October 31, 2023 • 38 mins
Jerad had been battling an overwhelming amount of stress while juggling PhD studies, early parenthood, and work with the Minnesota Judicial System. Slowly losing his energy and ability to make it through day-to-day activities, he knew his developing condition meant something even bigger than just stress at work. With his wife’s fierce advocacy, Jerad hurried to find the source of his symptoms before permanent damage was done.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
They did a CT scan, and my doctor he was like,
this is maybe a fifty to fifty percent chance of survival.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
They finally like allowed me to let the kids in
for one afternoon, and I just remember being like, I've
got to take a bunch of pictures because I'm not
sure if they're ever.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Going to be able to see them again.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
If we don't get people the necessary treatment early on,
it can impair your physical and mental health.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
I was in shock. Can I fight this? Can I
beat this? Is this something that's going to just change
my life completely? Like? Are these my last days?
Speaker 6 (00:48):
How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enemy,
one you didn't recognize and didn't see coming. What if
that enemy was coming from within a disease but even
doctors couldn't identify. Nearly half of all Americans suffer from
some chronic illness, and many struggle for an accurate diagnosis.
(01:12):
These are their stories. I'm Lauren Bribe Pacheco, and this
is symptomatic. So tell me a little bit about you
(01:35):
as a person beyond a husband and a dad. What
are your favorite hobbies? What are your passions? What do
you love to do?
Speaker 7 (01:42):
So?
Speaker 5 (01:42):
I love to sing, I love to dance.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I used to play the cello and have on occasion
brought out my cello.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
To practice a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I love sports, particularly basketball, so I love to play
basketball when I regular chance, as well as watch the
NBAWA College basketball.
Speaker 6 (02:02):
Jerrod Green also loves sharing his passions for basketball and
music with his four year old daughter and six year
old son. What's your go to karaoke song?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Oh my gosh, I've been trying to figure this out.
I'm pretty down with anything R and B. You know,
my favorite group of all time is voiced him In,
so I often lean into them for music inspiration.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
I also love us here.
Speaker 6 (02:26):
A quintessential dad striving to be in the moment with
his kids as much as possible. And even though he's
now only thirty one years old, he has the calm
and coolness of someone much older. Just ask his wife Courtney.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, Jerrod is like the king of chill, Like he
is so relaxed, Like he's pretty much like an unshakable person.
In college, everybody's like, oh yeah, he's definitely a pot
and Girod is actually like stone cold, sober, straight edge
by choice. He just brings that like ultra calm presence
(03:03):
to anything that he does, but also like the most compassionate,
caring person, so he got a social work degree, has
worked in higher ed, cares so much about his students
and the people that he's served in the past, and
now does like diversity work for children and family services.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
So like everything that he.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Does is just like with that servant heart.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
Courtney and Girod have been together since high school, both
growing up in Minnesota. They first noticed each other at
a Crosstown football game and instantly became friends. That friendship
quickly turned into dating and prom and eventually into a
lifelong partnership.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
She's my best friend. I feel like I can talk
to her about anything, go through with anything which is
really meaningful, and I'm glad that our relationship is built
on that.
Speaker 6 (03:53):
And Grod would undoubtedly need that support as a mysterious
disease turns his life upside down in the span of
just a couple of months. By the middle of twenty twenty,
at the height of the COVID pandemic, Drod started feeling
new sensations that he'd never recognized in his body before.
All of his instincts warned him that something was wrong.
(04:18):
Will you tell me the first time that you realized
you had something that you would have categorized as a symptom.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Yeah, so it was gradual.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I would say that my experience with symptoms is very hindsight.
In the moment, it wasn't like, oh, there's something really
wrong with me. At least at the beginning stages. I
had allergies, or what presented as allergies, you know, stuffy,
I was coughing a lot, my throat was itchy, and
(04:49):
so I just took allergy medications hoping that it would
go away.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
At the time, Drod did live in South Carolina, where
allergies were a pretty regular thing for him. I tried
brushing it off that the symptoms would linger.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
After a few weeks, things hadn't really improved, and so
that's when I started thinking, you know, there's something going
on here. I don't know what it is, but usually
when I have allergies, they're gone after about a week.
So now that it's been several weeks, I tried switching
allergy medication to see if that would help. It didn't,
and actually things started to get worse. My appetite was
(05:26):
starting to wane a little bit. That's when I was like,
you know what, I need to probably talk to someone
about what's going on.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
Amidst the consistent coughing and congestion. Girod was also juggling
being a father of two young kids, studying for his doctorate,
and working a strenuous full time job. You're in school,
you are working incredibly long hours to provide for the
growing family that you have. There was a lot on
(05:55):
your plate. And how does that impact the time you
take for yourself and your health?
Speaker 5 (06:04):
What time?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I guess that's how I answer that question is there
wasn't time. I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't
taking care of my health. I was really just in
autopilot's survival mode. I did the basic minimum to stay
afloat and stay alive, and that was my main focus
was I'm going to eat lunch because it's something I
(06:27):
need to do.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Just shortly before he got sick, he was like up
in the morning, leaving for work at work, would finish work,
was doing a student activity or something until seven, and
then needs to go to class and doesn't get home
until ten thirty and all throughout that time, like I'm
trying to text him, like, hey, don't forget to eat something. Hey,
are you like drinking any water? You know, just like
the self.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Care was just not present because he was so so busy.
