Dr OZ show, 3pm, EST, topic HD #1 killer of women

This is my first chance to catch the Dr. Mehmet Oz show. Today the first segment opened with a young woman whose mother died of massive heart attack at 47. She had been going to doctors for an estimated 190 days with accelerating nausea and fatigue. Sent home repeatedly with antacid prescriptions. She died during the ER cath to save her life. Dr Oz said he looked over the autopsy report where it was noted she'd had previous multiple heart attacks.

Sound familiar ladies? This was certainly my story in my late 30s. I was fortunate that I survived the worst HA at 41....and that was also my first connection with any kind of cardiac care, where permanent damage from previous attacks were discovered and noted in the narrative.

Dr. Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon at NY Presbyterian w decades of heart and transplant experience. He stated that only about 20 percent of doctors in the US are aware that HA is the #1 killer of women and that the top 5 female HA symptoms are: pain(chest,back,neck,jaw,arm), dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, fatigue.

To spread the word to friends and family, go to drozshow.com and send the link to today's show. The fact that Dr. Oz is a male heart surgeon may make it easier for male family members to be receptive to what he is saying.

By scarlettsmommy
Posted October 7, 2009 at 4:32 pm
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Wow!! I can't wait to look it over - I was dismissed with it all being "in my head" and here is the number of a therapist - sure I had gone through multiple deaths in my family - sure I could have been depressed, but I wasn't and at 34 years old - I had a heart attack with months and months of symptoms... and many doctor visits. I know better now! Get the word out - thank you for posting this!!

By martzj
Posted October 7, 2009 at 5:00 pm
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It takes a minimum of 7-11 days for a heart to convert dead heart muscle to fibrous scar tissue that can withstand the vigorous pumping action it must do. Scar tissue cannot conduct electrical impulses to other cells, but this mostly cannot be detected in women (at this time) without a heart cath procedure. If a heart is discovered to already contain fibrous scar tissue, that means damage has occured weeks or months earlier. A starving heart feels 'heavy' and the body will feel relentlessly fatigued. This is what I call 'heart-tired'. This kind of tired is nothing like normal fatigue that one can awaken refreshed from after sleep. It is there continuously. Doctors don't seem to be aware of this distinction at this time. My experience was the fatigue never lessens, but continues to grow and grow until body movement can no longer be supported.

All the heart attack warning signs are well documented on the WomenHeart home page. THat is a great link to send off to your friends and family. Just click on the WomenHeart logo at the top of this screen to get there.

Jaynie

By careh
Posted October 8, 2009 at 1:01 am
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Jaynie...thank's as always for your informative posts! I am dealing with horrible fatigue these days in addition to my other troublesome symptoms. It (the fatigue), is there no matter how much I rest, and my arrythmias are so often now that it is unusual for me to feel good. I am always short of breath and get heavy chest pain even just walking from to room to room. I just wish I had a cardio who would take these things seriously instead of telling me that I just have a nuisance conditions (Microvascular angina, IST, and AV Node re-entrant), that I need to live with. There has to be more to life than living with bad symptoms.

Thank's again for helping to keep us informed!
Carolyn

By sternum
Posted October 8, 2009 at 7:08 am
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Jaynie:

Thanks for the heads-up on the Dr. Oz episode. I caught it last night @ 8 pm. Isn't it so typical to be dismissed out of hand for having indigestion and when the perscription doesn't work, we are just given something new instead of having the doctor look deeper.

When I had my HA, the FEMALE ER doc was still trying to convince me that it was a gallbladder attack when I finally passed out. One would only hope that female drs. would try to be informed even a bit more.

I still believe that when symptoms can be one of several things, the most life threatening should be tested for first. A very informative program.

Take care and be blessed --- Gloria ---

By goingstrong
Posted October 8, 2009 at 11:49 am
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Good find Jaynie! I don't have TV but can view some things on the Web.

I'll look for it! But we know the story............

Lynn

By DebBar
Posted October 8, 2009 at 12:46 pm
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I saw Dr. Oz on "Fox & Friends" the other morning. He had brought 2 hearts, both from 50 yr. olds. One was enlarged and one was normal. The difference in looks and texture was unbelieveable!

He talked some about the show he was having on women's heart disease and I wanted to see it so badly. Finally found which channel it was on in this area: it's one that I can't hardly pick up out here. ;-(

By scarlettsmommy
Posted October 8, 2009 at 3:31 pm
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Has anyone found the video online? I've been trying and can't locate the show... I am hoping maybe they'll have it on their site in a few days...

By iowachris
Posted October 8, 2009 at 3:40 pm
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Jaynie,

I've been watching since he started three weeks ago. I wish he could do a whole show just on that subject. Heck, he could probably do a season or two.

Anyway, I wish I was a good writer and lived in the area where he tapes his shows. He is asking on his website for people to write in with their health stories so they can be a guest on his show.

Maybe someone on this support group could become an advocate for us all. I know a lot of us young to old have nightmare stories that need to get out to all women.

Dr. Oz is a highly saught after cardiologist. He is open to healthy alternatives. He has an hour show. I was tempted to write him to just check out this site and read all the horror stories and the neglect in heart health care for women. But, I'm just not a good writer and you probably really need a nightmare story to grab the producers of that shows attention.

