Symptoms and Triggers #Meg'sLongQTJourney

This is the next installment of my Meg's Long QT Journey Series. To follow will be the symptoms and symptoms associated with Long QT Syndrome. To read from the beginning, click the links below:

1. The First Seizure
2. The Second Seizure
3. The Third Seizure
4. Getting the Diagnosis
5. What is Long QT?
6. Types and Genetics

Symptoms:

• Fainting
• Seizures
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest

These are the only and main symptoms of long qt syndrome. They can occur with very little to no warning; they can be brought on suddenly.

Long QT Faint vs Vanilla or Common Faint vs Other Faints

Long QT Faint:

• a sudden drop or loss of consciousness 
• the actual faint occurs in mere seconds
• little to no warning that a faint will happen - won't last more than a second or two

Vanilla (or Common) Faint:

• presents with warning signs
• takes longer to actually lose consciousness

Vasovagal syncope is the most common cause of fainting. It occurs when there's a sudden drop in heart rate or blood pressure. It can be caused from: standing too long, being in an overcrowded environment, being overheated, dehydration, fatigue, stress, the sight of blood, etc. Symptoms usually involve dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling nauseous, blurry vision, paleness, and sweating.

And then there's POTS, which is also known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. A faint from this occurs from a lack of blood flow when a person goes from a reclining position to an upright or standing position too fast. It produces a rapid heartbeat and lightheadedness that can cause a person to faint. There are other symptoms of this, but I only wanted to mention the most common ones.

Seizures

There are multiple reasons for seizures to occur: epilepsy, head injury/trauma, brain tumor, and for the sake of this, long qt syndrome.

A seizure happens when there is a lack of blood flow to the brain.

Long QT vs Epilepsy

When someone has a seizure, one word comes in mind: epilepsy. While epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures, it is not the only reason for seizures to occur, as I mentioned above. However, Long QT patients can often get misdiagnosed with epilepsy for this very reason. I had three tonic- clonic seizures, also known as grand mal. For me, I felt normal after coming around (the seizures lasted a few minutes and it took a few minutes for me to come to fully - I believe they would last 5-7 minutes) except for being fatigued. By the next day, I was fine in that regard.

Since fainting and seizures can occur from a number of things, it is crucial to get a thorough evaluation if you experience either a faint or a sudden onset of a seizure. When I was going through my seizures, the possibility of epilepsy came up after all three, more so after my second one. If it wasn't for my pediatric cardiologist after my third one, I could have been diagnosed with epilepsy myself.

Cardiac Arrest vs Heart Attack

The last symptom I'm going to mention is cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest often gets mistaken for a heart attack, but there are difference between the two.

Cardiac Arrest:

• electrical problem
• occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly
• Cardiac arrest is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat. With its pumping acting disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the brains, lungs, and other organs.
• Seconds later, a person becomes unresponsive, is not breathing, or is only gasping. Death occurs within minutes if not treated.
• It can be reversible if treatment is started within minutes. Proper treatment is CPR and the use of an AED, automatic external defibrillator. 
• In some rare occurrences, the heart will return to its normal rhythm without intervention.

Heart Attack:

• circulation problem
• occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked
• A blocked artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching a section of the heart. If the blocked artery is not reopened quickly, the part of the heart normally nourished by that artery begins to die.
• Symptoms of a heart attack may be immediate, but more often symptoms start slowly and can persist for hours, days, or weeks before a heart attack. 
• Unlike with cardiac arrest, the heart usually does not stop beating during a heart attack. 
• Symptoms can be different for men and women and they include: chest pain or discomfort; shortness of breath; cold sweats; nausea/vomiting; back or jaw pain; or pain radiating down the arm, in particular the left arm, but can be either side.
• The longer the person goes without treatment, the greater the damage.

Most heart attacks do not lead to cardiac arrest. But when cardiac arrest occurs, heart attack is often the common cause. Other conditions may also disrupt the heart's rhythm and lead to cardiac arrest.