Speaker 6 (06:54):
What's going on in terms of your personal, professional, and world?
Yeah at the time that your symptoms are getting worse.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Yeah, so personal.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
I think it's the culmination of work, stress, being in
a PhD program, family, and really trying to balance all
of those things. Another piece is the diagnosis of type
two diabetes and having that weird sensation of slurring of
words and feeling unwell. And then in February of twenty
(07:29):
twenty one, my dad was also diagnosed with type two diabetes.
And he found this out because he got COVID and
was admitted into the ICU for about two and a
half weeks, and he got really sick in the ICU,
and they were thinking that they would have to put
him in a medically induced coma. And I know that
(07:52):
so many people don't wake up from.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Those things, and so.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I think the stress of my dad having in near
death experience was also taking its toll.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was really difficult for everyone. And then I'm at
home with two small kids, trying to support my in
laws who are going through this giant health issue as well,
and it's just like layers, layers, layers, layers, layers, and
on top of that, were like trying to ever eat
a meal as a family in a calm way, or
like trying to ever just get time together he and
(08:22):
I and remember where we come from, right, Like, this
is such a cool, beautiful love story. But when you're
like in the thick of all this weird stuff, it's
hard to remember that.
Speaker 6 (08:37):
His dad would recover from this life threatening battle with COVID,
but it was a harsh reminder of how little time
there can be left with the ones you love. The
stress triggers continued to pile on Girad. At this point,
he was working vigorously in the Department of Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion for the Minnesota Court Systems.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
At the time.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
With my job, they were overseeing a very high profile
trial related to the murder of George Floyd, and up
until that point, I hadn't seen any videos, I hadn't
seen any surrounding information. I tried to keep some distance
because that imagery of black people being brutally murdered or
(09:25):
experiencing violence is one that I tried to avoid and
working for that organization. It was hard, and instead of
processing my own feelings, emotions and pain around it, I
was helping other people do that for themselves.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
He couldn't get away from work because his work was
front page, headline news.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Every single day. Every single day.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
We had like a small bedroom that he had a
desk shoved in the corner, so like court TV was
just on in our bedroom all day long. And then
trying to just like be a person on the planet
still where this is all that anybody's talking about, between
this trial and COVID and everything else.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
Under the suffocating stressors, drawed symptoms would quickly begin to escalate.
In addition to the shortness of breath and sore throat,
he was now having trouble keeping food down, and he
would wake up in the middle of the night struggling
to catch his breath. When did you decide this isn't normal,
(10:30):
I'm going to the doctor exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I actually did doctor and Demand a couple of times
and consulted with them, and at that time, they would
often prescribe steroids or antibiotics to see if that would help,
because they're thinking, you know, something's wrong, maybe I have
post nasal drip. I also got an inhaler with them
because this is about the time where I was having
some issues with breathing and having a lot of shortness
(10:54):
of breath, especially at night. So then I called them again.
They prescribed another round of steroids and antibiotics, and then
we're like, you should follow up with your primary care doctor.
And when I did, they gave me more steroids and
we're like, we don't really know what's going on.
Speaker 6 (11:11):
I should imagine that it was just masking.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, the real issue, absolutely and probably worsting the issue
as well. You know, it was a few weeks after
that where I had to just leave work.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
You know, I couldn't really eat anything.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
My head was hurting, and I was just down in
that moment, and so that's when my wife was like,
something's wrong, Like you need to go to the emergency room.
I think in that moment, I was just thinking, what's happening?
Am I going to feel this way forever? What does
this even mean? Like what is this coming from? And
(11:49):
so there's just a lot of questions about my physical health.
Speaker 6 (11:52):
So what happened once you got to the er.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
They did a basic metabolic panel, saw that my members
weren't astronomically in the the yellow or the red, and
we're pretty much just like, we don't really know what's
happening with you. So I guess follow up with your
primary care, but you know, there's not really much we
can do for you.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
So I went back home.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
And so I think that it was just a combination
of acute situations that were happening in that moment and
then just a lifetime of you know, trauma, stress, racism, poverty,
and other factors that I think really created this perfect storm.
And that's just how my body reacted.
Speaker 6 (12:46):
Jerrad couldn't keep up with the symptoms, which kept piling up.
He had very little appetite. Normal everyday activities like playing
basketball with his son were now becoming nearly impossible. Time
his breathing problems worsened to the point where he could
barely sleep, if at all. So what wound you back
(13:10):
up in the er again? A few weeks later? What's
going on?
Speaker 1 (13:15):
We're living in an apartment at that time, and my
parents were coming by to have a cookout with us,
and so I was still not feeling great, but I
felt a little bit better that day, so I was
able to go down to the area by the pool
where our shared grill space was and sat in one
(13:41):
of the chairs with my family.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
And then by the time he got there, he was
just like slumped over and just like could not catch
his breath.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
That walk felt very tenuous, like I struggled a lot,
and it wasn't that far of a walk, like strew me.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
Out of breath. I didn't feel well.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
We had some Beyond burgers and I think I ate
half of one of those burgers and maybe a couple
of chips, and I was able to get it all down.
