We Are Emotional Beings and Rhetoric is the Fuel That Feeds the Fire
After beating cancer, heart failure was this retired nurse's next opponent
"Once my cancer was gone, I thought I was a healthy person. Now I know I am a person who is learning to live with a chronic disease."
After battling breast cancer twice since 2002, Mary-Ann Browne thought she had finally conquered her health issues. Then, a couple of years ago, she was diagnosed with heart failure.
"The first sign was when I experienced a shortness of breath while I was shopping," she says. "I took my pulse and noticed it was irregular. I had a cold at the time, so thought that might be the problem." Although Browne is a retired nurse, she never suspected her heart.
She consulted her doctor, who thought she might have bronchitis or pneumonia and gave her antibiotics. "A week later I wasn't any better, so he repeated the antibiotics," she says. Yet a subsequent chest x-ray showed her lungs were normal.
The shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat continued and Browne found she could no longer sleep lying down. When she noticed her abdomen had become distended, she went to an emergency clinic. "Before I knew it, I was in a room having an ECG. I was totally shocked. I couldn't understand why they were focusing on my heart."
The diagnosis was devastating: atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema. "When this cardiac thing happened, it came out of the blue. My first question was, what was the cause? There was no family history, I wasn't diabetic, I didn't have high blood pressure and I was physically active."
Browne's experience is not uncommon. According to a 2018 Heart and Stroke Health Report, heart disease is the leading cause of premature death for women in Canada. In fact, five times as many women die from heart disease as breast cancer.
After the diagnosis, Browne's life changed forever. "I went from taking just three vitamins to 14 pills a day, including diuretics, beta blockers, anti-coagulants and potassium," she says. "I couldn't have salt. I couldn't be active — everything was no, no, no. I couldn't even talk on the phone for longer than five minutes because it took so much effort."
The hardest part for Browne was having to give up Tai Chi and skiing. "I also had a cruise planned, but it all came to a screeching halt."
It took time for her to accept the new limitations on her lifestyle — and the emotions that accompanied them. "But once I got over the initial anger and depression, I decided I had to learn how to cope," she says.
Browne says she was fortunate to have a wide circle of supportive friends, as well as access to a cardiologist to help her through the process. She also returned to the therapist who had supported her after her cancer diagnosis.
Then, Browne received some positive news: Her doctor prescribed a treatment she believed would help improve the symptoms she was experiencing.
New diagnostic technologies and drug therapies are increasingly showing promise in improving heart disease outcomes", says Dr. Sean Virani, senior medical advisor for Cardiac Services BC and president of the Canadian Heart Failure Society.
Thanks to access to an innovative treatment for her heart condition, Browne has now returned to her Tai Chi classes and has also taken up swimming.
However, she did have to forego a trip to Panama because of the high altitudes. "Those things still bother me," she admits. The biggest lesson she has learned from the experience is that living with heart disease is an ongoing process. "It was hard for me to accept that I can't control everything and that I have to adjust my lifestyle. Cutting back on activity bothered me a lot, but I understand now that I have to go more slowly."
Browne says she's in a different place now. "Once my cancer was gone, I thought I was a healthy person. Now I know I am a person who is learning to live with a chronic disease."
All treatment options have benefits and risks which vary by individual. Patients should consult their doctor to determine the most appropriate option.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia's commercial content division and Patient Stories, on behalf of Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) and an IMC member company.
Source: https://montrealgazette.com/sponsored/patient-diaries-sponsored/after-beating-cancer-heart-failure-was-this-retired-nurses-next-opponent
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