Credits:

https://cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/AboutCPRFirstAid/CardiacArrestvsHeartAttack/UCM_473213_Cardiac-Arrest-vs-Heart-Attack.jsp cardiac arrest vs heart attack

Triggers

In a previous post, I mentioned that there are three common types of Long QT Syndrome. I believe the triggers that will be brought up can be for any of the types. The triggers can cause irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias that result in the symptoms of Long QT

Long QT 1

• physical exercise, particularly swimming
• emotional stress
• torsades de pointes, a fast heart rhythm caused by the ventricles, occurs more often in type 1
• Patients with type 1 may have more arrhythmias that can cause symptoms, but the episodes usually stop on their own.
• the symptoms/episodes are less likely to be fatal

Long QT 2

• startle or surprise
• sudden loud noises such as an alarm clock, car horns, a doorbell, or a siren
• emotional stress

Long QT 3

• rest
• during sleep
• arousal from sleep
• Type 3 is often association with having bradycardia, or a slow heart rate, which cause the arrhythmia and symptoms to occur.
• Patients with type 3 have fewer episodes of arrhythmia.
• Symptoms/episodes are more likely to be fatal.

While type 3 can be more fatal and type 1 less fatal, all three of these types and the other genetic types can have sudden cardiac arrest and can be fatal. While not all triggers may be known, they share common ones. For instance, type 5 triggers are similar to that of type 1.

Triggers can overlap. For instance, someone with type 3 can experience symptoms during sleep and with startles. Likewise, someone with type 1 may experience symptoms from exercise and startles as well.

More information will be provided in later posts on how all this effects lifestyle, especially when it comes to sports and exercise. After all, it is still important to stay fit and healthy despite having a heart condition.

~Meg~

Types and Genetics of Long QT #Meg'sLongQTJourney

There are several classifications when it comes to the types of Long QT Syndrome.

First, there are two main forms of Long QT:

1. Inherited
2. Acquired

It's self-explanatory, but the inherited form is genetic related and the acquired form is caused by other reasons, in particular medications that prolong the QT interval.

There are two forms of inherited long QT:

1. Romano Ward Syndrome
2. Jervell and Lange-Nielsen

The main difference is that Romano Ward is the genetic version not associated with deafness, while Jervell and Lange-Neilsen is associated with profound hearing loss/deafness from birth. JLN is still genetic and this is common if you happen to inherit genetic variants from both parents.

One Step Further:

As of this writing, there are, I believe, 15 genetic types of Long QT. It is known that more genetic variants have yet to be discovered. I won't get into all the specifics of the gene variants on here, as it's beyond my expertise.

Some general information:

• The most common gene variants are Long QT 1, 2, and 3. 
• Since they are the most common, the most research has been done on these three genes and more is known about these three genes than the other 12. 
• The others are more rare and some of the latter ones have only recently been discovered. 
• It is known that Long QT 5 is somewhat similar to type 1. 
• Long QT 8 is also known as Timothy Syndrome. 
• Timothy Syndrome is a type of long qt that includes other symptoms such as syndactyly (webbed fingers and/or toes) and developmental delays.
• There's a 50/50 percent chance of passing the gene to your children.
• A spontaneous mutation occurs if you are the first person in your family to have a long qt gene.

In Long QT, there are certain triggers/causes for symptoms to occur for each type. However, the triggers can also overlap. I will be going over this in my next post when I will be writing about the symptoms of Long QT.

If you're interested in reading my previous posts in Long QT Journey series, the links are below:
1. The First Seizure
2. Second Seizure
3. The Third Seizure
4. Getting a Diagnosis
5. Long QT Syndrome Explained

~Meg~

What is Long Qt Syndrome? #Meg'sLongQTJourney

I'm bringing Meg's Long QT Journey back starting now. The plan is to post two to three times a week until I'm finished the series and I will let you know when that is at that time.

If you missed the first four posts that I originally did or to refresh your mind, you can read them here:
First Seizure
Second Seizure
Third Seizure and Diagnosis Part 1
Third Seizure and Diagnosis Part 2

Now it's time for what exactly is Long QT Syndrome. But, first, let's talk about how a normal heart works.

How a Normal Heart Works:

To understand long qt syndrome, it helps to know about your heart and how it works. The heart is a muscle and to pump blood to your body, the heart normally beats about 60-100 times a minute. It usually is faster in infants and children.

The heart has four chambers. The upper chambers, called atria, receive blood from your body and lungs. The lower chambers, called ventricles, pump blood out of the heart.

To pump blood well, the heart's chambers must work together to contract and relax at the right rate. Electrical signals that move through your heart control these actions.

The signals start in your sinus node. This is a group of cells in the right atrium. The signals move through the atrium to the atrioventricular node. When they pass through this node, they make your ventricles contract. This is called depolarization.