So I thought that things were improving and going better.
And then I remember, maybe thirty minutes later, feeling horribly,
so I went and laid down.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
I had to drive him like the half of block
it was from the barbecue pit area back home.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
It didn't get better, and then I ended up throwing
up the food.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Gerad was like the persistent optimist.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
So for him to be saying like I don't know,
I just don't think it's going to get better, worried
it's going to be like this forever.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
This is just not typical.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
He has like a nickname that he's the quixotic one,
like the one that's just painfully optimistic, almost to the
point that it's nonsensical.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
That's when my wife and my parents were like, all right,
I think you need to go back.
Speaker 8 (14:55):
To the er.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Rush to an er. The fearful couple was at the
end of their rope managing Jirod's symptoms without a proper diagnosis.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
His blood oxygen started to decrease, his heart rate was increasing.
We were not seeing any improvements.
Speaker 9 (15:14):
Now.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Thing was getting better. It was only getting worse. I
just came with like an agenda of things that I
wanted tested for. I was like, is this an autoimmune issue?
Are we talking about lupus? What's going on with why
he feels like he can't get a good breath? Is
there something going on with his lungs? Can we do
a scan of his lungs?
Speaker 6 (15:36):
Courtney was prepared to advocate for Jirod, something he was
in no condition to do himself. But even as they
scrambled to make an action plan, which was complicated by
the fact that they were in the middle of the pandemic,
the doctors felt like there may not be much time
left for him.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
They finally like, allowed me to let the kids in
for one afternoon, and I just like remember being like,
I've got to take a bunch of pictures of this
because I'm not sure if we're ever like if they're
ever going to be able to see him again because
it's COVID, so like they're making a one time exception
for them to come in and see him.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
But how are you keeping a brave face with him?
How are you?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
I just left the room a lot, like I would
just be like, Okay, I'm gonna grab some snacks, weir bit,
you know, And what would you do in the hallway
just sobbing. I would go to the little chapel that
they had there. We have a Christian faith, and I
would just sit there and be like, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Like, we've answered your call.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
We are taking care of this family just as we
feel we've been called to do.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
And now now what.
Speaker 6 (16:54):
With Courtney's fierce advocacy, the doctors finally do a CT scan,
which would hold the necessary clues as to what was
causing Drod's rapid health decline.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
So when I finally got the CT scan, I mean
nothing could have prepared me for what information would come
back from that.
Speaker 6 (17:16):
We'll be right back with Symptomatic a medical mystery podcast.
Speaker 10 (17:25):
Hi I'm Cindi lauper My scalp was covered with psoriasis,
which could lead to soiatic arthritis, but Cocentics treats both.
Speaker 8 (17:33):
Cocentics at U canyon Mab is prescribed for adults with
moderate to severe black soris as three hundred milligram dose
and adults with active sooriatic arthritis one hundred fifty milligram dose.
Don't use if you're allergic to cocentics. Before starting, get
checked for TB, serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that
look like exima, and an increased risk of infections. Some
fatal have occurred. Cocentics may lower ability to fight infections,
so tell your doctor if you have an infection or
(17:55):
symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle leggs or cough out
a vaccine or plant to or if IBD symptoms developer wors.
Learn more at cothentics dot com or one eight four
to four concentics.
Speaker 10 (18:05):
Couthentics works for me.
Speaker 8 (18:07):
Ask your doctor about concentics.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
Now back to Symptomatic, a medical mystery podcast. Jerrod Green
approached most of what life through at him with a
smile juggling a full life at work and his PhD
studies and at home as a proud husband and father,
but rapidly the symptoms of a perplexing condition landed him
(18:33):
in the emergency room, hoping to find answers before it
was too late. What were your biggest fears in those moments?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
There are so many fears that are so layered. It's
like what are we doing here right? Like is he
going to have to stop working? And my persistent fear
is like what are we going to do to get
him the care that he needs?
Speaker 6 (19:02):
Through fear and confusion of her own, Courtney continued to
show up for Girod when he needed it most, pushing
for answers until the doctors found the clue they were
looking for. On a CT scan, they found that part
of Grod's spleen had died off because of a blood clot.
Seeing the blood clot led the doctors to order an
echo cardiogram to get a better picture of the.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Heart, and that's when they found that I had not
only a reduced objection fraction, but also enlargement within my
heart as well. And that's when the doctor later came
in and diagnosed me.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
With congestive heart failure.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I didn't know anyone with heart failure or even heart disease.
I didn't really know what heart failure meant to me.
