A cause of death prompted forensic pathologist to discover she had the same heart condition
It was Michelle Aurelius' final year of fellowship in forensic pathology, and she was studying fiercely with a friend for her board certification test – the most difficult exam of her life.
When her heart started beating rapidly, Michelle figured there was more to it than stress. Instead of her normal pulse rate of 60 beats per minute, she clocked readings in the 80s. Then 120, then 150, then 180. She started to feel dizzy.
"My heart's racing!" she told her study partner. He rushed to get some ice.
"Do you need me to call 911?" her friend asked.
"No, I'm going to be fine," Michelle said.
Her heart rate returned to a normal range within 10 minutes, even though it felt like it lasted hours. Michelle, then 35, figured it was a fluke and went home to rest.
The next morning, Michelle examined the body of a 40-year-old woman. Records showed she'd died from complications of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, an electrical malfunction between the heart's chambers that can produce overly rapid heartbeats. That's when it dawned on Michelle: She might have the same condition.
She walked directly from her hospital office to the emergency room about a block away. Within hours, tests confirmed it.
Her case was relatively mild. All she needed to keep it under control were some lifestyle changes. For instance, she gave up caffeine and began prioritizing more sleep and less stress.
That was 18 years ago. With those adjustments and monitoring from a cardiac electrophysiologist, Michelle has decreased the severity and frequency of her rapid pulse episodes. They used to happen several times a week – sometimes more than once a day – and lasted up to 10 minutes. Now, they occur once or twice a month for a minute or two.
Still, when episodes hit, they're "like a hurricane," said her husband,...