Your heart's electrical system recharges after each heartbeat. This is called repolarization. The heart relaxes so it can fill with blood and get ready for the next beat. Long QT Syndrome affects this process.

What is Long QT Syndrome?

Long QT Syndrome is a condition that affects your heart's electrical system. If you have LQTS, your heart works correctly as a muscle and a pump. However, your heart either takes too long to recharge between beats or it recharges in a disordered way. As a result, you could develop an abnormal heart rhythm.

An EKG records your heart's electrical activity as waves. These waves are named with the letters P, Q, R, S, and T. The waves Q through T show electrical activity in your ventricles.

The space between the start of the Q wave and the end of the T wave is called the QT interval. It measures how long your heart takes to contract and then fill with blood before the next heartbeat. 

The EKG shows whether your QT interval happens in a normal amount of time. If it takes longer than normal, it is called a prolonged QT interval. 

Overview:

Basically, Long QT Syndrome can be considered to be a type of arrhythmia, a heart rhythm condition that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. They can lead to the symptoms of long qt obviously, but I will get into the symptoms in a later post.

Credit and Links

All the above information about the heart works and the explanation of Long QT Syndrome gets credited to Mayo Clinic. They are one of the leading foundations for research and education of Long QT Syndrome in the United States.

~Meg~

My Long Qt-Versary

Yesterday marked 17 years since I was officially diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome, which means I was diagnosed on May 15, 2001. Some people may ask why I choose to celebrate this day? And the answer is simple: I celebrate because it was a life changing moment in my life. It has defined the rest of my life, although I do my best to not let it control me. After all, I'm normal in every single way, except for this one thing. I had to change a few aspects, but other than that, I'm fine.

It also means that I've been taking my beta blocker medication for 17 years as well. I'm on Nadolol and at times, it wasn't easy. I was only 14 years old when I started taking it. It left me really fatigued for several weeks and getting back to an exercise routine (with only activities that my cardiologist cleared me for) was nearly impossible. I've been through a couple dosage changes. The first one didn't effect me too much as it went only from 10mg twice a day to 20mg twice a day and it was within a year I believe of my diagnosis. It was meant to help me with my migraines at the time, but that's not part of my Long QT story. In 2009, my dosage went from the 20mg twice day to 40mg twice a day, which is where it currently is to this day. It went up then because I got too used to the old amount. That was definitely the worst I have ever felt while my body adjusted to the new amount, but I managed to get through it slowly but surely. I will elaborate on all of this as I'm bringing back my Long QT series soon. I had started it last year, but circumstances have prevented me from continuing it. I'll post my links to my story and how I got to the diagnosis at the end.

While dealing and managing side effects hasn't always been easy, I feel like it's nothing compared to the fact that I haven't had a major symptom of Long QT in these 17 years as well (my last seizure was in February 2001, only a couple months before getting diagnosis). I have had some minor issues so I can't complain. It does help that Nadolol is the preferred and best treatment in managing Long QT Syndrome. Click here for a recent article discussing this issue. This does not mean that everyone tolerates it as well as I have. 

Since the Nadolol has worked so well with me, I wanted to take the time to note the importance of taking medication as recommended. Yesterday, in one of my support groups, someone named Ellie posted the following about her daughter: 

This past Sunday, my daughter-Taylor came face to face with the ugly truth of SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome)- LQTS Type 2. In 2012, our entire family was genetically tested for LQTS. We tested positive for the HERG gene a rare mutation which puts us at risk for sudden death. At the time of diagnosis, Taylor had not had any warning signs or symptoms typical of LQTS Type 2. Her recorded QT on EKGs at that time was 460. The EP and cardiologists that were on our family's case felt that treatment with a daily beta blocker would be appropriate for Taylor.  Taylor began beta blockers but struggled with the side affects. She decided on her own that she would stop the betas.

Fast forward to this past Sunday, I can say we are so lucky to have her with us today! She survived a sudden cardiac arrest Sunday evening. Her roommate found her unconscious, blue, and not breathing- He was quick enough to act and immediately called 911- by the time the first responders arrived her heart had naturally and slowly began to revert back to its natural rhythms- and CPR was not necessary by the time the paramedics arrived. She was transported via ambulance to the local hospital and admitted.

Upon arrival a 12 lead EKG revealed her QT was 525. She has been seen by both cardiologist and the EP and all appropriate tests have been run. She is scheduled for placement of an AICD this afternoon at 4pm.