It's such a dooming term to call it heart failure,
like my heart has failed, and that means maybe I'm
not going to make it out of this.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
As doctor said, you have heart failure. It's very significant,
it's very severe. Your heart is almost non functional, and
it's really bad. So we think we should transfer you
to Greenville, which is like the next biggest town. I'm
just sitting there, silent, crying, trying to ask questions about
(20:20):
like the practical reality about what that means. Because you're
saying heart failure, I don't know what that means. That
doesn't mean anything to me.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
You know, my doctor at the time, who's not a
heart failure specialist, he's like, this is maybe a fifty
to fifty percent chance of survival and that you probably
should start looking into long term disability and maybe look
to stop working because this is going to be a
long road for you.
Speaker 6 (20:50):
I can't imagine how frightening and difficult that must have been.
It must have been like waking up into a nightmare.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Yeah, and so at the time I was in the
hospital thinking, you know, is this going to get better?
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Can I fight this? Can I beat this?
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Is this something that's going to just change my life completely?
Am I not going to make it out of the hospital?
Like are these my last days? And so it was
really tough and stressful time, and part of me was
in shock, and part of me, I feel, couldn't even
bring myself to process that information.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
And I was like, how how are you feeling? And
he was like, I just don't even really know. And
that was like the first time I saw him cry
in the whole process. And I just don't think there's
anything worse that could have been said to Jerrod, like
this devoted husband and father than like fifty fifty chicks.
Speaker 6 (21:48):
After terrifying months of uncertainty, Jerrod and Courtney finally had
a name for the disease that had flipped their lives
upside down, congestive heart failure, But they were still left
with many unanswered questions For people who don't know, Can
you just break down, by definition exactly what congestive heart
(22:11):
failure is? Yeah, so our heart has many different things
it does. I often talk about it as plumbing which
is the artery is that's where we have heart attacks.
And then we have electricity, which is the way our
heart beats, and then we have the structure of our heart,
and that's where congestive heart failure comes in. That's doctor
(22:31):
Courtney Jordan Beckler, the medical director of Health Equity and
health Promotion at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
So, when the blood goes into the heart and then
comes out, the percentage of blood that goes in versus
going out, that's called our ejection fraction, and that's really
the pump of the heart. Fifty five percent of that
blood volume is what we consider normal.
Speaker 6 (22:56):
That's a normal functioning heart.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
So it's something you don't want less and you don't
want more, and so there's all sorts of definitions, but
for sure, less than forty five percent is when we
start to classify mild heart failure. It's more severe at
thirty five percent, and then very severe at twenty five percent,
and under is more advanced heart failure.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
How can can just a heart failure impact people's lives?
Heart failure if we don't do anything.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
About it, on average, fifty percent of people will die
in five years.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
And so it's a big deal.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
It can be an end stage process in terms of
death if we don't get people the necessary treatment early on,
and I think importantly to many of these conversations, it
can impair your physical and mental health.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
Are there things about his specific case also, just in
terms of his age that might have made a quicker
diagnosis more difficult? What stuck out as unusual? Yeah, really
great question.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
I think that because Girod is a little bit younger,
we often think about heart disease impacting people only when
they get old, incorrectly. In fact, you know, one of
the fastest growing demographics of heart attacks is women aged
thirty five to forty five, which a lot of people
don't know. But the point being, some of these types
(24:30):
of statistics take a long time for physicians to start
to pick up on and see that, gosh, we're seeing
Unfortunately some of these diagnoses at younger and younger ages.
So I do think unfortunately that was one of the
challenges with Drod's diagnosis, is that had he been older,
we would have been more likely to think of that faster.
(24:53):
It's definitely not an excuse, but I think that is
a reality.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Gerard was only twenty nine years old when he was
diagnosed with co est of heart failure, unusually young for
someone to experience such significant cardiac issues. He was put
on a regiment of medicines and also given a life fest,
a defibrillator he needs to wear constantly in case his
heart has to be shocked back into a normal rhythm.
Though he had an answer for what had been plaguing
(25:17):
him in many ways, his diagnosis only opened the door
to a host of new questions.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
What does this mean for my life and my family?
If I do have a fifty to fifty percent chance,
does that mean I'm not going to make it? And
if not, what's going to happen to my family at
that point?
Speaker 6 (25:35):
Wow? And I mean talk about an undiagnosed illness and
enemy from within? How did you feel about your own heart,
about your own body in that moment?
Speaker 1 (25:48):
I guess I just was thinking what did I do
to fail my body?
Speaker 5 (25:54):
Or what did my body do to fail me?
Speaker 1 (25:57):
And it's hard to not think, you know, what's wrong
with my heart?
Speaker 5 (26:01):
Like why did.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
This happen to me? Is it because of something I did?
Or the ways I'm not taking care of myself? And
in some ways I think that I wasn't set up
or positioned well in a lot of different arenas to
do that. But I think that I had a lot
of self blame. I was like, how did I let
it get to this?
Speaker 6 (26:20):
At this point, you at least had the life fest
to have you though.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
The life fest it was helpful, but it's not perfect either.
It would beep in the middle of the night and
I'd have to readjust it. The first time that it
beat was terrifying because it's like, oh no, it's something happening.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
You know. Ended up just being that the pads just
need to be shifted.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
But it was also just hard to live life with this,
you know, five pound battery pack attached to my body
at all times.
