I was born with congenital heart disease, which consist of a single atrium, single ventricle, dextracardia, and asplenia syndrome. Bascially, this means that I have only two chambers positioned further to the right than normal, and I have no spleen. As a result of the two-chambered heart, my heart became enlarged in order to compensate for the increase work required for pumping blood and supplying oxygen to the body. As a result, some of the heart's pacing tissues became irritated and eventually led to various types of tachycardial arrythmias. These are fast-paced, abnormal heart rhythms. Since I lack a spleen, I can easily get sick, so I have to take daily antibiotics.
Presently, I have had a total of four surgeries in order to correct and ease blood flow and increase oxygen supply. As a result of the surgeries, the enlarged state of the heart has decreased. I am less cynotic, or low in blood-oxygen content, and capable of being more active. However, this doesn't mean I can run a marathon, but it's enabled me to attend school.
These improvments came with my last operation known as the Fontan. It is a two-stage surgery that's usually done over a year's time, but circumstances caused it to be completed in one month. This was done in October 1993 at the University of California, San Francisco. At this time, the doctors also implanted a pacemaker. Along with anti-arrhythmia medications, it has lessened the occurrence and intensity of arrythmias.
(Site Created: 10-8-00 Updated: 10-30-00)
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