Amanda Goff: I felt higher than ever – and it nearly value me my life

For Amanda Goff 50 was the new 30. She was fitter and healthier than she had ever been and hadn’t touched drugs or alcohol for six years.

But her heart was holding a deadly secret – and on Monday, when she was supposed to be heading overseas on holiday, it was revealed. 

Now she is bedridden in hospital after surgery and expecting to stay there for at least a week.  

The former escort, who rose to fame as Samantha X, has NSVT or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia and SVT – sustained ventricular tachycardia. The potentially deadly conditions can cause a heart to simply ‘stop pumping’.  

They can also cause moderate-to-severe chest pain, fainting or feeling like you might faint, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing at rest. 

Doctors urge people to head to emergency to have any of these symptoms investigated.

Speaking to FEMAIL Amanda, who is now focused on her career as a Pilates instructor, revealed she had been getting light headed for months – mostly when walking her dog. 

In fact the idea that she might pass out on one of these walks was so real, that she’d all but stopped going. 

‘Whenever I exerted myself I would start feeling faint, like I would be walking and have to just sit down on the pavement,’ she said. 

Amanda Goff, 50, has revealed her shock health diagnosis 

She had been feeling amazing and described herself as the fittest she had ever been before she landed in hospital 

‘I stopped going because I didn’t want to pass out.’

Her lightheaded spells came on suddenly and were over almost as quickly. 

‘It had been happening for a few months here and there, bad enough for me to have to sit and put my head between my legs.

‘But only lasted about 30 seconds,’ she added.

Amanda had put her dizzy spells and light headedness down to perimenopause and told herself women feel faint from time to time.

But before she went on holiday she decided to head to her GP just to be sure.

‘I have collapsed on a plane before and didn’t want to do that again,’ she said.

Concerned by her symptoms, the doctor referred her to NSW cardiology which runs out of St Vincent’s Hospital.

She was put on a heart monitor over the weekend and the results landed her a long stay on the ward, and surgery.

‘I feel very lucky, I have been inundated with comments from women who have had this,’ Amanda said.

Amanda will now likely be on pills for the rest of her life, to make sure she’s safe.

Though if her condition worsens this week or her body doesn’t take to the medication then she might need to have a defibrillator implanted to keep her heart beating to the right rhythm.

‘We don’t talk about women’s heart health which is what led me to believe hormones were to blame,’ she said.

Amanda was becoming light headed when she walked her dog – but initially put it down to hormones

She also thought maybe she was tired, more stressed than she thought or less fit.

Though she oddly never had the episodes during Pilates. 

The condition is genetic, according to her doctors, and could have popped up at any time in her life.

‘They don’t know what has triggered it just yet, but are doing more tests,’ she said. 

Just weeks ago the Pilates instructor was talking about her healing and fitness journey.

’50 is the new 30… but I was really unfit and boozed up at 30. 50 is 50.. Fitter and happier but it takes WORK: emotional, physical, mental and spiritual hard work,’ she wrote.

‘I am lucky enough to have a team to help me, therapists, trainers, a very tight small close knit group of girlfriends and my family. Exercise for MENTAL HEALTH not a good body, and the rest will follow.’