Speaker 6 (26:49):
His kids were only two and four when he was diagnosed,
so much of their lives are ahead of them. The
gravity of what this meant for his life was constantly
on his mind for a new normal is what led
him to the Minnesota Hard Institute and his relationship with
doctor Jordan Beckler. Where was he in his diagnostic journey
(27:10):
when he first cross paths with you?
Speaker 4 (27:12):
So he had already been formally diagnosed and was actively
on his treatment plan, but I think he was in
a place where he was able to kind of look
back and think about how things might have been different
in his journey with different additional help and opportunities along
the way from the health system. So I think from
(27:34):
a traditional treatment perspective, he was getting what he needed,
But what he was specifically reaching.
Speaker 6 (27:42):
Out to us about is some of the social support.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
We can't disconnect our head from our body. We are
whole human beings, and unfortunately, as I'm sure many of
your listeners know, sometimes in the way healthcare is practice now,
we do that. So I think that what Gerard was
looking for in part was that it took I believe
seven months for him to hear back from a social
(28:07):
worker and just navigating different changes in his life that
he was planning to make with work and family and
figuring out what that looked like living with a chronic disease.
Speaker 6 (28:20):
I think that was what he was hoping to get
more of.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
So she's very steeped into heart failure and health as
relates to women, people of color, and also thinking about
the environmental factors that impact people's health. She's really just
been a great thought partner and is a leader in
this space and someone who I have been able to
(28:46):
go to get feedback, ideas, recommendations, and just general insight
into better understanding heart failure.
Speaker 6 (28:53):
More deeply, how important as a doctor is taking into
account the environment, mental factors, and stressors that a patient
is dealing with on a daily basis.
Speaker 9 (29:06):
So it's critical we know that up to a third
of all cardiovascular disease is caused from poor mental health,
and that includes things like social isolation, anger, stress, anxiety, depression,
bipolar disorder, you know, schizophrenia, really severe types of mental health.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
So it's actually as much of an impact as having
abdominal obesity or smoking, But we don't talk about it
in the same way as physicians, as healthcare folks in general,
and unfortunately, because we don't have a pill for that,
we get nervous to ask. But to what you're saying,
it's critical that we understand that has an impact not
(29:51):
only on the ability of the body to adequately fight disease,
whether it's COVID or ongoing heart issues, but it also
impacts our ability to take medications on a routine basis,
our ability to get outside and go for a walk,
or nourish ourselves with good foods.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
Navigating proper health management can be a journey all on
its own, one that rivaled even the treacherous road to
the proper diagnosis. However, finding empowering care and support is
what truly changed the course of Girod's life. He now
has found a place and people who are there to
help him take care of his mind, body, and spirit.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
We've talked about, like maybe we want to move out
of the freezing, bitter cold someday, and it's like, no,
we're not going to leave the Minneapolis Heart Institute. Like
this is where we are. We have such an amazing team,
and like we just feel so so lucky. Not everybody
has health insurance, not everybody has the resources that they
(30:54):
need to access that, but like it's such an amazing
place and I hope that everybody that needs it can
have it.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
Girrod has now started to find a relatively stable pattern
in his life. He switched from the life best to
an internal defibrillator called an ICD, making it much easier
and more comfortable to move around. He's also realized how
lonely this diagnostic journey felt at times. Even though he
did have so much family support, he was missing the
(31:24):
connection to people who were going through a similar journey
to talk with and to share with. So Girod is
now using his story to make sure no one else
with heart failure has to be missing that important piece.
When did you realize that you needed to connect with
a larger community? When did you realize that you needed
(31:45):
support from other people who were going through what you
now had on your plate.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
As a black person who very much believes and community
as part of our healing process. It was part of
our journey, as part of how we raise kids. It's
not just about medications and limiting sodium and water intake
and working out. It's about community, it's about joy, It's
about healing with other people. And this is something that's
(32:16):
true about my community in general, is that if there's
a space that doesn't.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Exist for us, we're going to create a space.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
That's what I did, and I don't know if Gerrod
explained that to you. That's part of when we met
was in this quest to start a support group. Now,
I've been a part of support group since my time
in Fellowship, particularly because we have so many disparities with
women heart disease, and so I helped lead a support
group at that time.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
It's been great. And as much as I think that
maybe I've helped people, they've helped me as well. So
I think that I've stepped into this whole new world
of not only DEI work, but advocacy, health equity. There's
a world out there of research and things that people
are understanding about the physiological impacts of racism, stress, poverty
(33:06):
on communities, and particularly black communities. And I think that
society tells us that our outcomes are our fault and
our fault alone. Now I'm thinking about not only how
do I maintain my own health, but how do I
help other folks have access to better care so that
(33:27):
if they are at risk or experience heart failure, that
they can get the level of care that I got
and the level of support that I got.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
The same King of Chill, eternal optimist and constant rock
of support for Courtney, is now giving his energy to
make sure other people don't have to wait as long
to find a diagnosis or community with shared experiences. This
drive pushed Drawd to start posting about his journey on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
And I remember my wife and sister were just talking
about how ever, since I was with heart failure, I
have like these really critical and direct hot takes. I
think that we kind of joked around like heart Failure
hot takes, and I was like, you know what, this
is actually kind of cool. We should do something with this.
