Tag: WomenHeart

Stupid things that doctors say to heart patients

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 22 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas

“It’s definitely not your heart – it’s just acid reflux!” That was the first regrettable (and wrong) thing that the E.R. doctor said to me, despite my textbook heart attack symptoms of crushing chest pain, sweating, nausea, and pain radiating down my left arm. When I raised the  topic of stupid comments on Inspire’s WomenHeart online community, cardiac survivors jumped right in.

These women were all too happy to share some of the real-life comments that physicians have actually said out loud to them.  Most of these dismissive comments were made shortly before these patients subsequently had to undergo life-saving cardiac procedures.  Each comment is true; the names of the physicians have not been disclosed in order to protect the stupid (a word, by the way, which I’m using here in its most charitable dictionary definition: “lacking common sense, dazed, unable to think clearly”).  Here goes:   Continue reading “Stupid things that doctors say to heart patients” →

Heart disease – not just a man’s disease anymore

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 9 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Tragically, women may still come up short when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Sharonne Hayes, cardiologist and founder of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota spoke recently to staff from WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease . 

Learn more here about why the inequities of this cardiology gender gap continue, and how women can empower themselves and others to achieve equal and quality care for their hearts:  Continue reading “Heart disease – not just a man’s disease anymore” →

Heart attack: did you bring this on yourself?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 11 Comments

food junk

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

In the early hours, days and weeks following my heart attack, many conversations with family and friends started the same way: “How could this have happened to YOU?” – followed by an expectant pause during which I was supposed to explain myself.  If only I’d been a chain-smoker, or had been living with diabetes, or hadn’t been a distance runner for almost 20 years.   It would have somehow seemed more comforting to them, because it might mean that my heart disease was self-inflicted, that something like this could never touch them.  Continue reading “Heart attack: did you bring this on yourself?” →

When I’m 64: aging and women’s heart disease

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 2 Comments

woman computer 3

“The frightening thing about middle age is knowing you’ll grow out of it.”  – Doris Day

WomenHeart, September 2009 – “These days, many women like hearing that 40 is the new 30, but recent studies point to declining life expectancy rates among women, as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure rates increase.

“Many women do know that they face significant heart health hurdles as they head into their golden years, but successfully navigating those challenges can be tricky for someone of any age. While women can still expect an average life expectancy of around 80 years of age, it’s no fun to spend those years in poor health.   Continue reading “When I’m 64: aging and women’s heart disease” →