Charlie Moisey, 4x Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor
We are now Thryv.
LQT Therapeutics Inc. has changed its name to Thryv Therapeutics Inc.
Charlie Moisey is a 22 year-old mother of one living in Leicestershire, England. This year, she celebrated World Heart Day, Tuesday, September 29, for the first time as a survivor of sudden cardiac arrest - in her case, four instances of sudden cardiac arrest.
Through those episodes of sudden cardiac arrest, Charlie was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), a journey she frequently shares via her Instagram account. She shares more of her experience with LQT Therapeutics, below.
How did you become diagnosed with LQTS; what were the particular circumstances?
Soon after the birth of my daughter, Aurora, I began to fall ill, and I had complaints of back and abdominal pain. Unfortunately, I was turned away by my general practitioner doctor who advised me that everything was fine.
Two months after the birth of my daughter, as my condition worsened, I was admitted into the hospital and taken to the Intensive Care Unit, where I was diagnosed with gallstones, kidney failure and acute necrotising pancreatitis, a condition where tissue within the pancreas essentially dies and can become easily infected.
After a couple of months battling with the pancreatitis, things took a sharp turn for the worse. I was on a drug regimen of intravenous painkillers, with anti-nausea and antidepressant medications. Those medications, combined with my ill health, tipped me over the edge. With another dose of an anti-nausea medication, I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Unaware that medication was the cause of my cardiac arrest, I later suffered three more cardiac arrests. I was transferred to Nottingham City Hospital, where I had more treatment from specialists. After some rest and many examinations, it was found that I had underlying Long QT Syndrome and all the medications I had been given had further prolonged my heart’s QT waves.
How did you feel after you were initially diagnosed? What were your emotions and your most immediate thoughts?
When I was told I had multiple cardiac arrests I didn’t quite understand. It took a while to sink in. I didn’t get emotional over it as I was just happy to be alive and was thankful to doctors that they had finally got to the bottom of what was causing the arrests. I couldn’t have received better care anywhere else. After all the uncomfortable testing and the diagnosis, I felt more relieved than worried. I could get the right treatment and I finally knew what was going on with my own body. I did have anxiety over having my ICD fitted because by that point I was sick of hospitals and really didn’t want anymore surgery. But, I knew in the long run I would feel a lot safer and more at peace knowing I had it there in the event of having another cardiac arrest.
Before you suffered your first cardiac arrest and were later diagnosed with LQTS, did you suffer through any episodes like fainting, seizures or accelerated heart rates that might now be looked at as possible symptoms of your LQTS condition?
As a teenager I occasionally got episodes of intense chest pain and over the years experienced fainting and dizzy spells, but had always put it down to “getting up too fast”.
As part of my treatment, I did undergo genetic testing, and the results were inconclusive. However, with the history of cardiovascular conditions that run through both sides of my family, my medical team and I think it’s almost certain I inherited the condition.
How are you managing your LQTS condition?
When I was discharged from the hospital, I was given a lifevest during the time I waited to be fitted with an ICD. I had the device implanted in June 2019, and I’m now on a very carefully selected regimen of medications. I haven’t had any cardiac events yet.
What do you most enjoy doing?
I spend every available moment with my beautiful daughter!
What do you hope to achieve by sharing your LQTS journey story with others?
I hope my story will be useful to others, as I have found great value in understanding more about living with LQTS from following others on social media and reading their stories. I think it’s important to share mine as my cardiac events were brought on by the side effects of several different medications. I hope my story helps raise awareness and hopefully more research and treatment can be found!
