Category: Heart Sisters

– posts here focus on general topics about women and heart disease

Negative vs. positive experiences: what you remember may depend on emotions

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 1 Comment

  by Carolyn Thomas   ♥  Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

If I asked you about the exact moment you were diagnosed with heart disease, would you be able to remember that moment? Research suggests that most of us (whatever our serious diagnosis) can clearly recall, often in surprisingly precise detail, the exact words used by the physician who broke the news to us – even decades later.

But what if I asked you what you had for breakfast last Tuesday?

The difference between those two questions about remembering seems obvious, because hearing a frightening new diagnosis is fraught with emotion. A bowl of oatmeal?  Not so much.
Continue reading “Negative vs. positive experiences: what you remember may depend on emotions” →

Implantable cardiac defibrillator shocks vs. “careful and kind” end-of-life care

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 8 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

Here’s how I defined implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD)  in my patient-friendly, jargon-free glossary:  small battery-operated electronic device that’s surgically inserted into the chest to treat life-threatening heart rhythm problems.  An implanted ICD is almost like having a tiny Emergency Department at the ready, right inside your own chest, capable of delivering a shock strong enough to restore a struggling heart’s normal rhythm, thus helping to prevent sudden cardiac arrest.

But what happens when the ICD patient is not dying from a heart rhythm problem – but from a terminal medical condition?     Continue reading “Implantable cardiac defibrillator shocks vs. “careful and kind” end-of-life care” →

The most popular Heart Sisters article in 2024

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

What an experience looking back over this past year here at Heart Sisters World Headquarters has been.  In the early spring of 2024, for example, my book publisher (Johns Hopkins University Press) asked me out of the blue if I’d write a second edition of the book. I said NO, then I said YES, then I said DEFINITELY NO!  (More on that decision chaos in “Throws are Far More Important Than Catches” )   Continue reading “The most popular Heart Sisters article in 2024” →

Revisiting this craving for post-holiday solitude

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 12 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas   ♥  Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

At this busy countdown march through the holiday season, I find myself physically craving some delicious solitude, and I’m wondering if you too are looking forward to some post-holiday time on your own.

Don’t get me wrong:  I’ve truly been enjoying the lights and music of the season, our family’s group cabbage-rolling and perogy-pinching work bees prepping for Christmas Eve dinner, the unmatchable joy of watching grandkids excited about Santa, and the contagious open-heartedness I encounter even from passing strangers. I love those moments!

But if you’re like me, and are thinking seriously about learning to enjoy more me-time, remember that you may have to schedule it on your calendar. Treat it like it’s the important appointment it is – an appointment with yourself.
Continue reading “Revisiting this craving for post-holiday solitude” →