Taylor's birthday is on the 16th- 26 years old on Wednesday! As her mother- I am so thankful she is here with us and relieved the cardiologists are being assertive and pro active with their treatment and the decision to move forward with and AICD placement. We will be celebrating way more than just a birthday this year!!!!

Taylor is a healthy very active and social, young adult. She had created the perfect combination of circumstances to lower her QT threshold which put her at a very dangerous high risk for the SCA to occur. She is an active water girl and had spent the weekend at the lake- water sports, lots of sun, alcohol consumption, energy drinks, little sleep...and dehydration were all part of the picture. I share this here in hopes to raise awareness of the dangers and warning signs of this rare genetic disease.

We were given permission to share, but I changed some names/places for privacy. I bear no judgement on her daughter's decision to not take the medication, but I'm putting this out there to know the risks involved. The problem with Long QT syndrome is that it can be unpredictable and events can happen at any given time, even if you haven't had a symptom in years. The purpose of betas and other treatments is to prevent events from happening, but it doesn't necessarily mean another event won't occur. That's one of my biggest fears - that I'll have another seizure or symptom at some point in my life even though the Nadolol has done its job for 17 years. It's the scary part of Long QT Syndrome and it doesn't come with any warning - the symptoms happen suddenly with little to no warning.

As I celebrate this day, here's to 17 more years symptom free.

Links:
My Journey that led to Long QT Syndrome:
My First Seizure
The Second Seizure
My Third Seizure Part 1
My Third Seizure Part 2 and Diagnosis

For more information:
Risk Estimate, Best Treatment in Long QT (I linked to this in a paragraph above as well)
Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation

~Meg~

The Third Seizure Part 2 and Diagnosis #Meg's Long QT Journey

I ended the last post stating that long qt syndrome was a possible diagnosis. Here's the rest of how that became official.

Getting a second opinion meant going through another round of tests for both cardiology and neurology. On one side, my cardiologist needed to make sure it was long qt and not anything else heart related. At the same time, my neurologist still had to rule out epilepsy and anything else brain related. Most of the tests were what I had before: EKGs, echo cardiogram, EEG, a sleep deprived EEG, stress test, and an hour long MRI of my brain. Not that it matters (and this won't be in the published book form of my story), I had the MRI on my 14th birthday. The results pointed to the long qt and proved that I didn't have epilepsy.

That would've been great, if only my doctors could agree on a diagnosis. My cardiologist wanted to diagnose me with long qt, but he couldn't until my neurologist ruled out anything brain related. Even though I was cleared from having epilepsy, my neurologist wasn't satisfied and wasn't going to be satisfied until she could come up with some way to diagnose me with it. No lie, it's what she actually told us. All of the tests were done in March and April. May came around and we were still waiting on an official diagnosis. On May 14, my neurologist wanted to do another test: a 24 hour in-hospital EEG. That was my first ever night I spent in the hospital - hooked up with wires connected to my head with a monitor watching my every move at the bottom of the bed. It would've been okay if I had actually needed it done. It was all worth it because when I got discharged the following evening, I had what I needed: answers.

May 15, 2001 was the day I officially got diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome. It was, once again, a bittersweet moment. I was relieved that I finally had an answer after a two year battle that included having three seizures and what seemed like, endless tests. However, it became real. I was beginning to understand what it meant and how it was going to affect the rest of my life, as I was only 14. I was supposed to be looking forward to graduating eighth grade in June and starting high school in a few short months. Instead, I had to accept the fact that I had a heart condition and would have to take medication for the rest of my life despite that I looked and felt perfectly normal.

Coming up next: what exactly is Long QT Syndrome?

❤Meg❤

The Third Seizure Part 1 #Meg's Long QT Journey

I've decided to divide this in two parts. This first part will cover my third seizure and what led to a possible diagnosis. The second part will be the follow up testing and getting answers to a two year battle.

