Broken Heart Syndrome Really Does Exist
How many times have you heard someone say they’re so sad about something that they have a broken heart? More often than not, they don’t really have a broken heart but it can actually happen. Broken heart syndrome is a serious medical condition caused by sadness.
When Janet Ghise’s 14-year-old dog, Maggie died unexpectedly at a kennel while she was on vacation, she was devastated.
“She was just the nicest dog,” said Ghise.
So upset, she nearly died of a broken heart.
“I said to my husband, ‘I’m going to the doctor’s, to the cardiologist, to see if he can fix my broken heart.’ It’s exactly what I said,” Ghise said.
Luckily, she just happened to have a doctor’s appointment a few days later.
“To tell you the truth, I was really short of breath, but I didn’t put any weight on it. I thought, well, this is because I’m upset,” she said.
“She walked into the office, and she just did not look well,” said Dr. Jeffrey Friedel, a cardiologist. “She was very pale; she was breaking out in a cold sweat. She was short of breath, and she was complaining of a lot of chest pressure.”
He sent her to the hospital where a heart cath showed the problem, an actual illness called broken heart syndrome.
“The heart becomes severely weakened in a very characteristic shape, and it’s usually in response to an intensely stressful event,” said Dr. Friedel. “They can be in heart failure, they can be in shock; and in the worst case scenario, they can present in full cardiac arrest.”
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/12/20/broken-heart-syndrome-really-does-exist/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Should show up on ultrasound....
This is something that anyone who suffers a negative life event should be aware of.
The good news is a broken heart is very treatable...
For this and for going to the effort you do here.
