This article is part ofHealth Divide: Heart Disease Risk Factors, a destination in our Health Divide series.
Julie Bang / Verywell
Debora Grandison is a heart-health advocate who speaks on heart disease, type 1 diabetes, and Graves' disease.
My health journey began 33 years ago when I was pregnant with my second child. I went into preterm labor at 26 weeks pregnant and was rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, my son was fine, but this event started me on a health journey I didn’t expect.
I remember the doctor asking me if I knew that I had a heart murmur. I had never had a heart problem before. I was given two diagnoses at first:atrial fibrillationand amitral valve prolapse.
About five years later, my husband was transferred to a new state for his job. A new state meant new doctors, and I saw a lot of doctors. They all seemed to struggle with my heart condition.
They’d listen to my heart and pause. I knew they’d hear something, but they weren’t sure what to do about it. I wore heart monitors for a number of years to try and figure out exactly what was going on.
From Bad to Worse
I started to show other symptoms including extreme heart palpitations. My husband would drive me to the hospital because I also had shortness of breath and left arm pain. We were scared that I was having a heart attack.
Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack
The doctor at that time was treating me for each symptom. I experienced dizziness, so she gave me medicine for vertigo. That medication caused migraines, so she gave me another prescription. I ended up on 13 different medications, and I was getting worse.
I ended up in bed for four months; I lost 30 pounds in three weeks. I had to stop working as a real estate agent because of the dizziness; I could no longer drive my clients around.
Debora GrandisonI felt like I was going to die. I didn’t know what was happening with my body.
Debora Grandison
I felt like I was going to die. I didn’t know what was happening with my body.
During one of my visits to this same doctor, I went in with concerns because my heart felt like it was bursting out of my chest. She told me, “Oh honey, you’re just anxious.” She gave me a box of Prozac.
I had a neighbor who was in nursing school at the time, and she would take my blood pressure a couple of times a week. She told me, “Deb, you have to get away from this doctor, or she’s going to kill you.”
I felt like I was going to die. I began to sit and watch the clock.
Learning My Family History
While searching for a correct diagnosis, I lost three family members to diabetic-related heart issues. At this point, I was desperate for answers.
I started doing my research to learn my family history. I asked my doctor to run a test to look forthyroiddisease, as my mom had struggled with it. The results came back and my levels were extremely concerning.
Thyroid Disease Causes and Risk Factors
I was prescribed Propylthiouraci, a medicine to help with thyroid function. The goal was to get my thyroid levels down, or else I could go into athyroid storm, which is life-threatening.I then took what the doctors call the “radioactive cocktail,” orradioactive iodine therapy (RAI). It was the year 2000 when I was finally diagnosed withGraves' disease.
20 Years of Misdiagnoses
At the same time that I was learning about my thyroid issues, the doctors are still investigating my heart. Iunderwent cardiac catheterizations and chemical stress tests, which were frightening.
They were looking for blockages but weren’t finding any. I finally met a cardiologist who said, “I’m a plumber, and I’m thinking you need an electrician,” and he referred me to an electrophysiologist.
I was misdiagnosed for 20 years. It all started with that mitral valve prolapse diagnosis in 1989 until I received the correct diagnosis ofcardiomyopathy, I also have atrial fibrillation (AFib), Graves' disease, andtype 1 diabetes.
My diabetes journey started as gestational diabetes during my second pregnancy. I was never told anything about the correlation between heart disease and diabetes,so I wasn’t too concerned about my blood glucose levels until they reached 683. I was misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes at first. I now know it’s type 1, and I have been oninsulinever since.
What Is Gestational Diabetes?
Things improved once I had the right team of doctors. I had apacemakerinstalled in 2009 because my heart rate was continuously dropping. The pacemaker changed my life for the better.
Finding My Own Way
We give a lot of authority to doctors, but you have toadvocate for yourself.I’ve built a really good relationship and rapport with my current doctor. This is crucial because I feel comfortable asking questions.
Debora GrandisonI could either wait to die, or I could become proactive
I could either wait to die, or I could become proactive
I became an advocate to change the trajectory of where I was going. I was tired of living in fear and not understanding what was happening inside my body.
I knew the risk factors that I was living with, so I had to make a choice. I could either wait to die, or I could become proactive. I got involved withWomenHeartto make sure that other women felt confident speaking up and asking questions. I want people to know their family history and understand their test results.
I’m now an inspirational writer, speaker, and poet. I started my own LLC calledShe Speaks From a Joyful Heart, and I published a poetry book in 2022! I’m so grateful to still be here to tell my story.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Thyroid storm.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes, heart disease, & stroke.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Thyroid storm.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes, heart disease, & stroke.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Thyroid storm.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes, heart disease, & stroke.
MedlinePlus.Thyroid storm.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes, heart disease, & stroke.
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