I am posting this account of my experience to warn of the hidden dangers of a silent heart problem, in the hope of possibly saving at least one life. There are plenty of TV commercials about blocked arteries and cholesterol, etc., but these were not involved in my situation.
A couple of days ago, I experienced a few dizzy spells as I got up out of a chair, got out of the car or picked up a heavy item. I had to go to the supermarket, and my daughter said that as she needed petrol, she would drive. When we were at the shops, I said I didn't feel real well and she could do the shopping.
When we got home, I carried the groceries into the house. I stepped into the front hallway and turned to close the door. The next thing I remember was lying flat out on the floor. I have no recollection of falling.
When I was able to stand, my daughter drove me straight up to the doctors, where I was placed on the ECG machine. It revealed that my heart rate was dropping to 30 beats per minute. The doctor called an ambulance to take me to hospital, where I was placed on an intravenous drug to regulate my heart beat.
The next morning I was fitted with a heart pacemaker. The condition had nothing to do with the flow of blood, it was an electrical problem. The electrical pulses which cause the heart to beat and pump the blood were not reaching the muscle. The only indication of this is the dizziness when the brain is not receiving sufficient blood.
It came as a complete surprise, because although I have a family history of heart problems, I had felt no ill effects. There was no chest pain or nausea, no pain in the arm and I had not experienced dizzy spells previously.
So, if you feel giddy, woozy, lightheaded, take it seriously, it is your body telling you something is not right. Given different circumstances, for example, if I had driven down the street, if my daughter had not been there to drive me immediately to the doctor, I might not be here now.
Hopefully all will now be well, but I was lucky to get attention in time.
Regards,
Peter.