Hey friends, my name is Leslie, and since September 22nd, 2023 I started having episodes that mimic heart attacks or strokes (they are not these, we have confirmed that). There does not seem to be any reason or trigger, though it has made my anxiety worse. We have ruled out a lot of things including anxiety attacks. I have noticed things that tend to make my symptoms worse such as driving at night, bright lights/flashing lights, and loud noises (why I haven’t been able to go to any of my friends theater shows in the last 5 months ).

After 5 months I have gone through 2 hospital visits and been forced to call 911 on myself which was terrifying, been to my gynecologist, pcp, rheumatologist, neurologist, and cardiologist. I have started taking Prozac, and low doses of aspirin every day per my pcp and cardiologist prescription. I have also undergone countless tests including MRIs, CT scans, Chest X-rays, carotid artery ultrasounds, chest ultrasounds, about 19 panels of blood work, had a heart monitor strapped to my chest for 24 hour wear for 6 weeks, and had a treadmill stress test. They cannot figure out the problem.

We are still trying though. I am back in a heart monitor 24/7 per my cardiologist prescription (which is not cheap), I have follow up appointments to look for tachycardia disorders, and will be meeting with an endocrinologist soon. My cardiologist is very determined to find the issue, and I am thankful for that. If the heart monitor I am wearing now does not pick up an episode then we will move to a heart monitor that will be implanted under my skin (not excited about that).

All this to say, I am currently about $8,000 in debt from medical/hospital bills. I expect this number to continue to rise as we continue to do tests to try and identify the problem. I need help. As a 25 year old with a full time job, you’d think I’d have some emergency savings for something like this. That said after Covid, multiple thousands of dollars put into car repairs, student loans, and going through a $2,000 surgery to save my cat’s life back in November, my savings account currently shows $3.87. Obviously this is not something I am proud of, but I am not embarrassed by it either. Like I said at the beginning. Life happens, everyone needs help sometimes.

Help me get my diagnosis. Anything you can contribute including something as simple as a like or a share would be greatly appreciated, and never forgotten. From the bottom of my heart, thank you ❤️