And from there I created the Instagram page heart Failure
(34:15):
hot Takes as a way really to share my story
and in some ways it was about community, but in
a lot of ways it was just therapeutic for me
to share.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
Gerard is definitely somebody that is living his life. He
is thriving, He's living alongside his diagnosis. He has definitely
not become his diagnosis. Also, he is out trying to
make this easier for other people. I just, both personally
(34:46):
and professionally, have so much respect for that.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
And the last thing that I will say is take
the time to appreciate and show gratitude for yourself and
for others in your life, because it's hard to do
this without.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Any of that.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
And the more gratitude and compassionate you show yourself and
to others, the easier this becomes as well.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
The hope that I have for everyone is that they
know that they're allowed to advocate for themselves. I think
so often we kind of get that white coat syndrome,
not just with our own stress around medical providers, but
just about you know where our agency lies. Don't be
afraid to keep asking questions. Don't be afraid to ask
them to note it in your chart that they are
(35:37):
declining your request for a test to be run like
that is within your right to want the best for.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Yourself and the people that you love.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
You can follow Girod's journey with heart failure on Instagram
at heart Failure Hot Takes.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
My name is Gerrod Green and I was twenty nine
years old when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Speaker 6 (36:05):
On the next episode of Symptomatic Chris Thaudi had a
simple case of indigestion, but things quickly became unmanageable, losing
control of his GI flares. No intervention could seem to
ease his suffering.
Speaker 11 (36:18):
I drove myself to the hospital, to the emergency room
in a sheer panic because I was worried if I
called the ambulance, you know, they wouldn't get there in
time or whatever. And I had never felt anything like
that before, pain radiating from everywhere. That's essentially what it
felt like.
Speaker 6 (36:39):
Uncover what sent his body into a full allergic spiral symptomatic.
A Medical Mystery podcast is a production of Ruby's Studio
from iHeartMedia. Our show was hosted by me Lauren brad Pacheco.
Executive producers are Matt Romano and myself. Our EP of
post production is James Foster. Our producers are Sierra Kaiser
(37:02):
and John Irwin, and this episode was researched by Diana Davis.
Speaker 7 (37:16):
In Trusto Sukubatu Valsartan Tablets is the number one heart
failure brand prescribed by cardiologists and has helped over one
million people. It's a prescription medicine that treats adults with
long lasting heart failure and works better when the heart
cannot pump a normal amount of blood to the body.
Speaker 12 (37:32):
Don't take in Trusto if pregnant. It can cause harm
or death to an unborn baby. Don't take in Trusto
with an ACE inhibitor or Alice Karen, or if you've
had angioedema with an ACE or ARB, don't take with
Alice Karen or within thirty six hours of taking an
ACE inhibitor. The most serious side effects are angioedema, low
blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium Angioedema is
swelling of your face, lips, tongue, and throat that may
(37:54):
cause death. If it causes difficulty breathing, get emergency help.
Speaker 7 (37:58):
Ask your doctor about Intrusto. To learn more, visit support
dot intrusto dot com or call eight three three four
four six six six nine nine. Propricing visit in TRUSTe
dot com. Backslash cost. If you can't afford your medication,
Novartis may be able to help
They did a CT scan, and my doctor he was like,
this is maybe a fifty to fifty percent chance of survival.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
They finally like allowed me to let the kids in
for one afternoon, and I just remember being like, I've
got to take a bunch of pictures because I'm not
sure if they're ever.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Going to be able to see them again.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
If we don't get people the necessary treatment early on,
it can impair your physical and mental health.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
I was in shock. Can I fight this? Can I
beat this? Is this something that's going to just change
my life completely? Like? Are these my last days?
Speaker 6 (00:48):
How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enemy,
one you didn't recognize and didn't see coming. What if
that enemy was coming from within a disease but even
doctors couldn't identify. Nearly half of all Americans suffer from
some chronic illness, and many struggle for an accurate diagnosis.
(01:12):
These are their stories. I'm Lauren Bribe Pacheco, and this
is symptomatic. So tell me a little bit about you
(01:35):
as a person beyond a husband and a dad. What
are your favorite hobbies? What are your passions? What do
you love to do?
Speaker 7 (01:42):
So?
Speaker 5 (01:42):
I love to sing, I love to dance.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I used to play the cello and have on occasion
brought out my cello.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
To practice a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I love sports, particularly basketball, so I love to play
basketball when I regular chance, as well as watch the
NBAWA College basketball.
Speaker 6 (02:02):
Jerrod Green also loves sharing his passions for basketball and
music with his four year old daughter and six year
old son. What's your go to karaoke song?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Oh my gosh, I've been trying to figure this out.
I'm pretty down with anything R and B. You know,
my favorite group of all time is voiced him In,
so I often lean into them for music inspiration.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
I also love us here.
