Rheumatic Fever

Since I was a teen, I suffered rheumatic fever. I first noticed it, as a teen, when I was walking up a mild slope, and felt all the energy drained out of me. Rheumatic fever may be a sly, vicious illness. But by now I know the symptoms, and I pay attention. That is the key to overcoming it. The last threatening episode I had was a few years ago, when my heart started dropping beats -- one out of five beats wouldn't "fire". A doctor put me on a two-month course of antibiotics, and within a day my distress was much relieved. OBSERVATION: If one is slow in reacting to rheumatic fever, it can be very serious. I myself was in Intensive Care once. But with timely treatment, it is fine. Not everyone can catch rheumatic fever. One is genetically predisposed to it.