Broken Heart
I was never concerned about my health growing up. I rarely even caught a cold, so I never paid much attention to the nagging warnings of my mother, "You better take care of yourself; Billy you only have one body." I thought I was invincible. Even after my mother had a heart attack, I was obviously very worried about the health of her heart, but it never entered my mind that I needed to worry about the health of my own, as well. A near death experience is exactly the kind of thing that changes a person forever and suddenly reminds one of their own mortality. What I believed was important in my life was drastically altered. The first time my heart went into Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia (PAT), I was thirty-three years old. I was at Sparkles Roller Skating Rink for my oldest daughter Kristen's sixth birthday party, and having a wonderful time celebrating with my family and neighbors. I roller-skated, gliding along to the beat of the obnoxiously loud music with a daughter on each arm. Then it was time for pizza, cake, and presents. I was so excited to give Kristen the birthday present her mother and I had bought, a Barbie Dream House. I video-taped the entire party so I could always revisit the moment Kriste
The doctors began to run several tests and blood work. The doctor determined it was not damage to my heart caused by an infection, but misfiring cells that caused my heart to beat irregularly. Later that night brought the most terrifying experience. My heart rate had still not slowed at all. I walked out the door heading toward the car when Kristen said, "Race us daddy!" I quickly took off running pretending that I was going to win, but knowing really that I would let my daughters beat me. My wife was informed of this, but I was not. " Unfortunately, all efforts had failed; my heart was still beating out of control. Now my mother's nagging warnings are no longer simple cues, but words filled with wisdom. They would soon become a part of my everyday life. All I wanted to do was leave the hospital and hug my family. We phoned a neighbor, who graciously drove me there. Before I knew what was happening, the medication was being injected into my IV line. I heard the faint, muffled voice of the doctor saying, "It's okay; you're over it now. Along with the entourage came the crash cart. I was going to have to learn words like Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia, cardizem, and cholesterol.
Common topics in this essay:
Joseph's Hospital,
Broken Heart,
Kristen Race,
Atrial Tachycardia,
Skating Rink,
Dream House,
Tachycardia PAT,
normal rate,
Paroxysmal Atrial,
paroxysmal atrial tachycardia,
heart beat,
heart rate,
dream house,
heart catheters,
atrial tachycardia,
paroxysmal atrial,
health heart,
misfiring cells,
nagging warnings,
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