Once again, things went back to normal, well kind of back to normal, for a few months. Anxiety attacks were becoming the norm, however. My third seizure happened on February 23, 2001, a mere seven months after my last one. I was still 13. This is the seizure I remember the least about. My mom and I were at a local pizza store, waiting for our dinner to get done on a Friday night. It was always busy on those nights so we were just standing there, for how long, I cannot remember. I had glanced at the clock and that undescribable feeling came over me. I simply told my mom I wasn't feeling good. I know she asked for one of the workers to help me to the sitting/dining room since the actual seizure hadn't started yet. That's all I remember until I got to the hospital. They did manage to get me there and sit down, but I wasn't acting right and stood up right before the convulsing started. By the time the medics got there, the seizure had stopped, but I was stiff on the left side. The medics attempted and succeeded in walking me to the ambulance and put me on the stretcher, even though I had been dragging my left leg. The medic tried to administer oxygen, but I fought it and wanted nothing to do with it. Since I was still out of it, I was taken to the local hospital as supposed to the children's hospital due to the fact that the other one was closer. Once at the ER, I was placed into a wheelchair and admitted right away. On the way back to the room, I was able to answer basic questions and only got one wrong - questions like where was I, my name, the year, date, etc and at one point I was crying hysterically. I was transferred to the bed and that's when I started to become more aware. I remember resisting a bit when the nurse was trying to put a gown on. Once that was done, I was given oxygen and that's when I started to feel normal. Before the medic left, he stopped in to check on me and it took me a few seconds to realize who he was. I was monitored for a couple hours. My parents were given the option to have me admitted for observation overnight or get discharged. I was discharged with orders to follow up with my doctors.

I believe we first met with my pediatrician. As we were getting frustrated from not getting answers, we made the choice to get a second opinion at a better hospital, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I saw a neurologist first and then the cardiologist. At the first appointment with my new cardiologist, I had an EKG done and based on that and my other records, he gave us a possible answer: long qt syndrome. It was a bittersweet moment. I felt relieved we were finally getting somewhere, but on the other hand, I was scared, based on that I had never heard of the condition before. Looking back, I don't think I really listened as my doctor went on to explain what it was. It may not have been final, but I was just glad that we had something to go with, a piece to a puzzle that had been missing for two years.

I'm going to end this post here as I don't want it to get really long. The second part will be up soon.

#Meg's Long QT Journey: The Second Time's the Charm (Or Not)

The Second Seizure

At the end of my last post, I finished by saying that life returned to normal. And it did for awhile. That all changed sixteen months later on July 8, 2000 when I was13. My family was down the shore for the day. Sometime in the afternoon, we had been watching the rides for a couple before we turned around to continue on our way. As soon as we had turned around, I felt a seizure coming on. You may be thinking how did you know that? With each of my seizures, I experienced this feeling that's undescribable (maybe if you're someone who's had seizures, you know what I'm talking about). Anyway, I grabbed my mom's arm and simply said I didn't feel good; I didn't want to fall and hit my head since we were on a boardwalk. We had just passed a bench and she tried to lead me to it. Tried, I say, because I couldn't move. My legs went stuff and yes, I felt it. It was like my brain was telling my body to move, but I just couldn't. Imagine telling yourself to do something and you can't - it was one of the scariest things I have ever been through. I did go into the seizure a few seconds after that, with my parents laying me down and my dad cradling my head. A pier attendant administered oxygen to me until the medics got there. Now, this is where it gets interesting. Obviously, I was taken to the hospital. However, I can remember some things before coming completely to. I was able to feel them rolling the stretcher across the boardwalk (in taking me to the ambulance) and people talking, but it didn't make sense to me. While I was experiencing this, all I saw was white. This sensation didn't last long and then I went back out. I came to sometime in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, which was like twenty minutes away. Once again, I was observed for a couple hours before getting discharged with the orders to follow up with my doctors. This time around, I only had two tests: an ambulatory EEG and a tilt table test. The ambulatory EEG was like a regular one, except that it was done outside the hospital for 24 hours; the two differences are that the wires attached to your head are wrapped in gauze so they don't fall off and attached to a box that had to be plugged into a wall. The purpose of the tilt table test is to recreate an event - to try to make you faint, etc. You're strapped to a table that's then tilted to an upright position (almost as if you're standing but not quite). The first twenty minutes or so is spent to see if something or any symptom will happen on its own. In my case, nothing did. Once back down, I was given a drug to accelerate my heart rate and then it was back to the tilted position. It was supposed to feel as if I had been running. It was much worse. The pounding sensation was the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. It's the same amount of time each round, but within ten minutes, I started to feel lightheaded and like I was going to faint. After a couple minutes, I was told that my blood pressure dropped really low and despite how I was feeling, there was talk about doing it again. It wasn't and once I was free and able to sit up, I was given juice and crackers, which helped me feel better. At the same time, my parents who weren't in the room were told I had had an event. This was a test I don't ever want to experience again. After all was said and done, my family and I still didn't have answers.

