A 'FIT and healthy' woman's heart palpitations were 'dismissed by doctors as stress three times' before her shock death. Rhian Griffiths had been to hospital three times since September 2020 after suffering from breathlessness and a racing heart . The 32-year-old quantity surveyor underwent several tests but was discharged having been told her palpitations may be 'stress-related'.
In March last year, Rhian, who lived in Sale, Manchester, messaged the family group chat to say her heart was 'playing up again' - reassuring them 'not to panic'. However, hours later Rhian was found unresponsive by doctors and tragically died after going into cardiac arrest . Rhian's sister Ffion Griffiths-Armstrong said the hospital staff and Rhian's whole family were in 'complete shock' over the events.
The family were later told that Rhian had the undiagnosed heart condition myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart muscle, that's usually triggered by a virus and causes chest pains, palpitations and shortness of breath. The family believe Rhian had previously caught Covid, which may have caused the inflammation. Ffion said the second time Rhian went to the hospital with symptoms was following the Covid jab.
Ffion, who works in hospitality, said the health condition could've been treated if it hadn't been repeatedly 'missed' by doctors. Now, the 31-year-old is determined to raise awareness of what happened to her much-loved sister to prevent further deaths. Ffion said: "It was a bit random when .