Tag: Dr. Lynne Warner Stevenson

What this heart patient wants for Christmas is NOT in a gift box. . .”

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 14 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    @HeartSisters 

My family tells me I’m “impossible” when it comes to picking out a gift for me. I am rarely able to offer them even a single helpful hint. Instead, I plead with Santa every year not to bring me “more stuff”. I don’t want stuff. One only has to visit the average yard sale to witness the inevitable future graveyard of all that stuff. Aside from absolute necessities of life (like groceries or my paper crafting supplies), there are few things I now need or even want.

Well, there are some things that I do need and want, but none come from a store or a gift box. I’ve been focused mainly on one such wish list item these days: feeling safe.  (Are you listening, Santa?) Continue reading “What this heart patient wants for Christmas is NOT in a gift box. . .”” →

Is heart “FAILURE” out? And heart “FUNCTION” in?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 11 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas   ♥   @HeartSisters   

Recently, I was thrilled to read that New York cardiologist Dr. Anu Lala-Trindade had asked her audience at a heart failure conference in Cleveland why physicians were still using the word “FAILURE” to describe this condition.  As she smartly pointed out to her colleagues, pulmonologists who specialize in treating lung problems are not called “lung failure doctors”. Podiatrists who specialize in foot problems aren’t “foot failure doctors”. You get the drift.  Yet every day, cardiologists (mostly in North America) are still telling their patients out loud that their hearts are “FAILING” – as if they aren’t actually paying attention to the words they’re using.       .   Continue reading “Is heart “FAILURE” out? And heart “FUNCTION” in?” →

Chronic heart failure: the true heartache of living with “FAILURE”

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 10 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    @HeartSisters 

 An Australian study published this month explores two elements that seem pretty darned important to patients and their families following a diagnosis of chronic heart failure (CHF) – yet may often appear to be minimized or even dismissed by healthcare professionals.  In this study, participants were asked to report their lived experience through two key themes:  1. Heartache and 2. Living with Failure.             .
Continue reading “Chronic heart failure: the true heartache of living with “FAILURE”” →

Revisiting: “All I want for Christmas is NOT in a gift box”

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 21 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas     ♥    @HeartSisters 

My family tells me I’m “impossible” when it comes to picking out a gift for me. I am rarely able to offer them even a single helpful hint. Instead, I plead with them most years not to buy me “more stuff”.  I don’t want stuff. One only has to visit the average yard sale to witness the inevitable future graveyard of all that stuff. Bread machines. Chia pets. Exercise bikes. Candles. Aside from absolute necessities of life (like groceries or my paper crafting supplies), there are few things I now need or want.

Well, there are things I need and want, but hardly any of them come from a store or in gift boxes. I made a list of these last December. Let’s revisit that list to see if Santa was paying attention.        Continue reading “Revisiting: “All I want for Christmas is NOT in a gift box”” →