Thanks for bringing this subject up - I got on here to see if anyone else is watching Dr. Oz - and if not I was going to mention watching him.

By Linda_RS
Posted October 8, 2009 at 9:24 pm
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Thanks for sharing. I posted a request on theDoctors web site. This sounds like a similar show that discussions medical conditions. I never heard back.

By Kennarina
Posted October 9, 2009 at 10:14 am
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I missed this heart show! I have caught his new show a couple times - but I have to say that the disjointed, all over the map range of topics each day is bothersome. I'd so much like a really good overview of a single topic each day, rather than the ADHD approach.... :-) He's such a fabulous speaker - so I hate to see him clearly reading off the teleprompter virtually every word of the scripted show.

Part of me also wonders how much cardiology he has time to practise now with his new TV career! What a loss to heart patients...

The stats about docs knowing about women's heart disease are even worse than you think. At Mayo, we learned of a 2005 American Heart Association study that showed only 8% of primary care physicians are aware that heart disease kills more women than men each year. Even more shocking - only 17% of CARDIOLOGISTS are aware!! CARDIOLOGISTS!! This is their business! It's all they do!!!

Aaaarrrrrggggh! I think a male cardiologist like Dr. Oz might have more clout in educating doctors - but let's face it, how many of our docs are at home in the afternoons watching daytime TV shows?

XOXOXO

http://www.myheartsisters.org

By martzj
Posted October 9, 2009 at 1:26 pm
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Dr. Oz is a man on a genuine mission....to help people deal with realities of living in a human body and to improve daily quality of life. I believe he is still doing surgeries but he is such an effective communicator that he may be needed on the media frontlines more at this time. He's like the Carl Sagan of medicine....a visionary with a compassionate heart. Not sure he has the temperament for longer, more relaxed segments.

Jaynie

By martzj
Posted October 9, 2009 at 1:40 pm
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" At Mayo, we learned of a 2005 American Heart Association study that showed only 8% of primary care physicians are aware that heart disease kills more women than men each year."

I believe this is our front line target for educating doctors in the future. PCPs are the first doctor women typically visit and in the US, a patient generally MUST be referred to a cardiologist. Ergo, we need to be pushing hardest for updated upgraded gender treatment at the PCP level. At this time, PCPs only have a patient oral history (3-7 minutes) and a stethoscope and the old med school mythologies that women don't have heart attacks. I still take my 13 year old HA narrative copy that cleary states 'Damage: Permanent. Age 41.' He just can't grasp it was real unless I do.

Our best hope at this time may be to shoot for requiring PCPs send all women for cardiac workup at some point, as part of a REAL physical.

By Kennarina
Posted October 10, 2009 at 9:57 am
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Yes, wouldn't that be great? Much like they recommend mammograms after a certain age.

But at what age should this cardiac workup start? In your case - it should have been in your 30s. Somehow I can't see the medical profession suddenly recommending a major cardiac workup to every patient in her 30s!!

UNLESS...... I've heard that cardiac diagnostics for women will be changing rapidly in the next decade (I HOPE!) so that with two simple tests (blood test for C.Reactive Protein to pick up inflammation, plus a calcium scan that picks up calcium deposits in coronary arteries) docs will be able to catch heart disease early - instead of waiting until a catastrophic cardiac event happens.

We live in hope....

I hear what you're saying about Dr. Oz being needed on a wider stage than just in the O.R. He's able to reach millions per afternoon compared to the one O.R. patient he might treat in the same time period. Which is good.... But where I really hope he spends his non-broadcast time, rather than in the O.R, is in the lecture hall with med students. They are the real hope of the future for women heart patients.

My doctor friends pooh-pooh Dr. Oz on TV now as having gone 'show biz'. Entertainment does not equal education when it comes to docs! While Dr. Oz and his TV show may be highly educational for his (mostly) female TV audience, in reality working docs have little respect for those on-air TV 'experts'. It's almost like they think he has sold out by 'starring' in this daytime TV show with its quippy soundbites and superficial coverage of weighty issues.

The reaction here among my hospital friends is that female nurses like him - male docs just roll their eyes!

XOXOXO

http://www.myheartsisters.org

By martzj
Posted October 10, 2009 at 10:40 am
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Yep, scanning, detecting and diagnostic technology breakthroughs are the only way to swift upgrades in female patient treatments. Otherwise, it seems to take an average of 17 years for doctors to assimilate modern practices industry wide. I'm convinced technology improvements will drive the medical practice changes rather than the other way around.

Oz said on the Oprah show that women should take someone they trust with them to the cardiologist....then he turned to the audience and said 'that doesn't necessarily mean husbands ladies...they aren't particularly good at listening. Better to take a female with you.'

Which is why he's gearing his show to mostly female audiences. Some of his behavior has me rolling my eyes too : )....but I learned something in all 3 shows I've caught. He is an instinctive teacher. Tv shows have to be sound bitey because the average adult attention span here is 3-5 minutes (and newspapers are geared to 5th grade vocabulary).

Welcome to Inspire!

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