Oh Happy Day!
I went to see Dr. Grubb and my pacemaker technician last week, and for the first time in a very long time (or ever) I got all good news! Yay! My pacemaker has about three years left on it, give or take a few months. The only problem with that still is that one of my leads has been in for eleven years, and that is sucking up a lot of the pacemaker battery. So when I get my pacemaker replaced, the old lead will be lasered out and replaced with a shiny pretty new one.
Another interesting thing my mom and I learned is that people who have chronic illnesses can develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now, when I first heard that, it made me immediately think of Vietnam war vets. I can kinda see how it could apply to me having dysautonomia, but then again, I can’t. But believe me, the depression that comes along with having this illness is very real. I didn’t just go see psychiatrists and therapists because the doctors thought I was making this up. I think I did need to see someone because I had a hard time dealing with this while still trying to be a normal kid. Now that I am older, I think the hardest part is coping with being an adult and all the responsibilities that come with it, AND deal with having dysautonomia. So, I may not be in Vietnam fighting a war, but I am fighting a war with myself sometimes.
All this talk when I could have just shut up and said that I had good news from the doctor. Oh well, one sentence isn’t all that exciting to read.