What Becomes of the Broken-hearted

A practical, sometimes humorous, sometimes devastating, guide to the little-known, poorly understood but increasingly prevalent health problem, broken-heart syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. This is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes suddenly and severely weakened, often as a result of great emotional and/or physical stress, causing the heart's left ventricle (main pumping chamber) to become significantly enlarged, resembling a Japanese octopus trap (a tako-tsubo). Correctly diagnosed and treated, the condition is thought to be fully reversible. Based around her own experience of this syndrome following a close friend's sudden death and her mother's suicide, the Author explains the risks, the signs to look out for, the Dos and Don'ts and the best ways to promote recovery. She includes a selection of other patients' stories that show the diversity of happenings that can lead to a takotsubo event, as well as input from two cardiogists/heart specialistis who share the difficulties of identifying and treating the condition.

Auteur

Juliet Sullivan is a recent and initially reluctant 'expert' on broken-heart syndrome having suffered a collapse following the death of her mother and its very stressful aftermath. In the past she has been a journalist, having written for, among others, the Mail, She Magazine and her local newspaper and for three years a regular column in the Canadian newspaper The Province entitled Diary of an Immigrant. She balances this with being a real estate agent, Christmas tree seller and wife and mother, living partly in England and partly in Canada. Her other books include her successful The Gallstone-Friendly Diet (also with Hammersmith Health Books), a more general cookery book - The Best of British Cookery - plus All Shook Up, the account of Suzie Derrett's natural battle with cancer, and a children's book about her Instagram-famous cat Benny.