The'Widowmaker'Isn'tHuman,ButItTakesMany,

ManyLives
World|SuePalmer,TheWashingtonPost|Updated:March08,201609:47IST

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ThankstoherhusbandTimPalmerencouragingatriptoVanderbiltUniversityMedicalCenter,SuePalmersurvivedawidowmakerheartattacklastyear.

Inmyyearsasaprosecutor,Isawplentyofviolence,includingmanydeaths.Somewereaccidental,butsomeweretheworkofkillers,
evenserialkillers.Ihavealwaysbeenfascinatedbyserialkillers.Howdotheychoosetheirvictims?Howisitthattheycantakealifeso
easily?Istudiedthem,triedtounderstandtheirbehavior.NoneofthatpreparedmeforthedayImetaserialkillerofadifferentsorta
medicalonewiththeominousname"thewidowmaker"thathadcomeforme.
OnTuesday,Jan.13,2015,Isuddenlybecamewideawakeat5a.m.Ilayinbedwithmyeyesopenformaybeaminute,thinking,
"Hmm,thisisweird,"andthen,"Ifeelkindoffunny."Withinabout30secondsIrushedtothebathroomandthrewup.Ifeltverycoldand
climbedbackintobedwithmyhusbandandsnuggledbackunderthecovers.Aminutelater,though,IknewIwasgoingtobesickagain.
IfiguredIwascomingdownwithavirus,butitwasstrangehowsuddenlyithadcomeon.
Myhusband,Tim,wasconcerned.Hesatbesideme,feltmycold,clammyforeheadandsaidIjustlookedsopale.Thenhewhispered,
"Let'sgototheemergencyroom."Ilaughed."Why?"Iasked.Hereplied,"Youcouldbehavingaheartattack."
Tim'sfatherhaddiedofaheartattackatage64afterfeelingtheclassicstabbingchestpainandheavinessinthechestthatyoualways
associatewithaheartattack.Butthatwasn'tme.Iwas46,Ijusthadabitofabug,probablya24hourthing.Ijustneededalittlerest.
Timwouldn'thaveit,though.
Andso30minuteslaterwewalkedintotheemergencyroomattheVanderbiltUniversityMedicalCenter,wherehalfjokinglyIsaid,"My
husbandthinksImaybehavingaheartattack."
IfyouwanttogetpastthefirststageattheERquickly,thatisthewaytodoit.Theywalkedmedirectlytothebackandtoldmetohavea
seat.TheybroughtoveraportableEKGmachineandhookedmeup.Whentheresultscamebackafewminuteslater,theERdoctor
said,"Hmm.Well,itappearstobealittleabnormal,butit'shardtobelieveyou'rehavingaheartattack.""Iknow,"Isaid,rollingmyeyes
andfeelingembarrassed.