Speaker 6 (02:26):
A quintessential dad striving to be in the moment with
his kids as much as possible. And even though he's
now only thirty one years old, he has the calm
and coolness of someone much older. Just ask his wife Courtney.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, Jerrod is like the king of chill, Like he
is so relaxed, Like he's pretty much like an unshakable person.
In college, everybody's like, oh yeah, he's definitely a pot
and Girod is actually like stone cold, sober, straight edge
by choice. He just brings that like ultra calm presence
(03:03):
to anything that he does, but also like the most compassionate,
caring person, so he got a social work degree, has
worked in higher ed, cares so much about his students
and the people that he's served in the past, and
now does like diversity work for children and family services.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
So like everything that he.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Does is just like with that servant heart.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
Courtney and Girod have been together since high school, both
growing up in Minnesota. They first noticed each other at
a Crosstown football game and instantly became friends. That friendship
quickly turned into dating and prom and eventually into a
lifelong partnership.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
She's my best friend. I feel like I can talk
to her about anything, go through with anything which is
really meaningful, and I'm glad that our relationship is built
on that.
Speaker 6 (03:53):
And Grod would undoubtedly need that support as a mysterious
disease turns his life upside down in the span of
just a couple of months. By the middle of twenty twenty,
at the height of the COVID pandemic, Drod started feeling
new sensations that he'd never recognized in his body before.
All of his instincts warned him that something was wrong.
(04:18):
Will you tell me the first time that you realized
you had something that you would have categorized as a symptom.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Yeah, so it was gradual.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I would say that my experience with symptoms is very hindsight.
In the moment, it wasn't like, oh, there's something really
wrong with me. At least at the beginning stages. I
had allergies, or what presented as allergies, you know, stuffy,
I was coughing a lot, my throat was itchy, and
(04:49):
so I just took allergy medications hoping that it would
go away.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
At the time, Drod did live in South Carolina, where
allergies were a pretty regular thing for him. I tried
brushing it off that the symptoms would linger.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
After a few weeks, things hadn't really improved, and so
that's when I started thinking, you know, there's something going
on here. I don't know what it is, but usually
when I have allergies, they're gone after about a week.
So now that it's been several weeks, I tried switching
allergy medication to see if that would help. It didn't,
and actually things started to get worse. My appetite was
(05:26):
starting to wane a little bit. That's when I was like,
you know what, I need to probably talk to someone
about what's going on.
Speaker 6 (05:34):
Amidst the consistent coughing and congestion. Girod was also juggling
being a father of two young kids, studying for his doctorate,
and working a strenuous full time job. You're in school,
you are working incredibly long hours to provide for the
growing family that you have. There was a lot on
(05:55):
your plate. And how does that impact the time you
take for yourself and your health?
Speaker 5 (06:04):
What time?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I guess that's how I answer that question is there
wasn't time. I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't
taking care of my health. I was really just in
autopilot's survival mode. I did the basic minimum to stay
afloat and stay alive, and that was my main focus
was I'm going to eat lunch because it's something I
(06:27):
need to do.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Just shortly before he got sick, he was like up
in the morning, leaving for work at work, would finish work,
was doing a student activity or something until seven, and
then needs to go to class and doesn't get home
until ten thirty and all throughout that time, like I'm
trying to text him, like, hey, don't forget to eat something. Hey,
are you like drinking any water? You know, just like
the self.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Care was just not present because he was so so busy.
Speaker 6 (06:54):
What's going on in terms of your personal, professional, and world?
Yeah at the time that your symptoms are getting worse.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
Yeah, so personal.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
I think it's the culmination of work, stress, being in
a PhD program, family, and really trying to balance all
of those things. Another piece is the diagnosis of type
two diabetes and having that weird sensation of slurring of
words and feeling unwell. And then in February of twenty
(07:29):
twenty one, my dad was also diagnosed with type two diabetes.
And he found this out because he got COVID and
was admitted into the ICU for about two and a
half weeks, and he got really sick in the ICU,
and they were thinking that they would have to put
him in a medically induced coma. And I know that
(07:52):
so many people don't wake up from.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Those things, and so.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I think the stress of my dad having in near
death experience was also taking its toll.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was really difficult for everyone. And then I'm at
home with two small kids, trying to support my in
laws who are going through this giant health issue as well,
and it's just like layers, layers, layers, layers, layers, and
on top of that, were like trying to ever eat
a meal as a family in a calm way, or
like trying to ever just get time together he and
(08:22):
I and remember where we come from, right, Like, this
is such a cool, beautiful love story. But when you're
like in the thick of all this weird stuff, it's
hard to remember that.
Speaker 6 (08:37):
His dad would recover from this life threatening battle with COVID,
but it was a harsh reminder of how little time
there can be left with the ones you love. The
stress triggers continued to pile on Girad. At this point,
he was working vigorously in the Department of Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion for the Minnesota Court Systems.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
At the time.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
With my job, they were overseeing a very high profile
trial related to the murder of George Floyd, and up
until that point, I hadn't seen any videos, I hadn't
seen any surrounding information. I tried to keep some distance
because that imagery of black people being brutally murdered or
(09:25):
experiencing violence is one that I tried to avoid and
working for that organization. It was hard, and instead of
processing my own feelings, emotions and pain around it, I
was helping other people do that for themselves.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
He couldn't get away from work because his work was
front page, headline news.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Every single day. Every single day.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
We had like a small bedroom that he had a
desk shoved in the corner, so like court TV was
just on in our bedroom all day long. And then
trying to just like be a person on the planet
still where this is all that anybody's talking about, between
this trial and COVID and everything else.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
Under the suffocating stressors, drawed symptoms would quickly begin to escalate.
