It all started in February 1998. My son Matthew aged 8 collapsed at School while participating in a School sports day. When I arrived at the school Matthew appeared to be having a seizure. The teachers were not sure what had happened because he was running at the time, they thought he had tripped and hit his head on the ground.
He was taken to Starship Hospital where he was admitted over night and treated for concussion. He was discharged the next day.
The next episode happened in October 1998, Matthew had been running again at School. This time he knew he was about to faint and called for help just as he collapsed. When the teacher got to him Matthew appeared to be having another seizure.
He was taken to Hospital again. The doctors took blood tests because they thought he may have low blood sugar levels, the results came back negative. Matthew was complaining of a sore chest so they did an ECG but we were never told of the results. Matthew was discharged and an appointment was made for him to be tested for epilepsy.
Six weeks later Matthew was tested for epilepsy and the results showed he was clear. The Doctors were still unsure at this time as to why he was collapsing. They started asking questions about my family history. I told them about my Mother and Grandmother who had both died suddenly at an early age, my Mother died age 30 and Grandmother aged 24. With this information they decided to check Matthew’s ECG results and thought he might have LQT.
An appointment was made for Matthew to see a cardiologist at Green Lane Hospital where he was given another ECG, the result of this confirmed he had LQT. He is now on Beta-Blockers and seems to be doing fine.
As a result of this I was told my whole family should also be tested for LQT, as it is genetically inherited. My daughter and I have been tested and it was found I have LQT but thankfully my daughter does not. I am also taking Beta-Blockers.
I have never shown any symptoms relating to LQT so if it weren’t for Matthew’s episodes we would not have known about this condition.
I have two Brothers and two Sisters who have also been tested. Of these four only one brother has LQT and is on medication.
We were given very little information on LQT but thanks to the Internet we have been able to find out more about this condition and others who suffer from it.
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