Thursday, February 10, 2005
Do you watch CIS and Without a Trace on Thursday evenings? Vivian on "Without a Trace" just got diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They had her handle it about the same as I did - cry, and then go back to work because what the hell else can you do? Hers is apparently genetic - they reference an uncle who died in it. And it is true that high blood pressure, and high-blood-pressure-induced hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, are more common in blacks and some hispanics than in pasty white people. So it's a good issue for them to raise. The cardiomyopathy itself isn't the problem, it's the heart failure that results = an enlarged heart, if nothing else happened, would be sort of like having large fingers or something - just an individual anomaly. But when the heart walls are thicker, they can't pump as well; that's the heart failure part (for those of you reading this who aren't yourself diagnosed with heart failure.) Now the cause underlying the enlarged heart/thickened ventricle walls is more of a mystery. In some cases it's genetic, as with Vivian; in some it's due to a congenital heart defect; in many people it's due to morbid obesity and/or diabetes and/or heavy smoking weakening the heart. Or, as in my case, it is of completely unknown origin, which then adds another multisyllable word to the mix, making it "idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy." The thing is, I hate being able to pronounce those words perfectly and define them to a T - that's not a bit of trivia I really wanted to ever have to acquire, much as I love trivia. Anyway, for those who want a preview of what the plot arc for Vivian might be, it will probably involve: hospitalization for an angiogram or ten; getting a defibrillator/pacemaker; taking an awful lot of medications, all of which have their own fascinating side effects, and still facing a life expectancy of only 5-10 years. Yeehaw.
Perhaps having a character on a reasonably popular TV show have this will bring some attention to the fact that not all "heart disease" is due to cholesterol/clogged arteries/heart attacks. It seems as though for all that there are half a million people a year diagnosed with heart failure, no one has ever heard of it. Everything you read about "keep your heart healthy" from every source from Parade magazine to employer health fairs is aimed at coronary artery disease and low-fat diets and all that.
Heck, I was in a deli the other evening, and the menu listed several "healthy heart" entrees, giving the nutritional breakdowns for them. Various sandwiches and salads and a couple of pasta dishes. And some of them were like, OK, only 7 grams of fat - and 2933 milligrams of sodium!!! For those counting, total sodium intake per day, never mind per one meal, should be under 2000 mg. There were actually a couple items that were decent - a sandwich and a wrap that each had under 600 mg of sodium, which puts it into the range I will eat. Along with a side order of fresh fruit, that's a tolerable meal. But a lot of places, that fresh fruit/fruit salad/salad with no dressing and no croutons and no crackers and no crunchy bits is about the only thing I feel safe ordering. Why do so many people add so much salt to things? Vinaigrette salad dressing, for example - there are several terrific commercial vinaigrettes with fewer than 100 mg of sodium per serving, so we know it can be done; why, then, do most of them have 300 to 800 mg of sodium per serving?
And European canned tomatoes are canned without extra salt - most Italian brands of tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, etc. have like 15-50 mg of sodium per serving; why do American brands have 200 to 800 mg??
Whine, whine. I do hope that if they continue to follow this story arc with Vivian, they'll highlight the low-salt issue. Maybe show somebody trying to get a low-sodium fast lunch while on the job in New York City!!!
Perhaps having a character on a reasonably popular TV show have this will bring some attention to the fact that not all "heart disease" is due to cholesterol/clogged arteries/heart attacks. It seems as though for all that there are half a million people a year diagnosed with heart failure, no one has ever heard of it. Everything you read about "keep your heart healthy" from every source from Parade magazine to employer health fairs is aimed at coronary artery disease and low-fat diets and all that.
Heck, I was in a deli the other evening, and the menu listed several "healthy heart" entrees, giving the nutritional breakdowns for them. Various sandwiches and salads and a couple of pasta dishes. And some of them were like, OK, only 7 grams of fat - and 2933 milligrams of sodium!!! For those counting, total sodium intake per day, never mind per one meal, should be under 2000 mg. There were actually a couple items that were decent - a sandwich and a wrap that each had under 600 mg of sodium, which puts it into the range I will eat. Along with a side order of fresh fruit, that's a tolerable meal. But a lot of places, that fresh fruit/fruit salad/salad with no dressing and no croutons and no crackers and no crunchy bits is about the only thing I feel safe ordering. Why do so many people add so much salt to things? Vinaigrette salad dressing, for example - there are several terrific commercial vinaigrettes with fewer than 100 mg of sodium per serving, so we know it can be done; why, then, do most of them have 300 to 800 mg of sodium per serving?
And European canned tomatoes are canned without extra salt - most Italian brands of tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, etc. have like 15-50 mg of sodium per serving; why do American brands have 200 to 800 mg??
Whine, whine. I do hope that if they continue to follow this story arc with Vivian, they'll highlight the low-salt issue. Maybe show somebody trying to get a low-sodium fast lunch while on the job in New York City!!!
