Amy

Amy has had problems for a long time with her hands shaking. She showed it to a doctor years ago when she was a teenager and he told her she had a little palsy and let it go at that. Wrong! She could have died! About a year ago she started having pretty serious symptoms where she was fainting.

A different doctor diagnosed her with (and I'm going to mess this up because I don't know how to spell any of it.) Neuro, cardio, geno, syncope. Okay that is all spelled phonetically. Neuro is for neurological. Cardio is for heart. You figured that one out, I'll bet. Sorry, I can't tell you what geno is, but syncopy means fainting.

Well, she was misdiagnosed and the problem was getting more serious. We have found out since then that she had had 4 strokes!

She was finally diagnosed properly by a heart specialist in Salt Lake City, who she was referred to by a cousin who had the exact symptoms, but she had a hole in her heart. Well, so did Amy!

The doctor said the hole was 11 miligrams. I think that's right. I'll have to ask Amy for sure. I don't even know what that amounts to, but it was large hole.

They did the bubble test on her and the doctor was showing people in the office the size of the bubbles that was coming from her heart. She had bubbles going into her brain.

She had an operation where they put a stint in her heart, by going up through a vein in her leg.

She came through the operation well, and is recovering very well. I know she is weak compared to her normal health and I wish I could give her the help I know she needs. I have been too sick to be of any help, and I'm glad that her mom and mother-in-law, and husband have been there to help her. That was done within the first three days though, and I know she still needs help.

We are very grateful that this problem has been taken care of!