The Shape of your Heart

I sat yesterday and pondered, can you die of a broken heart? I began to grapple with the idea yesterday. I work in a level 3 ER that has a STEMI lab- so we see the absolute worst heart patients. A few weeks ago we saw a young woman in the ER- her symptoms: chest pain x 2 days, squeezing pain, no radiation, with shortness of breath. Based off of these symptoms a true heart attack was unlikely (but not improbable). However a full work up was done on her.  As we continued to monitor her I had a chat with her; she told me that she had been going through a rough time- her relationship was rocky at best. She said that they had recently had a huge fight 2 days ago (the onset of her chest pain) and hurtful things were said.

I continued on with my day not thinking much of my conversation when it dawned on me- she had Broken Heart Syndrome (BHS).

The heart is such an amazing organ. It pumps and oxygenates blood, allowing us to live. When your heart ceases beating; life ceases. But how does an organ that seems to have nothing to do with our feelings, sense our emotions? Shouldn't it be our head? The organ that is quintessentially regarded as our feeling organ? 

I once heard a story of a woman whose husband had recently passed. They had been married for 40 years. They had 5 kids and 14 grandchildren. Her and her husband had made a beautiful life together. They were eachothers best friend. Partners in life. Soulmates. The woman plagued with sadness began to experience health problems shortly after his passing. To no surprise shortly after his passing, she joined him. Everyone said she died of a broken heart. I could not believe that story at the time. It felt so improbable to blame death on a broken heart. Perhaps she had something else wrong with her- given her age and other risk factors. But as time progresses, I have began to change my mind on the subject, perhaps you can in fact die of a broken heart.

Stress Cardiomyopathy is what we colloquially call Broken Heart Syndrome and it does feel like a heart attack. Periods of high stress can cause the Sympathetic Nervous System to go into "fight or flight" mode, which releases high levels of Adrenaline. The high levels can stun the heart by the flood entering it and cause it to not pump properly. That is the heart "squeezing" we feel. 

Takotsubo is what it is called in Japan. Researchers there concluded that the left ventricle takes on an unusual shape during periods of BHS. It looks like a fishing pot! They also concluded that if the heart is not able to pump blood out properly due to this, the patient can experience heart failure (i.e. dying of a broken heart). 

But does this mean that everyone with BHS dies? No. Absolutely not. If that were the case we'd likely be extinct by now. The heart (and body) is a fantastic machine that heals. Someone can be critically ill with BHS on Monday and by the end of the week on their road to recovery. The heart is miraculous and recovers fairly easily.

So I would like to ask you all, what shape is your heart today? No matter what shape it is today,  I can assure you that time heals all. Take care of your body, exercise, eat well, live, keep loving, laugh. All things will pass, and happiness will come. If you are hurting, heal your heart with me. I know what you are going through. There is no reason to be alone. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to drop me a line. I'm a great listener.

All the best,

Carmen

Healthy Pesto Chicken and Rice Recipe

I'm baaaackkk!!! I'm so sorry I have been gone :( I have missed writing so much, but I have been so busy with studying for the MCAT ( a test from Hell- I WISH I WAS JOKING! But I think that the devil literally FEDEX'd it up to the living world, ughhhhh).  I am taking my test on the 21st of the month, and despite studying, I feel unprepared :( Hopefully I will feel prepared come test day.  The MCAT is the medical school admissions test, which is required you take prior to applying to medical school. It goes over things I learned in school : Biology, organic chemistry, general chemistry, physics, and reading comprehension. It's a hard dense test, which guards the gates of med school. Wish me luck. I'm less than 2 weeks away. I honestly can't wait to be a doctor. I'm so fortunate to have a supportive family and partner that have been more than accommodating to my study schedule. It can't be easy to deal with someone who is constantly stressed out and busy studying, but they understand... I'm so lucky...

To celebrate my return, I wanted to share with you all a delicious recipe that I made today. Super easy, and super clean. This will surely fuel your fat burning diet, and help you look hot in your bikini this summer: This recipe is delicious and under 300 calories!! :o

Pesto Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe... YUM!

You will need:

• 3 ounces of cooked chicken
• 2 tsp of Pesto
• 1/4 cup cooked Brown Rice
• 1 cup steamed chopped Broccoli

Cut chicken up into bite size pieces. Combine with rice and chopped broccoli.  Add pesto, and mix.

Enjoy!!! 

XoXo

-Carmen