Discovering New Music

So I've decided to share new music I find with whomever decides to read my blog. You may or may not like any of the bands, and you may only like one out of the many I post.  But if you have the time, they are all worth checking out. I have an eclectic taste in music, so most people should be able to find at least one musician they find interesting on here. There will be more postings to come showcasing underground artists, new or old, because good music deserves to be heard and shared around the world.  And I will be posting entries fairly often as to not be overwhelmed by too many artists as I was this time.  Below shows only a few artists I have recently discovered out of the many, but these were the ones that are really starting to hit the scene and make an impact with their music.

 I have also discovered a website that is very useful in seeing who these bands are, called MusicTonic.com. It is like Pandora, YouTube, and Grooveshark all rolled in to one with added features that makes browsing very convenient and discovering new music and catching videos very easy. So check it out,  Musictonic.com. Jukesy,com is also convenient in viewing videos of artists and catching all of their songs and even discovering new music, but MusicTonic is a better version of that.

 Now, I've never been too good at describing music, but below I have tried to the best of my ability to give a brief description of the sound of the artist, including artists that might relate. I also included a couple of songs of each artist that I believe are the most popular or that best summarizes the artists' sound. As my friend Bob once said, "I don't know anything about music, I just get it when it hits me."

So like I said, I recommend checking these musicians out on MusicTonic.com.


NEW MUSIC I FOUND:


Matt & Kim:  Similar to Crystal Castles, Passion Pit, and Vampire Weekend. 2 person band made up of brother and sister. Kim plays drums while Matt plays the Keys. Pretty good show, awesome energy.
Songs: Daylight, Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare, Don't Slow Down

Foster The People: Vocals are very similar to MGMT. Also a little similar to Vampire Weekend and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. They only have a 3 song EP album out right now, but those 3 songs are very good.  If you like MGMT, then you will like these guys.

Songs: Pumped Up Kicks, Houdini, Helena Beat

The Temper Trap:  Similar to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and The Band of Horses. High pitched vocals similar to Passion Pit. Music in the refrains a little similar to Keane. Lead vocal is an upbeat version of the Fleet Foxes.
Songs: Sweet Disposition, Resurrection, Love Lost

Two Door Cinema Club: Alternative Indie Rock, with elements of Electronica. From Northern Ireland,. Similar to Friendly Fires with a touch of Phoenix in their sound.
Songs: What You Know, Something Good Can Work


Lissie: Indie folk music. Strong vocals similar to Adele. Also similar to Feist and Sara Bareilles (although not as Poppy). Has an undertone of old-fashioned country in her slow songs

Songs: Little Lovin', Look Away, Everywhere I Go

Laura Marling: Plays acoustic guitar, has a husky voice, Mumford & Sons style folk songs. Received Best female solo artist brit 2011 award. Mumford & Sons actually just did a collaboration with her.

Songs: Devil's Spoke, Rambling Man

Timmy Curran: Plays acoustical guitar and writes slower songs. Similar to Amos Lee, Brett Dennen, Griffin House, Sufjan Stevens.

Songs: Daylight's Comin', Comatose

Three Legged Fox: Rock music with a Reggae vibe. Strong vocals. Similar to The Movement, G.Love, and Pepper, with a touch of Ben Harper soul and Widespread Panic rock to them.

Songs: Easier Way, Maybe I'm Sorry

Simplified: Guitar style is very similar to O.A.R. and lead vocals are similar to Darius Rucker from Hootie & The Blowfish but a little higher.  Sings like Cas Haley.  Could be grouped with Slightly Stoopid, Barefoot Truth, Benjy Davis Project. A little undertones from Hootie & The Blowfish.
Songs: Wake 'n Bake, Don't Change, Uh-Huh


The Dirty Heads: California Reggae mixed with some light rock and some fast rhymes mixed up with some slow refrains.  Similar to Michael Franti & Spearhead, Pepper (but less rockish), and Slightly Stoopid. Recorded with Rome Ramirez of Sublime.

 Songs: Lay Me Down, Stand Tall

Mattafix:  Hip Hop with an electronic twist. It's like Gorillaz meets Matisyahu. Male and Female vocalist.
Songs: Big City Life, Things Have Changed, Living Darfur


Oh Land: Indie/Electronica. Female lead vocalist, who before teaming with producers, made her own contraption at home that looped her voice to record her first songs. She was literally a one-woman band.She is so talented she can do limitless things with her voice, whether it beat boxing or laying down futuristic techno beats. She uses her voice as a real instrument.

