30 am and a bit too early for my liking, thank you. So what did I do? I swatted at him with my left arm of course! Who would have known that this action would cause the beginning of palpitations. Very, very fast palpitations…
It was also the first day of school and I had to run some errands before waking up the kids. Not the best timing! At first the palpitations were manageable. I had flutters in the past so I tried to ignore the thumping in my chest. My heart on the other hand did not appreciate being ignored! It felt like it was auditioning for a role in Drumline! Any movement made it 1000% worse. I started feeling dizzy and out of breath. But there was NO WAY the kids were going to be late for first day of school.
I calmly got them in the car and drove off… Oh, geez… Where are their water bottles? M.I.A.! I made a quick pit-stop to a grocery store and rushed my way inside. Bad decision! I was so out of breath and dizzy that I almost passed out in the store! I somehow kept going, picked up the water, and walked back to the car with 24 plastic water bottles. I had to catch my breath for 5 minutes after that stunt just to be able to start driving again. Finally, we made it to school! I wished the kids a wonderful day and told them not to worry… I was going to be fine!
Now.. To go or not to go to the hospital, that is the question!!? Yes? No! My gut and heart are screaming YES! So, I listened to the beat of the drums and headed the hospital at 8:30 am, in traffic… ALONE! Was I really alone? Of course not! I had 22 unopened bottles of water in the car!
While sipping some water, I did the thing that came naturally to me… I prayed to God for help! I do talk regularly to God and Angels. On the drive I asked Him to please guide me safely to the hospital and to comfort my kids. I may have tried to tell Him a few jokes too.. Despite the pressure rising in my chest, I felt calm. Soon enough, I had arrived, parked the car, walked gingerly into the ER clutching my chest, and took a number for triage…
It was now around 9:30 am when my number was called to see the triage nurse… “Why are you here today?”, she asked. “Severe palpitations”, I replied. “I cannot find your pulse”, she advised. “My heart is beating out of my chest!”, I exclaimed. So with that last comment, she hooked me up to a portable ECG machine. Suddenly, the nurse made a call and I was swiftly wheeled from triage into a crash room!
I knew my palpitations were fast, but I did not how fast… Within a matter of minutes I had drawn a crowd of over a dozen ER staff not including those working on me! What was so exciting? Well my heart rate was 270 BPM! They tried various methods to attempt to slow it down but nothing worked. In the end they ZAPPED me! It’s actually called a cardioversion but it felt like a bolt of electricity to my chest! Not that I’ve ever been struck by lightening or anything… But that did the trick!
What caused this crazy heart rate? An atrial flutter with a 1:1 conduction. Apparently I was born with an additional circuit. Who knew? The cardiologist on call requested that I have a cardiac ablation procedure. This is where they burn several spots in your heart to prevent a flutter from reoccurring. So after three days in a Cardiac ICU unit, the procedure successfully completed, I was sent home to rest and recuperate.
While my kids were in school, I had time to reflect on what had just happened to me. My son called me a Superhero for surviving this ordeal. The Cardiac Electrophysiologist who performed the procedure called me “Impressive!” for driving to the hospital in my condition. My mother said it was miracle that I survived and safely made it to the hospital. Why did I survive? What can I learn from this experience?
I realized that God has plan for me! Having my heart shocked with electricity was a call to action. I may not know exactly what I am supposed to do yet, but I know that being Lit Up is at the root of it! Within two weeks of the event, I felt an overwhelming desire to share my life experiences, inspired ideas, and sense of humour with others. So I looked up domain names and lo and behold, Lit With Joy was born! A sunny and hopeful name that describes the blessings of being alive. My goal is to hopefully help you find your own light, ignite your fire, and sparkle like a firework!
Thank you for reading my story! I hope it makes you feel Lit With Joy! 🔥
Joyce