Monday, February 26, 2007

Tako- tsubo...



Every day we learn new things, I know this is especially my case, working as a registered nurse. When I am done at work, I always have a list of things to look up, new medical terminologies and so forth. This weekend's newest addition to my learnings is about a condition called Takotsubo. The basics, it occurs in post menopausal women and it is a condition that makes you feel like you are having a major heart attack. Tako-tsubo is a Japanese term for "Octopus Trap". This is the shape that the left ventricle of the heart takes on after prolonged stress. Please have a quick look at the link there, it is very interesting. Stress reduction is the required treatment for this condition, only after ruling out any other etiologies.


Speaking of stress reduction, the move to our new house is now complete, yeah!!! It is nice to be here. The Sun is shining beautifully through the branches of the trees in the yard.

Today I am going to workout to my Bob Harper DVD and get in a warm up session on my exercise bike. Mia is a little under the weather so she will have a midday nap. Sarah's first full day at school begins today after previously finishing at 2pm. I begin assisting with the reading in her class tomorrow morning.

Hope your weekend has been a relaxing one, what did you do? What is something new that you have learnt? Share it here!!!


21 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a cool new disease to learn about. Bat nor I have ever heard about it.

Saturday we went to ice skating lessons. Saturday night Bat's sister, bro in law, and 3 kiddos went to the NHL hockey game.

Sunday I slept in cause I was hungover. Went to the grocery store and bought 3 boxes of Special K cereal to start a new diet. Came home slept some more.

Still have a headache.

Going to Outback Steakhouse for dinner for Ahi Tuna!!

Hope your weekend was good.

Keshi said...

**it occurs in post menopausal women

really? wow I better educate my mum abt it too. ty Caz!

Im glad ur enjoying ur new home. LOVELY trees there!


**Sarah's first full day at school begins today

good luck to the sweetie!


Keshi.

M said...

never heard of it (luckily I have some years to go before that anyway). thanks for the info. Um, aside from learning all my Reiki Master training stuff yesterday, I learned that Sunday is the busiest day at the Urgent Care (I waited for HOURS for the one doc ~~who told me Sundays are the busiest days there - who knew?to see my 3 year old - double ear infection...poor baby). Hope all is well down under!!! :)
~meredith

Melly` said...

How excitng for Sarah!

My Sara (21) let me sleep in this morning - my recovery from the events of the weekend (and indeed the last two weeks) The sleep in was BLISS.

I should go swimming with them for some exercise too.. but I have so much to do!

Am glad your settling happily into the new house!

Deadman said...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, all I could think about while watching all of that is just imagine if a woman's vagina acted that way during sex!

I know, I'm going to hell...

Ginnie said...

Thanks for reminding me to learn something new every day. I used to do that automatically ...
especially with words, but I've become lazy. Time to regenerate!

Anonymous said...

Hope your little one is feeling better.

It's cold and miserable here. Atleast in the "big city" there is underground shopping :)

Jay said...

It would seem like that would take a large amount of stress for things to get that far. I would think somebody who is under that kind of stress would indeed need to slow down and find a way to lessen the stress.

poody said...

Of course it has to happen to women! Does it ever stop?? I knew there was a reason for the way your heart ahces after a breakup. How nice to finally find out what that may be!Also probably what is going on with the talker in my office she has A fib too and had to be cardioverted a couple of weeks ago. I think this job is too stressful for her!Hell fire it's too stressful for me no wiat she is the stress factor for me Nevermind!

Anonymous said...

Over the last two weeks i have been doing an hour on the bike a day, Because I got "volunteered" for a bike ride (500 km) with my 67 Yo father..

Is she nervous about the first day? Hope she has fun:)

Whitesnake said...

I don't do weekends!

Every day is a weekend, just gotta know how to believe it!

Steph said...

Hats off to you Cazzie. What an incredible job you have. I could never do it.

My weekend was spent killing my liver and brain cells as i do every other weekend :P

Steven said...

Hey! Look at me! I'm learning new things too! ;)

Steve~

gawilli said...

This weekend I learned how to add an mp3 player to my blog. Not bad for an old and in the way like myself! Thanks for the heads up on Takotsubo. That is another thing I learned this weekend!

PeppyPilotGirl said...

That link was fascinating, Cazzie! And written so that even a medically uneducated person (me) could understand it. I liked the humor too - made it easier to understand. Thanks for the education!!!

What did I learn this weekend - nothing educational in the grand scheme. I did just learn that I am, again this month, not pregnant but that is hardly news as, despite our hopes to the contrary, it has happened every month (except two) for the last 6 years.

surfercam said...

I learnt that a fin is not always a shark.

Cazzie!!! said...

FC&F, yumm, I love special K, and yes, I also have another disease to write about at a later date, stay tuned.

Keshi, yup, am wrapt about the trees, and Sarah loved her big day at school.

Meredith, I hope your 3 year old is better soon. Yes, Sundays are the busiest, and Monday mornings too, in the ER that is.

Melly, sleep in, haha, what is that, LOL.

Ginnie, the net is good for rejuvinating isn't it??

QOD, we sure are honey, and ya know what, I got another one to show people in a day or two, very interesting, I always write down new conditions from my handover, even if it is not my patient, and then I learn something new.

Farmwifetwo, I like the term, "Big City"that is what Mia calls my work, "Your hostable in the big city mum!" lol

Jay Man, yeah, alot of stress, like traums from a car accident, living through the dealings of cancer, for a lady, bilateral mastectomy can really cause alot of stress, undoubtedly.

Poody, you said it, it does happen to us chix, as if we didn't do enough having kids and all, sheesh, hehe.

Aidan, well done, keep it up, our ED and some other departments enter into these fitness and fun runs and bike rides and stuff. They are a fit lot, some of them are personal trainers too.

Whitesnake, you crack me up mate, LOL.


Steven, glad to be of assistance. I am going to talk of another new ailment I learnt of too in a couple of days.


Gawilli, Maybe you can teach me about MP3 players then honey, we can help each other out there.

Peppypilot girl, that is it, I wouldn't have put up a link that was all medical in terminology, need lamens terms to teach people Worldwide. Just relax, I am sure you will fall pregnant once you can relax :)

Surfercam, I am so glad you learnt of this, so the rule is, always assume it is a shark...unless of course it is not??

Cazzie!!! said...

Mark, you are just living the life mate, lol, I love ya heaps!!!

Steph, I couldn't ever be as cool and gorjus as you..but I shall try :) Except for the killing my brain cells with alcohol, you can do that lovey, just include photos okay :)

dc said...

Well fellow nurse, you taught me something today, not that I need that info now. But being {choke,choke}post menapausal it is good to know. dc

Middle Child said...

Here is sme new names to look up

Pityriasis

Pyroluria

and

Dr Peter Breggin you'll be on his site for years www.breggin.com/

Anonymous said...

Hi Cazzie,

Thanks for doing your part to educate!
As a colleague and a having had a Tako Tsubo event - I'd just like to point out that 70-80% of cases appear in the Post-Menopausal population.

I fit into the minority category...let me also state that ignoring the symptoms and continuing to stress yourself while your Cardiac Function is compromised can lead to a secondary M.I. - which is what happened in my case as well...

The message - stress can kill you - regardless of age or excellent physical conditioning and the absence of CardioVascular Disease.