Posted on 10/20/2017 11:24:20 AM PDT by Red Badger
Joanie Simpson woke early one morning with a terrible backache. Her chest started hurting when she turned over.
Within 20 minutes, she was at a local emergency room. Soon she was being airlifted to a hospital in Houston, where physicians were preparing to receive a patient exhibiting the classic signs of a heart attack.
But tests at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute -Texas Medical Center revealed something very different. Doctors instead diagnosed Simpson with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a condition with symptoms that mimic heart attacks. It usually occurs following an emotional event such as the loss of a spouse or child. That link has given the illness its more colloquial name: broken-heart syndrome.
In Simpson’s case, the event that she says tipped her over the edge was the recent death of her beloved Yorkshire terrier, Meha.
“I was close to inconsolable,” she said. “I really took it really, really hard.”
Simpson’s 2016 experience is described this week in the New England Journal of Medicine — not because of the dog’s role, according to one of her doctors, Abhishek Maiti, but because hers was a “very concise, elegant case” of a fascinating condition that research has established as quite real and sometimes fatal. Although not the first published case linking broken-heart syndrome to stress over a pet’s death, it underscores something many animal owners take as a given: that grieving for sick or deceased pets can be as gutting as grieving for humans.
A growing body of research supports this notion, which was echoed in a recent study that found pet owners with chronically ill animals have higher levels of “caregiver burden,” stress and anxiety. It’s the flip side of evidence that links pets to health and happiness, which gets more attention. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Otis Blackwell and Jimmy Jones (1960):
I fix broken hearts, I know
But I truly can
Losing a beloved dog is like losing a member of the family. Been there, done that and it hurts a lot. I’ve often said that a loyal dog is the closest thing to unconditional love you will ever see in this life.
OMG!
I cry when my dogs die, but this is taking things too far.
Beloved pet or not, it is just a dog/cat/etc., the left really
has succeeded in getting people to believe that pet animals
are the equivalent to human beings.
How utterly pathetic.
Jimmy Ruffin
“What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted”
As I walk this land of broken dreams
I have visions of many things
But happiness is just an illusion
Filled with sadness and confusion
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe
The roots of love grow all around
But for me they come a tumblin’ down
Every day heartaches grow a little stronger
I can’t stand this pain much longer
I walk in shadows searching for light
Cold and alone, no comfort in sight
Hoping and praying for someone to care
Always moving and going nowhere
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Help me
I’m searching though I don’t succeed
But someone look, there’s a growing need
All is lost, there’s no place for beginning
All that’s left is an unhappy ending
Now what becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
I’ll be searching everywhere
Just to find someone to care
I’ll be looking everyday
I know I’m gonna find a way
Nothing’s gonna stop me now
I’ll find a way somehow
I’ll be searching everywhere...
It probably sounds silly, I’m an old guy who has been married for almost 50 years. I love my wife and have a really great marriage, we have fun together and do a lot together. We share the same values, all that makes life good. About 7 years ago I got a rescue German Shepherd. She is a great friend and follows me everywhere. Most stores I go to she is right beside me. If I leave the house she doesn’t leave the door waiting for my return.
I have become more attached to this animal than I could ever believe anyone could be attached to an animal. The dog loves me and I her. It might be silly but I totally understand this broken heart syndrome.
I like my dog better than most humans I know. He doesn’t judge, he’s loyal and won’t stab you in the back, and I think he’d probably die for me.
“How utterly pathetic.”
There is no such thing as “just a dog”. You are utterly pathetic.
Broken heart is a real thing
“It might be silly but I totally understand this broken heart syndrome.”
Not silly. Happened to me 11/16/09. Almost killed me. I’ll never forget.
From this link,
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/10/20/woman-diagnosed-with-broken-heart-syndrome-after-loss-beloved-dog.html
it states this heart condition generally happens to women from 58 to 75.
This woman did survive but was also dealing with selling property, a son having back surgery, and an unemployed son in law - seems the death of her beloved dog was the icing on the cake.
Dancing on someone’s sorrow? You know there are people out there that don’t have a spouse, and their family is not around or deceased. All of God’s creatures are special in some way.
I make the distinction between human and animal. They are not the same.
Also, Del Shannon and James Taylor.
That’s fine, never said they were(the same), but I still stand by my statement.
Not sure I agree with that. Dogs have more love in their hearts than most of humanity.
“literally broke”.
Signs of, but not actual. Typical drama queen headline.
The dumbing down of America on display.
I understand, and you and I have different points of view on this issue.
Have a nice day, FRiend! :^)
The more I learn about people, the more I prefer dogs.
Trust me, your dog IS better than most humans you meet. I know mine are (and two of them are Chihuahuas, not exactly the most sociable breed, but Mrs. Spook loves them).
“My” dog is a Basset Hound. Loveable, loyal and always ready for a pit stop at Krispy Kreme.
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