Songs: Son Of A Gun, Wolf & I, Perfection, Heavy Eyes

La Roux: Good dance beats,  female vocalist, similar to Lady GaGa but more techno. This is good club music by far. 

Songs: Bulletproof, Quicksand

Snarky Puppy: Jazz band out of North Texas in Denton. Have toured SC and got rave reviews. If you like jazz then you'll probably dig them. (Darce's actually played with one of the guitarist) Good keys, nice sax. Slight MMW vibe.

Songs: Ready Wendsday, The World is Getting Smaller

Ladysmith Black Mambazu: African music they call Zulu. Very light and relaxing, this is the band that Paul Simon features in some of his music (Graceland), very good stuff. The band sings in both English and their native tongue.  They do a good cover of Knockin on Heaven's Door and one recorded with Dolly Parton.
Songs: Homeless, Amabutho (Warriors), Sisesiqhingini (Everything Is So Stupid... Stupid... Stupid)

Bands you should already know and be listening to that are fairly new but totally OFF THE CHARTS:
Florence + The Machine
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Brett Dennen (not that new, but still not very well known)
Fleet Foxes
Company of Theives
Cas Haley
Sean Hayes

ARVD IT IS!!!

So I am officially diagnosed with ARVD. The trip to Baltimore proved to be a success in the fact that I am now diagnosed and no longer left in the dark wondering.  When I first arrived to my appointment I was given an EKG, and a Holter Monitor to wear for 24 hours.  Then I met with the lead researcher Brittany Dye, and the lead geneticist to discuss ARVD and the future outlook of the disease.  The first hour was spent answering questions they had for me, to fill them in on any blanks they might of had, and to catch them up on my situation and why I was there.  The two of them spent the second hour explaining ARVD in detail, and that is when they confirmed I had the disease.  I had not yet been diagnosed with ARVD because my MRI kept being read as normal. Apparently, there are only a handful of doctors in the US who have the ability to read an MRI of the Right Ventricle correctly.  So the doctors of John Hopkins did in fact see deterioration of the heart, and that combined with my other symptoms led the ARVD team to officially diagnose me with the disease.

After speaking with the two of them for a couple of hours, I then met with the head of Cardiology and ARVD, Dr. Hugh Calkins.  He categorized my disease as being a moderate case, falling right under severe.  He reassured me that his team would do everything in their power to prevent a heart transplant for as long as possible.  Most people with ARVD who have heart transplants don't need them until they are in their 40's, but my disease has progressed pretty far for such a young age making it possible that I may need a transplant before I hit 40.  In the majority of ARVD cases, patients usually aren't even diagnosed until their late 30's or early 40's, but at the same time it is a disease that can be caught at the age of 7 or 75.  And it's a disease that interferes with some peoples lives but never bothers the next.  It has certainly interfered with mine, so my next option will be to undergo a third ablation.  It is called an Epicardial ablation and considered major surgery so I will undergo general anesthesia, whereas in previous ablations I was awake for the majority of the operation.

During an Epicardial ablation, two catheters are used instead of one to race the heart in hopes of pinpointing the faulty areas of the heart. Heat waves are then used to burn off any of those faulty areas. One catheter enters through the groin, maneuvers up to the heart, and attacks the inside of it, while the other catheter enters through the chest and attacks the outside of the heart.  The procedure has a high success rate, and since I am not content with my current state, I am opting to get this done as soon as possible.  Dr.Calkins will decide if I am eligible for the Epicardial ablation based upon the results of the Holter Monitor.  The purpose of the heart monitor is to read how well the medicine is controlling my heart.  If the results aren't enough to decide upon the ablation, I will then wear a second monitor, an Active Heart Monitor.  That monitor will be worn for at least a week to record more information.  So within the next month or so we should have a better idea of whether I will be going through with the third ablation or not.