Suesufferedfromwhatiscommonlyreferredtoasawidowmakerheartattackbutthankstotheearlydetectionandencouragementfrom
herhusbandtoheadtothehospitalshe'salivetoday.
Heaskedmeabunchofquestions.Nope,Idon'thavechestpain.Nope,Idon'tsmoke.Nope,mycholesterolisnormal.Nope,Idon't
haveanyhistoryofheartproblemsinmyfamily.Iexerciseregularly.Ieatwell.Ihaveneverhadasurgeryorevenbeenseriouslyill.
Gee,IhaveneverevenhadanIV.I'msuperhealthy.HecommentedthatIlookhealthy,amnotoverweight,ingoodshape.Hedecided
todoanotherEKGin10minutesorso.
Abitlater,withtheresultsofthatsecondEKGinherhand,anurselookedatmeandsaid,"Thingsaregoingtostarthappeningreally
fast.Inacoupleofminutestherearegoingtobealotofpeopleinthisroom,movingveryfast.Idon'twantyoutobescared."Isaid,
"Okay."Iwasn'tscared.Istillfeltfineand,asfarasIknew,allwaswell.Ididn'tfeelsickanymore,orevenfunny.
ThenextthingIknow,Iwasonagurneywithtremendousactivityaroundme.Onepersonwaspullingoffmyclothes,anotherwas
stickinganeedleintomyleftarm,anotherintomyrightarm.Therewereatleastfourothernursesanddoctorsmovingaroundfast,doing
Idon'tknowwhat.Atthatpoint,Istartedtocry.SuddenlyIwasscared.
Frommyrightcameagentlevoice.Ilookedovertoamaninawhitecoat,whotookmyhand."MynameisDr.Fredi.Iamthebossofall
thesepeople.Wearegoingtotakeyouupstairsandseewhatisgoingonwithyourheart,"hesaid."Ifthereissomethingwrong,Iam
goingtofixit.I'lltreatyoujustlikeamemberofmyownfamily."Isaid,"Okay,"Timgavemeakissand,inaflash,Iwasoff.
Theytookmetoabigroomwhereeverythingwaswhiteandtherewerebrightlights,alotofmedicalequipmentandabunchofpeoplein
scrubs.Atleastthat'swhatIrecall.Irememberpeopletellingme,"Dr.Frediisthebest,andhewilltakegoodcareofyou."ThenIwas
out.
WhenIawoke,Iwasinadifferentbedinadifferentroom.Timwasthere.HetoldmethatIhadhadamajorheartattack,thatIwasinthe
processofhavingitwhenwewenttothehospital,andthatJosephFredi,aninterventionalcardiologist,hadbeenabletostopitinits
tracks.Heliterallystoppedtheheartattackwhileitwashappeningbysuctioningoutabloodclotandputtingtwostentsintomyright
coronaryarterythroughatinyholehepiercedinmyrightwrist.
Fredihadtakenmeintothecatheterizationlabanddeterminedthatmyrightcoronaryarterywas100percentblocked,andthecenter
artery,calledtheLAD,was70percentblocked.LADblockageistheproblemtheycall"thewidowmaker,"becauseitisthemostfrequent
sourceofsuddendeath.Itkillsalotofpeople,including"Sopranos"starJamesGandolfiniandnewsmanTimRussert.(ComedianRosie
O'Donnellsurvivedhers.)Doctorssayit'satrueserialkiller.
Plaquehadrupturedinthewallofmyrightcoronaryartery,whichcausedtheclottoformandcanproducethesortofnauseathatmade
methrowup.Thatwasmyonlywarningsign.IfIhadgonebacktosleepthatmorning,asIhadwantedto,Imaynothaveawakened,
andifIdid,thereprobablywouldhavebeendevastatingdamagetomyheart.Asitwas,Ihadnodamage.
WhenIsatdowntowritethisstory,Iwonderedwhereitshouldend.IguessthemostimportantthingIcantellyouishowitdidn'tend.
HeartdiseaseistheNo.1killerofwomenintheUnitedStateswithnearly300,000deathsayearbutIsurvivedthisserialkiller.Ijust
passedtheoneyearanniversaryofmyheartattack.Itookanuclearstresstesttheotherday.Myheart,Fredisays,looksperfectly
healthy.Thereisnosignofscartissue,andI'mabletoleadanactivelifedoinganythingIwant.
Mygoodhealthisduetoonething:earlyintervention.Becausemyhusbandgotmetothehospitalsofast,Frediwasabletosaveme
andsavemyheart.Somylessonisthis:Don'tthinkitcan'thappentoyou.Justbecauseyou'reyoungandhealthy,becauseyoudon't
smokeordrink,becauseyouworkoutandyou'rethinandyoueatwellandyou'veneverhadanymedicalproblemsandyouhaveno
familyhistory,don'tthinkthatyoucan'thaveaheartattack.Youcan.
Theyarestillnotsurewhatcausedmine.

Theyarestillnotsurewhatcausedmine.
Iwouldtellyoutotrustyourinstinctsexceptinthiscasemyinstinctwastochalkupmysymptomstosomethingelseandtoworryabout
whetherthedoctorsandnurseswouldthinkIwascrazy.SoI'llsaydon'ttrustyourinstincts,ifyourinstinctsaretowaitandseewhat
happens.Whenyoujustdon'tfeelright,don'tignoreit.Fredisaysthat9outof10womenwithmysymptomswouldnothavegonetothe
hospital.Iwouldn'thavegoneeither,ifitweren'tforTim.
Manywomenhavenochestpain,notightness,nopaininthearmorjawuntilitismuchtoolate.Manywomensufferingaheartattack
simply"don'tfeelright,"justasIdid.Soifthathappens,don'tignorethefeelinganddon'tworryaboutsomeonethinkingyou'recrazy.
Getyourselfcheckedout.Theworstthingthathappensistheysendyouhomeandtellyouyou'refine.Youcanlivewiththat.
2016TheWashingtonPost
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StoryFirstPublished:March08,201609:47IST