New Ambassador Simon Lynch to Raise Awareness About Heart Conditions
In 2015 after about 6 years of irregular heart patterns on and off I was convinced by my sister (nurse) to get checked out. I was 43 years old and having rapid heartbeats that would take my breath away and I felt like I was about to collapse mainly after exercise. I got in to a specialist and did all the normal tests which came back clear so he scheduled me in for a stress test on the tread mill which is the best way to check what is going on. Well I failed that miserably with my heart rate shooting up over 330 beats per minute! I ended up in CCU for a week for more tests to which they concluded I have a rare heart condition called CPVT. Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) causes an irregular heart rhythm that can be life threatening. It often shows up in childhood, but can show up later in life. The first sign is often fainting or near fainting during exercise or strong emotion.
With this condition I can’t have an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) inserted into my chest due to a study that showed a range of complications specific with CPVT patients so my condition is controlled by medication only. The specialists tell me the medication is only a safety net and I could at any time go into cardiac arrest if I’m not careful which is not a nice thought to live with. Having become an ambassador for Heart Safe Australia and being part of the Heart Safe Vehicle program I have that peace of mind I have a life saving device on hand that could not only save my own life but anyone in the community.