After I saw the doctor, before I left the hospital, I had my blood drawn.  ARVD is a genetic disease, so the researchers at John Hopkins are going to study my DNA to try and find the mutated gene.  Only in the past five years have they been able to find genes in the DNA that cause this disease.  That goes to show you how rare and new the research is.  Only 50% of the cases are they able to find the gene that is causing the disease, and if they are able to find it then they can try and determine what side of the family it came from, whether it came from my mother's side or my father's.  If they do in fact discover what side of the family the disease came from, then my first cousins will also have to be tested. But my brother will be next to have his DNA examined, due to the fact the gene could have easily been passed on to him as well.  If they find signs of the disease they will require him to abandon all physical activity as well, if they are unable to find any mutated genes than they will allow him to continue on as normal, keeping a close eye on him.

Not only is ARVD genetic, it is also a progressive disease that contains two central parts.  The first part is the racing of the heart, tachycardia, which is the Arrythmogenic part.  The second part is an enlarged right ventricle and deterioration of the muscle cells turning into scar tissue and fat cells within the right ventricle, the Right Ventricle Dysplasia part.  Physical activity is the kryptonite to this disease, and will progress the disease more rapidly than anything else, so from here on out I will no longer be aloud to exercise.  The doctors explained it as faulty super glue.  When the heart pumps, it expands and contracts.  When you have ARVD, after the heart expands it doesn't always contract and that causes tacychardia and scaring of the tissue.  After so many times, it will cause the heart to go into cardiac arrest and heart failure resulting in sudden death. The doctor said I was very lucky to still be alive, that I could have passed away during any one of my syncopal episodes.  Reflecting upon my situation, I am very grateful that I am still able to breath this air, and walk this ground knowing ARVD is attributed to at least 25% of sudden deaths in student athletes.

As backwards as it sounds, exercise is killing me and always has been.  Physical activity will now have to be limited to simple walking or playing golf, although I was told I could go skiing once in a blue moon.   It is hard to imagine that for the rest of my life I will no longer be able to participate in any kind of physical activity.  I will never be able to go kayak a river, or go for a run on a beach, go swimming or get to play a pick up game of basketball, frisbee, or soccer. I can't even play tennis or racquetball.  Sports has always been part of my life, it is something that came natural to me, something I was good at. Life for me is completely different now and it hasn't hit home quite yet.  The task for me will be to not focus on the things I can't do but the things that I can.

So now I have decided to focus my time and energy on learning new hobbies that include the game of golf, the practice of yoga, playing guitar and cooking healthy dishes with local ingredients.  I will also pick back up my favorite game of disc golf, that is, as long as it doesn't boost my heart rate too much.Of course I still have my other hobbies as well that I have picked up during my six months of idleness, such as my increased time for writing and reading, discovering new music, and my various art projects.

In less than one month from now, I will be returning to Baltimore to attend an ARVD seminar.  It will give me an opportunity to learn about the new research associated with the disease, and it will also give me a chance to meet other people my age that are going through this.  John Hopkins, who specializes in the disease, only has 400 patients in their registry.  That includes people, like me, from other parts of the country.  Out of millions and millions that live in this country, that is a very small percent of the population who have been diagnosed with this disease; 400 was the size of my graduating high school class.  And like I said before, this disease is rare in younger folks so there probably won't be too many people my age with the disease, but I believe the seminar will be good for me.  Many people who are diagnosed with ARVD were once very athletic.  My goal will be to figure out how they coped with the daily restraints of physical activity and discuss the things they do to stay healthy.

This new life I am living is completely opposite than what I once knew.  All it takes is a couple of hours and some unusual overwhelming events to suddenly and drastically change a person's life. But as Victor Frankl once said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." So because I cannot change my situation, I will be forced to change the person I am.  I have decided to use this time to work on myself.  To self reflect and attempt to better my mind and soul.  The past couple of years I was moving through life a little too fast with not enough thought.  Don't get me wrong, I was living life to the fullest with no worries, having the time of my life, but I wasn't pausing to fully embrace myself in the moment. I once was told 'if nothing ever changed, we'd have no butterflies'; but change does happens. So I have to believe something good will come of this or if nothing else, I have to create the good, for time is the greatest innovator. I just make sure to always remind myself  that 'It could always be worse!!!'

So that's that!

