Having been a physician for over 24 years, patient care can become routine and robotic. This past week was a little different. I encountered a patient with a condition that I had never treated before. Learning how to treat a new medical condition lights me up!
My patient was an older lady close to 80. She came in 'feeling poorly' for the last few months. Her husband had died from a chronic illness almost 15 years ago and she never remarried. Despite the fact that she had a bad back that kept her in constant pain, she still tried to remain active. She attended regular outings of her red hat society and other senior activities. She was a delight to interview. We admitted her to the hospital and began running a battery of tests to find out what was the problem.
By the next day, her test results started to come in. Her heart enzyme muscles were dangerously high. She had never complained of chest pains to explain this. We requested a heart specialist to see her. She had a heart test called an echocardiogram done. The results of the test showed that she had a heart condition called Takasubo Cardiomyopathy.
OK before your eyes glaze over I know that sounds like a mouthful doesn't it? But, let me gently break the news to you- it is also called 'Broken Heart Syndrome'!
You may recall from my article last week how I wrote about many medical conditions that stress could either worsen or cause. I did mention that stress could cause heart disease.
This kind of stress related heart problem is different. It causes the heart to balloon up on the bottom. It also weakens the muscle of the heart so that it does not beat as strong. It causes the heart pump to fail.
It was first described in Japan. And it is common among women. The kicker is that it can be caused by either intense emotional or physical stress. That is anything from medical illness, to domestic abuse, heated arguments, devastating financial loss, the death of a close relative. The list goes on.
We are not exactly certain the exact way that this causes damage in the heart. We do know that it is related to a large amount of epinephrine released into the bloodstream.
It also has the same symptoms as a heart attack like chest pain. Some patients may have shortness of breath (like my patient) or have a fainting spell.
I share this with you because it became clear to me that just as stress is insidious in our lives so are its effects.
Who would believe that a heart could really be broken from our life experiences?
The sad thing is that a broken heart never mends a 100%.
The truth is that there are far too many women out there just like my patient. They are going through life oblivious to the effects of stress on their lives. They are our sisters, neighbors, mothers, co-workers, and yes, us.
How many times have you felt a twinge of chest pain and chalked it down to 'just stress'? Now I'm not saying to you that every twinge that you feel is a heart attack about to happen. What I am saying is that as women we have been given an 'innate knowingness' about our bodies. It's called a woman's intuition. It is that intuition that signals that heart pain (ache). Then we dismiss it as 'only stress'.
I do not want to see one more woman suffer from a broken heart.
It remains my mission to share with you how to live a 'stress less' life by enhancing your wellbeing.
Things you can do starting today:
- Pay attention to the signals that your body sends to you. Be still, take notice, and check within.
- If these symptoms persist please have them checked by your physician.
- If you are not satisfied with the answer that your physician gives you please be persistent. Don't get blown off.
- Create a support network.
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