(Author’s note: To save you the trouble of looking it up, a DNR is a formal, notarized part of a living will. It stands for Do Not Resuscitate. In other words, when I die please leave me alone. But I’ll get to that story in a minute, you know me.)
This is a 3 part series. You can read part one here, or skip to part two here.
The third and final chapter on the trials and tribulations of being diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks, when in fact a majority of the time it was simply heart problems. Not that A-fib (atrial fibrillation) is simple, it carries all sorts of complexities, and in my case proved fatal.
Why is putting this down on paper important? For one I will start to forget some of the details as I get older, like the sequence of events or dates and places. For another, at least in my opinion, it ties directly back to PTSD. As well as my lousy coping skills compounded by a body that was pre-disposed for a multitude of ailments.
My kidney, heart and MGUS issues were going to exist with or without the effects of PTSD, I think anyway, but each compounded the other. One plus one equals three in other words. The drinking especially, as alcohol at the levels I was consuming is so damaging to more than the liver. Did PTSD cause A-fib? No, but played a part in making it worse.
