I Almost Died!

This past year has been a roller coaster ride from the git-go! We are now living in our condo in Ogden, and we have done nothing but work!!!

In fact! I almost died! I'm not kidding! We worked so hard that I was not eating the right foods for me, and in fact, was eating all the foods I'm not supposed to eat, and then to add insult to injury - I was so busy working that I actually forgot to eat. There were days that I probably didn't take in more than 500 calories.

My family has a history of diabetes. I've been watched for it since I was a young adult. I had gestation diabetes while pregnant with 4 kids, but most of time I have hypoglycemia.

Because I was eating the wrong foods my blood sugar shot up to diabetic numbers, and then spiralled down very low, taking my potassium with it, which caused my heart to race.

At 2:30 AM Saturday morning April 21, I awoke with my heart racing and I was terribly swollen in my feet, ankles, hands, and probably everywhere. I did exactly the wrong thing. Being very sick already, and disoriented, I took a water pill. Wrong!!! This just caused my potassium to drop even further.

Mike and I had worked until 12:30 AM when I finally gave it up and went to bed. He had been busy for two days trying to get the entertainment center put together, and said he would stay up a little longer to finish it. I slept until 2:30 when I awoke as I told him that my heart racing.

I've had this problem for 45 years. It is called Arrhythmia. It means fast beating heart, and along with it I have an irregular heart beat. It usually subsides within 15 minutes or so, but this time it wasn't stopping. I used to take Lanoxin (probably not spelled right) but I haven't had those pills for years.

Mike gave me a blessing, and I had already prayed that I would know if I should go to the hospital or not. Within minutes of the blessing we both knew we needed to get there.

They had me stripped and plugged up to every machine possible in no time at all!

I was pricked, poked, and they gave me a shot in the belly that was very painful.

Bottom line: my normal heart rate is 72, and it was beating at 130 and had gone as high as 150 beats per minute. It was beating double of what it should beat. I had the heart beat of a baby!

The beat was irregular, and the doctor said that my potassium levels were dangerously low! The numbers were 3.3 and he indicated that death or coma can occur at 3.5.

If I had gone back to bed after taking that water pill, there is no doubt about it, I would have died. As it were, they fought using medicine for 6 hours to save my life.

My heart finally returned to normal at 8:30 AM. Dr. Garry MacKenzie who will be my cardiologist, gave me a prescription to keep my heart beat regular and normal, and a prescription for potassium that I will have to take the rest of my life.

I expected to return to normal as soon as I got home, but it's now Monday morning and I am still as weak as a new born kitten.

My strength is returning, but slowly.

Mike and I were planning to go to several stores today to pick up things for the house. I don't think there is much chance of that happening.

I have a doctor appointment in an hour to have skin cancer on my nose removed.