'For years doctors told me I had low iron. The truth could have killed me.'

Growing up, dizziness and lightheadedness were a part of life for Katie McLeod. 

Throughout her teens, the dizzy spells came occasionally — they were regular enough to notice, but not enough to cause any major concern. 

As she got older, the intensity of the episodes increased, causing her to feel more faint, more dizzy, each time. And then one day, while Katie was studying at university, she fainted.

At the time, she put it down to low blood pressure, or blood sugar. But then, the episodes started happening more frequently, and she knew it was time to see a doctor. 

Watch: 'Prepare For Worst, Hope For The Best' Royal Flying Doctors. Article continues below.

"In 2015 it started occurring almost every day. Sometimes multiple times a day," says Katie. 

Although she'd put up with the dizziness for years, fainting was another story, so she booked an appointment with a GP. 

The doctor put her symptoms down to general fatigue and low iron. It didn't sit right with Katie, so she sought a second opinion. 

"I saw three or four different GPs for different opinions in 2015," says Katie. "They all thought it was my low iron and fatigue."

She had no choice, but to put up with it, so she did. Until New Year's Day. 

"I completely blacked out," she says. "I fell and hit my face on the bathroom tiles and split my lip and had a blood-nose. My husband called the ambulance, then I blacked out again, losing bladder control as well this time." 

Katie had no idea what was going on, but she knew it was more serious than low iron. 

"I had checked my blood pressure and blood sugar levels on multiple occasions and that was also completely fine."

Katie was put on an electrocardiogram (ECG), which was protocol, but the ambulance offer noticed something unusual. 

A shock discovery.

In the hospital, located in the regional town of Bundaberg where Katie lived, she was put under continuous cardiac monitoring. 

After two days, and with no change, the Royal Flying Doctor Service was called in to transfer Katie to the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital. 

"In Brisbane they performed multiple other tests on my heart including, a cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), echocardiogram and computerised tomography (CT) angiogram to ensure there were no other issues underlying—which there were not."

At just 30 years old, Katie was diagnosed with an intermittent complete heart block, with complete ventricular standstill. In other words, Katie's heart had been intermittently coming to a complete stop.

"At first, I was worried about what that meant for me," shares Katie. "For my lifestyle playing a lot of netball and what treatment my options would be."

A pacemaker at 30. 

If you've heard of a pacemaker at all, chances are it would have been in connection with someone older. For Katie, the insertion of a pacemaker meant her lifestyle could remain exactly the same, but with significantly less risk to her life. 

"I received a pacemaker after my emergency trip to the hospital in Brisbane, and now I feel 100 per cent. I can continue playing netball, spend time with my family and do everything I could do before, except now without the fainting spells or dizziness."

Katie is required to attend yearly appointments to ensure everything is working as it should, and so far, so good. 

"My pacemaker device also has a remote monitoring function that can notify my cardiologist if there are any rhythm abnormalities so I don’t need to wait for an in-person appointment to discover any issues," says Katie. 

During Katie's second pregnancy, the device picked up an irregular rhythm that was related to the pregnancy. It immediately notified her cardiac care team, and she was able to address the issue before it caused any harm to her or her baby.

"My device notified the cardiologist of supraventricular tachycardia, a type of abnormal heartbeat. I was able to receive treatment very quickly, before it could have any significant effects on myself or my baby."

More common than you think. 

Dr Chin Lim has been working as a Cardiologist for 30 years, and says while cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for women in Australia, it continues to be under-diagnosed and under-treated due to misconceptions and lack of awareness among both patients and doctors.

"Women are more prone to experience some of the less common symptoms (of heart disease)," Dr Lim says. '

"For example, only one in three women will experience the typical heart attack symptom of feeling a heavy weight on her chest. Women are far more likely to experience symptoms such as breathlessness, with or without a fullness in the chest or back, heart palpitations, and cold sweats."

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 35 per cent of deaths in women each year—more than all cancers combined, or 13 times more that those who die of breast cancer. 

In Australia, data shows that women continue to underestimate their risk of CVD, such that only one-fifth of Australian women recognise that CVD is a leading cause of all female deaths.

Trust your instincts. 

Being dismissed by doctors is an experience commonly reported by women, but Dr Lin says a dismissal without explanation is unacceptable.

"Every dismissal needs a cogent and logical explanation," he says. 

"If it is not forthcoming from your health professional, it is okay to press for an answer. Bring a partner, a family member or an interested friend to the consultation. 

"If you feel unsure with ongoing symptoms or even if you do agree with your doctor's conclusions, it is fine to request reasonable additional medical opinions as appropriate. 

"Consulting multiple doctors may be necessary to provide a more comprehensive understanding of your health, and the need for different diagnostic approaches."

Katie had no family or personal history of heart issues and led a very active and healthy lifestyle, and says women should never ignore symptoms that don't feel right. 

"I’ve been quite fortunate in having the support of the people around me and the care I’ve received," says Katie. 

"The fact that despite my experience, I am able to raise my own children in the place that I grew up in, means a lot to me. 

"The care and technology that has helped my heart continue beating has also helped me stay in the place my heart belongs, and that means everything to me."

Image: Supplied.