What I Want

Alright, well here is another poem.  Like I said in my previous post, April is national poetry month. And just like the last poem, I had written this before I found that out.  This poem took me awhile to publish because I kept editing it. I have finally come to a point where it sounds decent and I realized I need to go ahead and get it out there or I will forever keep changing and adding to it, because this poem is about what I want, and don't we all want everything if we could have it.  I started this poem with the first two stanzas, the words just came to me one day.  Ever since then I have been building off that, I think I may have went a little too far, but as they say 'It is what it is.'! 

What I Want

What I want is to enlighten all minds

To reach others from end to end, joining all kinds

Whether its the craziest maniac or biggest buffoon

I want my beliefs to pierce their brain like a sharp harpoon

I want to utter substantial words like an English teacher

And guide others like a bible preacher

Not with a bible but with my liberated ideals

Using love,wisdom, truth, and diction in a way that heals

I want to learn all of It, Read all of It, and Practice It all

And have the memory and aptitude to recall

And before its too late, before I wizen
I want to expand my mind and broaden my horizon

I want to teach the kids in a way that interests them

And punish them in a way that doesn't condemn

And I want to address them as if they are adults

In an effort to minimize the amount of insults

I want to live in one nation under love, not under God

Where we can live in a democracy with more than one facade

And open the political doors to one less Nimrod

Because it's annoying to have a country run by a Tune Squad

I want to yell real loud at the one percent

For turning us all into slaved merchants

Dominated and oppressed by the age of capitalism
Causing everyone to be consumed by materialism

I want to erase our monetary system and start from scratch

Begin anew for a chance at a fair match

Isn't that what the Bailout did for all the Banks and Corporations

It makes me wonder why they call this the 'Free Nation'

And I want to pretend there is no such thing as oil

Because maybe then greed will start to recoil

Lives will be saved, wars will stop, and the atmosphere will prevail

And maybe then peace will start to hail

I want to cool the earth and reforest the ground

And put the mountain tops back where they were found

Make everything that can't be recycled or reused magically disappear

But instead we take what is at hand, and persevere

I want to see a world where there is no greed

And I assume in that world, there's no one in need

But that is so naive, and really just a dream

Because in reality most are nice but many are mean

I want all the weapons of the world  to submerse below the deep blue sea

Then students can continue to learn instead of becoming another tragedy

And there would be hardly a sound of a refugee

Because without guns and killing sprees we will all live in harmony

I want people to become conscious consumers when purchasing food

Because the mass production of animal meat is rather crude
And the amount of waste while people go hungry is rather rude

While the rest of us eat like kings with absolutely no gratitude

 I want to gobble institutions and swallow them whole
Like they've done with our brains and even our souls
But I want to praise the ones that made it through and stayed unique
Because when you find who you are, it gets easier by the week

I want to get people out of their houses and away from their screens

And show them what this world really means

I want to show people the molestation of Planet Earth

And maybe then they'll see her true worth

 I want everyone to feel wanted and loved

No more being bullied around, pushed or shoved

To stand up for their rights in hope for evolution

To have their one idea, big or small, start a revolution

But most of all, I want the sick to get healthy

Without sacrificing all they have to benefit the wealthy

So the world can start to have much more dance and smiles

Which will make more time for peace and love for miles and miles

I want all good things of course, Health, Laughter, Love & Peace
Especially during such an epochal time, we forget time on earth is a temporary lease
That's why these wars aren't worth fighting, and these people aren't worth hating
So what I want is change, and It's not going to just happen so quit waiting

I know I want a world that clearly doesn't exist and never will
Because life is simply too volatile
And we all know you can't always get what you want
But if someone's standing in your way, stand up and confront

Just make sure you live your life before it's too late

Because you can never predict your own fate

And before you know it, the doors will be open to the 'Heavenly' gate

So my advice to you, Be proactive and Don't await.

Maka Ina

April is national poetry month.  I found this out after I had written this poem but now it is more fitting for me to post it, and it also makes me a little less self-conscious about whether people will like it or not.   I originally was not going to have rhymes in the poem, but I accidentally rhymed one line and liked it. So, I changed the rest of the poem to have rhymes in each line.  This is the first poem I've written in a very long time and my writing skills are at the very best amateur but hopefully someone will like it!......... The poem is about mankind pimping out Mother Earth... Enjoy!

