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A canoeist with a rare heart condition has been
pronounced clinically dead 36 times in a year.
Sarah Brautigam, 21, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, has been close to
death dozens of times due to an affliction which makes her heart stop
beating - and said that each time her hearing is the last thing to go.
The former Great Britain canoeist saw her life turned upside down four
years ago when she was diagnosed with a condition called postural
orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
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Miss Brautigam, who wants to be a burlesque dancer, has rapid
palpitations that cause her heart to stop beating and her blood pressure
to fall to what doctors record as clinically dead.
On occasion she has to wait up to 30 minutes for her heart to refill
with blood. She also suffers joint hypermobility syndrome, which means
her joints are more prone to injury and dislocation.
The two combined resulted in her visiting A&E 64 times in the same year.
But Miss Brautigam insisted that she is determined not to let the
conditions hold her back.
She said: ‘There are signs before it happens - I’ll feel dizzy or sick
and really tired and then I feel as though I’m falling asleep.
‘I can hear everything around me and feel as though I’m trying to shout
but nothing is coming out. They say when you die your hearing is the
last thing to go and that’s been my experience.
‘After an attack I’ll wake up and my chest will be killing and I’m
really tired.’
Miss Brautigam said each time her heart stops medics have to inflict
pain on her to shock her into coming back to life. She cannot be given
CPR until her heart has re-filled with blood.
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She said: ‘When it happens paramedics try and do anything to inflict
pain to try and shock me into coming back to life.
'A lot of the time I’ll wake up with big bruises. On one occasion they
ripped an acrylic nail off but that still didn’t make me flinch.’
Miss Brautigam was a canoeing fanatic who made it to the GB squad and
was training six days a week when she was diagnosed and her dreams 'came
crashing down'.
She was told she could no longer take part in the sport and her dreams
of joining the Navy were also left in tatters. Even getting a job and
driving were affected by the condition.
Miss Brautigam added: ‘I had 10 years of being out every weekend
canoeing and being so active and it all came crashing down. I piled on
the weight because I couldn’t exercise and was really upset.
‘I can’t even work at the minute because I would need a job that could
be very flexible. Then I was told I couldn’t drive, it was like
everything was being taken away from me.
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‘I lost a lot of friends, in fact I only have one friend from school.
Everyone seemed to be too busy with their own lives to bother with me
when I was diagnosed.’
Miss Brautigam was pronounced clinically dead 36 times in 2012 but has
since began burlesque chair dancing, which she said ‘has given me a new
lease of life’.
She added: ‘I made so many friends and everyone is so friendly and
welcoming. I didn’t think I’d be able to do anything like his with my
illness but everyone looks out for me at the class. I’ve only passed out
once since I started.
'I’m determined not to let this beat me, joining the group has given me
a life back.
‘It might kill me but at least I’d die happy - for me. I’d rather live
to the full rather than live longer and be wrapped up in cotton wool –
it’s all about quality of life.' |