Ever since I can remember, I’ve had quite an active little heart. It started when I was about 11 years old or so. My heart would just suddenly blast off racing, sometimes past 300 beats per minute.
Often I would just pass out when this happened, and usually by the time I came too, it had stopped. It’s something that followed me all my life with no one quite knowing why it happened, or what triggered it.
Jumping rope would often trigger it, or doing things too suddenly, sitting down too quick, especially on hot humid days.
Or getting out of a hot shower and bending over grab your slippers, or something that may have fallen on the floor.
Or, perhaps I could be just sitting perfectly still, writing, or thinking and there goes my heart, blasting off in a mad flutter of rapid beats.
It can also be triggered by caffeine, anxiety, being overly tired, alcohol and/or nicotine…especially nicotine products used for quitting smoking.
Through there years, I’ve been hooked up to EKG’s, Stress Tests and have had to wear Holter Monitors for 24 hours at a time, just to have it checked…always coming up ‘irregular heart beat’  which finally, after all these years has a procedure, to correct this, for those that can not or opt. out of taking medicine (which can have NASTY side effects) or who are not willing to wear a pace maker (me…I’ve never been told I needed one, nor did I want one). Now there is a surgery, that can induce my crazy Blasting heart  beat, and they can see where the ‘rapid fire’ is coming from and basically burn or freeze the place that is doing it..Thus preventing this from ever happening again. There is a 95% success rate and worse case scenario, is if it Does Not work, they would then have no choice then to put in a pace maker. I feel pretty good about it though, and the thought of passing out on stage during a live performance (yes this has happened) or the thought of being unable to stop the heart from racing so fast and possibly not able to call, etc…..(if the heart doesn’t stop racing, a shot must be given to put it back to it’s normal rate)…I decided to go ahead with this procedure.
I am scared out of my mind, yes, I won’t deny that. It’s on my mind quite often and this Friday, the 23rd of July, at 9am, I will be getting prepped for this procedure. The scary part for me is being ‘semi awake’ during it. They don’t put you out for this…more like you are in a kind of trippy little state of mind. There is some discomfort with it, but the Doc said it should be very minimal and brief…if it’s too uncomfortable they can increase the sedative…
The surgery takes a few hours and I should be released a few hours after that, unless for some reason they require to stay the night, which is usually not required.
WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!!
I can jump rope again, run, and perform without fearing a crazy race inside my chest, or that no one would be around, or that it would exhaust itself…. 300 or more beats per minute is quite a rapid heart beat, if you’ve ever felt your heart pound in anxiety, just triple that at least once!
Not having to live in fear, of this…is more of a relief than I even realized. I had no idea how much this bothered me, until my doctor told me this was an option for me….when he asked if I would like this done and we did some test, we agreed this is a really great option. I walked out of his office with such relief, such a sense of freedom!

Here is a link that briefly explains this….

http://www.hrsonline.org/PatientInfo/Treatments/CathAbl/index.cfm

Most of my upcoming shows for the few days after or so, will likely be canceled, as I am told to take it easy…singing…as relaxing as it is…well you know how LOUD I can be sometimeS! I guess I better learn to be a bit hushed….
Keep me in your thoughts, somehow, someway…
Thank you for taking the time to read this….
The reason I’m posting it, is 1. It could easily help someone else!!! and 2. Because if someone I knew was going to get this done, I’d want to know what it was, haaa!

Peace!!!