Maka Ina

We grip our cane and wave it wildly competing for total reign

While we shine our snake skin boots after we stomp out all your roots

And we brush our fur coats and tilt our fedoras as a way to gloat

While we slap you around and throw you to the ground

Ever since our birth we have stripped you down and raped you of all your worth

And tagged you with a price and rolled you around like a set of dice

Pimping you out on every block has become purely cakewalk

Until one of us is dead we will make you bring home the bread

Until you are too old and weak, until you are too tainted to speak

We are far from chivalric, taking everything you own in hopes to flip you for another trick

See when it comes to prostitutes there will always be another one to pursuit

But we seem to overlook the fact there is only one Mother Earth to impact

And though she's the one who has bled, we will be the first to be dead

So here's the story from A to Z

Well for those of you who aren't aware of the full story pertaining to what I'm going through or how this all ensued or when this began, I will tell you.  I will start from the beginning and take you through to the bitter continuing end.

The story begins in 3rd grade when I suffered my first migraine.  I remember it very vividly. My class was rehearsing a play outside and I had horrific pain in my head, and from that day on I endured chronic migraines.  In sixth grade I started to play basketball year round and this is where the story starts to mount.  In practice, but more often in games there were occasions where my heart would race causing me to blackout. Now when I say blackout, I mean my heart would race and that would lead to tunnel vision and then I would lose total eyesight causing a blackout but I continued to have full control of my body.  We now know this has something to do with the adrenaline.

I saw a neurologist during middle school all the way through college, to treat my migraines and we informed him of the symptoms I was experiencing.  He referred us to a cardiologist when I was in 7th grade.  I had all sorts of tests done examining my brain and my heart but to no avail.  The consensus was that my migraines along with dehydration was causing the blackout episodes.  So as high school approached the blackouts didn't really occur as much because I was getting zero playing time during games, and that was when my adrenaline seems to cause problems.  So during practices and workouts my heart would race but it was not as bad as when my adrenaline was pumping during a game so I just figured I was hot and dehydrated.  So that was middle school and high school. That was when the first signs appeared but any kind of heart disease went undetected, which is no surprise as they still do not know exactly what is wrong with me.

So then I went to college and continued to see my neurologist and cardiologist and under went further tests and such. I even tried wearing a heart monitor during my freshman year of college for the second time, the first attempt being in 7th grade. The monitor straps around the waist and it is very bulky and hard to workout with and the battery dies often.  On top of that, it is very hard to record a racing heart especially being under duress,  so I had no luck with that.  I had a few more blackout episodes when playing  pick up basketball games, but it wasn't until 2007 that I started to pass out.  I was at a String Cheese concert in Charleston and the only thing I had drank that day was soda and wine, and I was certainly dancing like a full on hippie.  My heart began to race and my vision became blurry so I decided to leave the crowd, and as soon as I got to the outskirts of the crowd...PLOP.  I landed face down on a blanket this couple was canoodling on.  I woke up without knowing how long I had been unconscious, minutes if not longer, and as I looked at them looking at me, nothing was said so I preceded to walk off.  I went and bought a Gatorade, once again thinking I was dehydrated. That was my first episode of passing out and now I know it was not due to dehydration, although it could have been a factor.

The next couple years weren't so bad because my schedule was filled with work and school and what's more,  I had two arthroscopic knee surgeries so I wasn't doing too much running around.  Throughout my college years I learned what the oncoming signs of the episodes were and learned to stop what I was doing in time to prevent passing out.  That is until 2009 when I started to have very frequent and longer PVC's (Pre-Ventricular Contractions) which are pretty much skipped heart beats.  The PVC's eventually started to occur all day, every day.

The second time I passed out took place in Portland,OR when I was walking from the employee parking lot across the street to the Rose Garden.  My heart began to race and I felt dizzy, which lead me to face plant at the edge of the main road that runs right in front of the Rose Garden.  I awoke to a crowd of coworkers and managers who were also walking to work, as well as an ambulance, police cars and stalled traffic.  All this ensued right before a NBA Portland Trailblazers game allowing a large group of people around, causing quite a scene.  It certainly is an extreme way to get out of work.  I was taken to a hospital that was only a few blocks away. An EKG was taken and the doctors read it as abnormal, seeing a high amount of PVC's and suggested  I see a cardiologist.  Well I had no health insurance so I was not ready to spend hundreds and thousands on tests and office visits and medicines and, considering my disease is still undiagnosed it might have been a waste.  So I walked out of there at night not knowing what direction to walk, but did eventually find the Rose Garden and my parked car and had a very quite drive home.

