After numerous visits various doctors, Katherine Priest still had no idea why she would faint every so often. The spells lasted only a matter of seconds but happened so often that they were concerning. "Once I passed out in front of my husband and it scared him half to death," Priest said. "But by the time he got 911 on the line, I was already awake."
She was stuck at home because of the episodes. "I couldn't drive and I didn't feel like going anyplace," she said. "Because I didn't know if I was gonna pass out."
She saw her doctor, Dr. Nosheen Mian, at CHI St. Vincent Primary Care Clinic in Sherwood, and they started running tests. But the spells continued for another year. "It took us a long time to figure out what was going on," Dr. Mian said.
Everyone's patience was running thin, even the patient's. Eventually, she was told to wear a heart monitor for 30 days. Of course, Priest fainted with the monitor on. This might not sound like a breakthrough, but it was.
The readings from the monitor solved the mystery. She needed a pacemaker because her heart wasn't beating fast enough. Now, she's getting out of the house again. "I've gone to Sunday school and church," Priest said. She's also getting some confidence back after the trying year behind her. Dr. Mian was there to hold her hand the whole way through it.
"Just being there because they are scared, in terms of what is going on," Dr. Mian said. Priest's heart rate was dangerously low because of complications from heart disease and diabetes. But she is now on the mend with her pacemaker.
