What You Don’t Know Could Kill You
Human life is fraught with built-in perils. Most of us go along our merry way, either never thinking about “the end” or trying not to do so.
This morning, I woke up to a very kind invitation to join Facebook’s Sudden Cardiac Arrest Syndrome group, as a Fan. This heart condition is genetically-based and can affect athletes, children, and others. No one is immune from it, and it can strike at any time.
In my family, it took the lives of my two brothers, at ages 50 and 53. Then, it hit my only sister, who was resuscitated immediately but, with other complications, was in treatment for months. She is still living.
What happens? Unlike a standard heart attack per se, in a sudden cardiac arrest the “electrical wiring of the body stops working.” That is how the condition was explained to me. In other words, the brains forgets to send a message to the heart to keep on pumping.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney is one who suffers from this malady. He has had a defibrillator installed, a small device that triggers the heart to begin beating again.
This heart condition can be determined by an EKG to see if a person has “Long Q-T,” a medical term that refers to arrythmia, or an irregular heart beat. Some cardiologists will prescribe Beta Blocker pills, that is, unless the patient is taking other medications that contraindicate that choice.
On the news, we often hear of children athletes who literally drop dead while running or playing a sport. It was reported that a full 50% of people who suffer from this syndrome are not treated until after their first attack, and 50% will not survive their first attack.
For those of us who cannot take preventive medications, like pills, every day is like lying on a bed with the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads by a thin piece of thread.
Why am I telling you this? As with anything else, “Knowledge is power.” Addressing this potential situation with your physician, during your next visit, could save your life. People with Sudden Cardiac Arrest Syndrome are most at risk when at work, or exercising. We hear of many policemen and fireman who succumb to this disease. That is related to having to jolt into action on a moment’s notice.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month, as well as the “Awareness Month” for several other organizations/causes of which I cannot recall their names, at the moment. Heart Health should be in our awareness, every month, and for that reason, I share this message.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications – Won’t you join us on Facebook?