It was around this time that I knew something had to be wrong with me; I just didn't know what it was. Seizures are most common in epilepsy and even though I was cleared from having it, I couldn't help but wonder if I had that anyway. I started having trouble with anxiety, but more on that later. At 13, I didn't want to be going through any of this; I just wanted to be a normal teenager. And since I was going through such a hard time, I just wanted and needed answers.

The much needed answers would be coming in a few months. But first, another seizure would occur. I'll be writing about my third seizure in the next post and then finally I will be explaining what long qt syndrome is.

~Meg~

#Meg's Long QT Journey: The First Seizure

When I was 14, I was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome and this is my story. In a later post, I will elaborate on what my heart condition actually is.

Every story has a beginning. It all started on March 10, 1999. It was a Wednesday and I was in school. Not long before lunch, I was in the  language arts class and we were conjugating verbs. Everything was normal until my vision started to get blurry. No big deal as I thought maybe dust or something got on my glasses. It only got worse, though, and I started to worry. Do I say something to the teacher or the kid next to me? The answer would be no only because it felt like I couldn't talk. I probably did feel lightheaded or dizzy, but I can't really remember. The next thing I remember is coming to on a stretcher as the medics were carrying me to the ambulance - I came to on a flight of stairs and knew where I was and everything like that except for what happened. At worst, I thought I had passed out. As you have probably guessed, I was taken to the local children's hospital. The ride was quiet as I didn't know what had happened - my mom was in the back with me which brought me some comfort. Once at the hospital, I got admitted to the ER right away and an IV was started just as a precaution. What followed was several hours of laying there and eventually I went for a CT scan of my head and despite it being loud, I fell asleep. Soon after, I got discharged with no real answers. I was told I had an innocent heart murmur which was nothing to worry about (unrelated to the seizure) and to follow up with cardiology and neurology. I don't remember when I found out that I had a seizure, but I'm guessing it was some time when was I in the ER.
Over the next couple of weeks, I was evaluated by both a cardiologist and a neurologist. I underwent a battery of tests including the following: EKG, EEG, stress test, and an echo cardiogram. After all was said and done, we still didn't know what caused the seizure. It wasn't epilepsy or some other brain issue and no heart problems came up either. This kind of started a back and forth thing between both doctors as when nothing was found cardiology wise, we were told it had to be brain related, and vice-versa.

I was 11 at the time, but turned 12 amidst when I was getting the tests done. Since no explanation was given, my life slowly returned to normal. It was a little scary knowing I had had a seizure, but I ended up thinking that it was just something that would only happen once and that I never would have another seizure. And if I didn't have another one, it was okay that we didn't have an answer. Unfortunately, I would be wrong. But that's for my next post.

~Meg~

My (Meg's) Long QT Journey Introduction

     Everybody has a story. This is mine.

     When I was 14, I was diagnosed with a heart condition known as Long QT Syndrome. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be telling my story, my journey through a tough time in my life. It hasn't always been easy, but I will be also sharing with you how it changed me, how I learned to handle the truth, so to say. By that I mean, learning how to deal with side effects from medication and battling anxiety/depression. Most of all, I will be telling how I stopped letting a heart issue control me. And yes, I will be including what exactly long qt is, the different types of the syndrome, symptoms, and everything else that goes along with having Long QT Syndrome.

    Fifteen years ago this month, my life changed. It has been a lifetime dream of mine to be a writer. It has also been a goal of mine to write a book about my long qt journey since I was a teen. I think it's time to do just that. This series of posts will be giving a peek through what I will be featuring in the book.

   Why 15 years? The truth to that is that it took time to accept having a heart condition, being that I was only a teen and that I would have to live with it for the rest of my life. It wasn't easy having to know that something was wrong with me, but look and be just like everybody else on the outside. It was a time that I felt alone, that no one could or would never know what I was going through. Eventually I found an online support group where I finally felt that I belonged, that I wasn't the only one with Long QT Syndrome. It still gets me emotional at time, but now I am ready to tell my story.

Part 1 of my long qt journey will be published next Monday. I will be posting twice a week throughout this series - probably Monday and Thursday. I encourage anyone who reads this series to share it - I'm doing this for long qt awareness.

♥Meg♥