For Amanda Goff, 50 was the new 30. She was fitter and healthier than ever and hadn’t touched drugs or alcohol for six years.
But her heart held a deadly secret, and on Monday, when she was due to leave for a holiday abroad, it was revealed.
She is now bedridden in hospital after surgery and expects to remain there for at least a week.
The former escort, who rose to fame as Samantha X, has non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). This potentially life-threatening condition can cause the heart to simply “stop pumping.”
It may also cause moderate to severe chest pain, fainting or feeling like you might pass out, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing at rest.
Doctors urge people to go to the emergency room to get checked out for any of these symptoms.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Amanda, who is now focusing on her career as a Pilates instructor, revealed she had been feeling dizzy for months, especially when walking her dog.
In fact, the idea that she might faint on one of those walks was so real that she had practically stopped going.
“Every time I made any effort I started to feel weak, as if I was walking and had to sit on the pavement,” she said.
Amanda Goff, 50, has revealed her shocking health diagnosis
She had felt amazing and described herself as the fittest person she had ever been before landing in the hospital.
‘I stopped going because I didn’t want to faint.’
Her dizziness came on suddenly and disappeared almost as quickly.
‘This had been going on here and there for a few months, so bad that I had to sit down and put my head between my legs.
“But it only lasted about 30 seconds,” he added.
Amanda had attributed her dizziness and lightheadedness to perimenopause and told herself that women faint from time to time.
But before going on vacation she decided to go to her family doctor to be sure.
“I’ve crashed in a plane before and I didn’t want to do it again,” he said.
Concerned about her symptoms, the doctor referred her to Cardiology of New South Wales, based at the Alfred Hospital.
She was put on a heart monitor over the weekend and the results led to a lengthy stay in the ward and surgery.
“I feel very lucky, I’ve been inundated with comments from women who have been through this,” Amanda said.
Amanda will now likely have to take pills for the rest of her life, to ensure her safety.
However, if your condition worsens this week or your body does not respond to medication, then a defibrillator may be necessary to keep your heart beating at the proper rate.
“We don’t talk about women’s heart health, and that led me to believe that hormones were to blame,” she said.
Amanda used to get dizzy when walking her dog, but at first she blamed it on hormones.
She also thought that maybe she was tired, more stressed than she thought or less fit.
Curiously, though, she never had those episodes while doing Pilates.
The condition is genetic, according to his doctors, and could have appeared at any time in his life.
“They don’t know what caused it yet, but they are doing more tests,” he said.
Just a few weeks ago, the Pilates instructor was talking about her healing and fitness journey.
“50 is the new 30… but at 30 I was really out of shape and drinking myself silly. 50 is 50… Fitter and happier, but it takes WORK – hard emotional, physical, mental and spiritual work,” she wrote.
“I am lucky to have a team that supports me: therapists, trainers, a very small and close-knit group of friends and my family. Exercise is for MENTAL HEALTH, not for a good body, and the rest will follow.”
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