Heart Troubles

Puneeth Rajkumar’s untimely death due to a heart attack on October 29 was a shocker because of his age, just 46 years old and superior fitness.

Now, his death due to a heart attack has got my heart racing with anxiety and Madhuri Dixit has ensnared my mind. Why?

Because when my father had a pacemaker inserted in his chest — a pacemaker is a device that gives out mild electric charge to maintain a steady heartbeat — I had joked, saying, “Congratulations, you got a ‘UPS’ for your heart.”

I had also mockingly sung “Dhak Dhak Karne Laga,” a Madhuri Dixit song, along with her famous chest thrusting move when he was rolled back after the surgery. Then my father reminded me with a crooked smile, “My heart problem is genetic” and added, “Your time too may come.” That shut me up and I forgot about it until Puneeth’s death.

Now panic has set in and in my mind’s eye, I see Madhuri thrustingly reminding me of my father’s warning, “My time is coming.”

My fear is legitimate because my family has a history of heart attacks — I’ve lost two uncles and a younger cousin to heart disease. Also, these days it seems to be affecting everyone — women, young men, fit men, vegetarians, non-vegetarians, teetotallers, yoga gurus, athletes — so everyone has a reason to worry about their heart health.

No wonder there was a rush at hospitals for ECG (Electrocardiogram) and Treadmill tests the day after Puneeth’s death. I’m not ashamed to admit, I was one among them.

I did it because, for far too long, I have taken my health for granted. I’ve been confident about my health based on the yardstick that as long as I can climb Chamundi Hill four times a week without huffing, puffing or stopping, I’m ok.

Also, I’ve been complacent about health check-ups as I had misguided confidence in my own in-house heart test — if I can climb four flights of stairs or 60 steps under a minute and can do 40 push-ups straight, I’m ok because the much respected Harvard Medical Journal says these two physical activities are indicators of good heart health. But…

When a fit Puneeth, the ambassador of the ‘Prevent Premature Heart Attack’ initiative of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, can have a heart attack, we have a reason to worry and get a proper medical check-up.

And so, a day after Puneeth’s death, I visited Gopala Gowda Shanthaveri Memorial Hospital for my ECG and Treadmill test. My test went off well. And as I thanked my doctor and asked him, “So all ok doctor?” he replied, “Yes, all’s well, but one never knows.” That left me feeling hopeless that fitness doesn’t matter.

But the good doctor added, saying, “Lead a balanced life, be it food, work, stress, emotions, don’t overindulge in any of it.” Then he said something else that most doctors have been saying for a while now, which is heart problem is a lifestyle disease, in most cases.

The doctors are right. While some are genetically predisposed to heart issues, many more suffer it due to lifestyle choices and there is no doubt that prosperity has put our heart health at risk.

As our wallets have gotten thicker, so have our arteries. Prosperity has made us overindulge, be it food or any other form of consumerism. And this indulgent lifestyle has taken a toll, especially on middle-aged Indians.

A decade ago, a heart surgery would evoke shock and sympathy. Today heart disease-related phrases, acronyms and words like Coronary disease, ECG, Stent, Angiogram, CT Angio, TMT are all part of casual urban conversation.

Earlier, cardiac arrest, cholesterol, blood pressure etc., were topics discussed by older people, but today you hear these topics discussed among men in their mid 30s! I recently listened to a group of young men discussing a treatment called EECP (Enhanced External Counterpulsation), a mechanical form of treatment for angina (chest pain) as a preventive measure for artery-clogging !

No one ever imagined young men discussing which brand of “blood thinner” is better or how many milligrams of “Roseday” is best to control cholesterol, but these conversations are becoming passe. It’s also an indicator of how unhealthy we are becoming as a society.

Sadly it doesn’t scare us enough to make a lifestyle change. I fear Puneeth’s death will encourage cynical people to say, “If a fit Puneeth can die of a heart attack, then why should we bother exercising” and give up on being healthy, leaving life in the hands of fate and destiny.

The frequency of heart attack cases around us nowadays has left me worrying and preparing. I’m worried if I’ll be able to figure out is it a heart attack or a gastric problem, or if the pain in my left arm is a heart issue or just a muscle pain.

I’m prepared for the “heart event” by keeping a few Sorbitrate tablets on me at all times, so I can place this tablet under my tongue in case of an “occurrence” till I get to the hospital. I’ve also bought an Apple iWatch that supposedly can take an ECG and if it’s off the mark, the iWatch will call the doctor !