The following month in Portland, after teaching swim lessons, I passed out again.  I was teaching lessons for 4 hours in a heated therapy pool and after I went for a quick swim until I felt too dizzy to continue.  I went back into the locker room to change and go home for the night when my dizziness intensified and my heart began to race.  I sat down on the bench in front of my locker, put my elbows on my knees, and my head in my hands and the next thing I see is a group of coworkers and EMT's standing over me.  Just like the ER doctors, the EMT's also said I had a very unusual high rate of PVC's, and they suggested I go with them to the hospital. I refused due to financial reasons and because when you leave the hospital you have to find your own way home, so the boss directed a coworker to drive me home.   It's a good thing I did get a ride home because I was still very dizzy which had never happened before.  Later I found I was suffering from a concussion.  I'm not sure if my head hit the locker or floor first, but I do know that my forehead hit the carpet so hard that I had rug burn on my forehead that was bleeding.  I continued to feel extremely dizzy the next couple days as if I was highly intoxicated and experiencing the spins, but it turned out I was suffering vertigo as a reaction to the concussion.  The only way to rid myself of vertigo was to perform re-positional physical maneuvers that usually consisted of lying flat on the back while turning the body and head in several directions which creates the spins very intensely.  I experience vertigo for little over a month. Anytime I turned my head either left or right I felt as if I wanted to throw up.  But of course once again I thought I was just dehydrated when I passed out this time because I was in a heated pool for multiple hours and then swam and drank an insufficient amount of water that day.  Once again, I know now that may have been a factor but that is not the reason my heart raced and caused me to go unconscious.

Next I arrived in Glacier for the 2010 summer.  It was my first night in town and I was out hanging with a group of friends when I noticed my heart started to race and I thought I was going to pass out, but we were all headed home so I thought I could make it to the car to drive back to our dorms.  Well I made it to my car, but my dizziness only increased and my heart continued to race so I had my friend drive instead.  We finally made it to the dorms, parked the car, and then I attempted to walk to my dorm. I managed to walk no more than 20ft when I passed out head first into a tree.  When I came to, it was dark and I was hidden in the woods. It was rainy and cold, and my heart was still racing. This had never happened before, me heart continuing to race after waking up from being unconscious.  Anytime I passed out previously my heart rate would return to normal upon waking up, but not this time.  My heart would not return to normal enough for me to gain enough strength to stand up and walk inside. Luckily, I finally got the attention of some people on the back porch of one of the dorms to come over and help get me inside.  We eventually decided to call the EMT's because my pulse was so weak yet very rapid, but again the ending was the same. I decided not to go to the hospital since it was almost 2 hours away and due to financial reasons. The summer went on and I did not pass out again but I came very close a couple of times, but throughout the years I have learned when I need to lay down and let my heart relax.

So the summer ended and I flew home to visit for a month.  I was still having frequent PVC's everyday and it was starting to scare me, but I hadn't the slightest clue what to do about it with no health insurance.  I was attending a BoomBox concert and almost passed out a few times. I had to keep stepping away from the dance floor to have a seat and gulp down water because I kept thinking I was dehydrated, I guess I didn't know any better. During the four weeks I was home, I played Frisbee a few times and each time I nearly passed out, but each time I managed to stop just in time.  My visit ended and I flew back out to Texas to grab my car, meet up with Jon and Adrian, and to begin our road trip out west to South Lake Tahoe.

After a few nights on the road we arrived in Tahoe in the early morning  and spent the first night in a motel, The Vegabond.  The second day we found an apartment and went to a restaurant to eat and fill out papers.  We get back to the apartment so seal the deal, which we did, and so we begin to move in.  About 30 min. into unpacking my car, maybe 1/4 of the way through, I started to get dizzy and my heart started to race. I thought I was going to pass out so I tried to run upstairs to lay down in my new room and rest on my pillow.  I had to crawl up the last set of steps and into my room.  That's when my heart went haywire and started to race faster than it had ever raced before, and this time I couldn't breath and I ended up throwing up my lunch. At that point the guys had already called for the ambulance.  It took the EMT's about 15-20 min to arrive and at least another 10 to get to the hospital.  I continued to gasp for air all the way to the hospital. Once we were there, the doctors kept trying different medicines to slow my heart but I knew they were going to have to shock me so I started to beg them to put me to sleep.  They eventually did and they also had to shock me twice to get my heart on a normal rhythm. After I was stable they decided to transport me to the nearest cardiac hospital in Carson City, NV, which wan't that close.  Now if it wasn't raining or windy I would have been flown to the hospital, but instead I slept in the ambulance the whole 45 minute drive.  I stayed in Carson Tahoe hospital for three nights and had an array of tests done, but then was released so I could be seen by an electrophysiologist in Reno, which was about 30 minutes away.

That lead to just over a month's stay in reno with time in and out of the hospital.  My longest stay in the hospital was 6 days, and there was no shower to be taken.  I started my stay in reno as out-patient. I was going to have a heart ablation done and that was going to be the end of it.  I was going to be all better, well that was the plan anyways.  A heart ablation is where they put catheters in your groin and maneuver them all the way to your heart. Once there, they begin to race your heart to see where the electrical mishaps are.  When they find the problematic areas they then kill them off with heat waves.  So I'm awake for this entire process and what usually takes about an hour or two took 6 hours.  Every time they killed off part of the heart which i felt, the heat in my chest is what i feel, another part of the heart would fire up and then another and another.  They were never able to pinpoint just one area.  The whole time I was awake, my heart was racing for hours, I felt the heat, and then ZAP.  They shocked me.  It was horrible pain that I could not control my reaction to.  It curled up every muscle in my body and I was screaming and crying and eventually they put me to sleep, but I was wide awake when they first shocked me.  So apparently they had to shock me again when they put me out. The next time I woke up it was over but I  was sick to my stomach and threw up all over the operating room.  It was a very rough day so to speak.  But that began my 5 night 6 day stay.  My heart was racing uncontrollably after that ablation, all day for the next two days until they were able to install a defibrillator inside of me.  A defibrillator is the size of an average phone...it is about 3 inches long and about 1/2 and inch thick.  And the first month, it hurts like hell. Every time you rise from a lying position it feels as if you have a 20 pound weight resting over your heart but its superglued there and when you get up it feels like its just pulling everything down.  It doesn't feel good and it forced me to sleep on my back for little over two months. I did not like that.  So after i was released from the hospital we waited two weeks before I was seen again.  I ended up being allergic to the medicine so I switched medicines and got my staples out, 10 of them.  I eventually was stable enough to fly back home.

So we flew home the day before thanksgiving, and got in about 1 in the morning.  We had a lot of family over for Thanksgiving dinner and that whole day I could feel my heart race.  My heart continued to race all week and one time when I was trying to go to bed it raced for 5 hours. So the morning after that long episode we decided to go to the ER.  When I was in the ER my heart rate was 180 bpm and that is what it had been all week for hours each day.  The doctors gave me some new medicine, and scheduled another ablation for a month later.  When we went into the ablation, the doctor was so confident that he was going to kill off the problematic area, but instead he had the same problems as the doctors in Reno.  Any time he killed off part of the heart another part would fire off and then another and he described it as cherry picking.  So needless to say, it worked some, but overall it was not successful.  And that pretty much leads me to where I am today.

Ever since the ablation in January, I've just been waiting patiently to visit the doctors up at John Hopkins. They will be conducting genetic tests on me to see if I do indeed have ARVD or not.  I am very anxious to get the results of that test.  If I do have ARVD, I have exhausted all treatments except a heart transplant.  If I don't have ARVD then I remain a mystery and we will have many more tests to under go. My heart has raced on and off since the last ablation but for the most part I have been pretty stable.  But at the same time I can't do much of anything or my heart will race.  My medicine also exhausts me so even spending just an hour or two socializing with family can seem tedious.  So in the meantime I've been staying busy with an array of projects such as painting, writing, reading, watching movies, organizing all of the family stuff, puzzles, sewing skirts, stumbling, finding music, doing crosswords, making jewelry, and whatever else I find interesting. The doctors are all still baffled and confused and I remain a mystery diagnosis so now I am on my way up to John Hopkins, April 18th.  But that's it, that's pretty much the whole story from A to Z.

Any questions?