In addition to the shortness of breath and sore throat,
he was now having trouble keeping food down, and he
would wake up in the middle of the night struggling
to catch his breath. When did you decide this isn't normal,
(10:30):
I'm going to the doctor exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I actually did doctor and Demand a couple of times
and consulted with them, and at that time, they would
often prescribe steroids or antibiotics to see if that would help,
because they're thinking, you know, something's wrong, maybe I have
post nasal drip. I also got an inhaler with them
because this is about the time where I was having
some issues with breathing and having a lot of shortness
(10:54):
of breath, especially at night. So then I called them again.
They prescribed another round of steroids and antibiotics, and then
we're like, you should follow up with your primary care doctor.
And when I did, they gave me more steroids and
we're like, we don't really know what's going on.
Speaker 6 (11:11):
I should imagine that it was just masking.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, the real issue, absolutely and probably worsting the issue
as well. You know, it was a few weeks after
that where I had to just leave work.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
You know, I couldn't really eat anything.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
My head was hurting, and I was just down in
that moment, and so that's when my wife was like,
something's wrong, Like you need to go to the emergency room.
I think in that moment, I was just thinking, what's happening?
Am I going to feel this way forever? What does
this even mean? Like what is this coming from? And
(11:49):
so there's just a lot of questions about my physical health.
Speaker 6 (11:52):
So what happened once you got to the er.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
They did a basic metabolic panel, saw that my members
weren't astronomically in the the yellow or the red, and
we're pretty much just like, we don't really know what's
happening with you. So I guess follow up with your
primary care, but you know, there's not really much we
can do for you.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
So I went back home.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
And so I think that it was just a combination
of acute situations that were happening in that moment and
then just a lifetime of you know, trauma, stress, racism, poverty,
and other factors that I think really created this perfect storm.
And that's just how my body reacted.
Speaker 6 (12:46):
Jerrad couldn't keep up with the symptoms, which kept piling up.
He had very little appetite. Normal everyday activities like playing
basketball with his son were now becoming nearly impossible. Time
his breathing problems worsened to the point where he could
barely sleep, if at all. So what wound you back
(13:10):
up in the er again? A few weeks later? What's
going on?
Speaker 1 (13:15):
We're living in an apartment at that time, and my
parents were coming by to have a cookout with us,
and so I was still not feeling great, but I
felt a little bit better that day, so I was
able to go down to the area by the pool
where our shared grill space was and sat in one
(13:41):
of the chairs with my family.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
And then by the time he got there, he was
just like slumped over and just like could not catch
his breath.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
That walk felt very tenuous, like I struggled a lot,
and it wasn't that far of a walk, like strew me.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
Out of breath. I didn't feel well.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
We had some Beyond burgers and I think I ate
half of one of those burgers and maybe a couple
of chips, and I was able to get it all down.
So I thought that things were improving and going better.
And then I remember, maybe thirty minutes later, feeling horribly,
so I went and laid down.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
I had to drive him like the half of block
it was from the barbecue pit area back home.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
It didn't get better, and then I ended up throwing
up the food.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Gerad was like the persistent optimist.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
So for him to be saying like I don't know,
I just don't think it's going to get better, worried
it's going to be like this forever.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
This is just not typical.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
He has like a nickname that he's the quixotic one,
like the one that's just painfully optimistic, almost to the
point that it's nonsensical.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
That's when my wife and my parents were like, all right,
I think you need to go back.
Speaker 8 (14:55):
To the er.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Rush to an er. The fearful couple was at the
end of their rope managing Jirod's symptoms without a proper diagnosis.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
His blood oxygen started to decrease, his heart rate was increasing.
We were not seeing any improvements.
Speaker 9 (15:14):
Now.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Thing was getting better. It was only getting worse. I
just came with like an agenda of things that I
wanted tested for. I was like, is this an autoimmune issue?
Are we talking about lupus? What's going on with why
he feels like he can't get a good breath? Is
there something going on with his lungs? Can we do
a scan of his lungs?
Speaker 6 (15:36):
Courtney was prepared to advocate for Jirod, something he was
in no condition to do himself. But even as they
scrambled to make an action plan, which was complicated by
the fact that they were in the middle of the pandemic,
the doctors felt like there may not be much time
left for him.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
They finally like, allowed me to let the kids in
for one afternoon, and I just like remember being like,
I've got to take a bunch of pictures of this
because I'm not sure if we're ever like if they're
ever going to be able to see him again because
it's COVID, so like they're making a one time exception
for them to come in and see him.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
But how are you keeping a brave face with him?
How are you?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
I just left the room a lot, like I would
just be like, Okay, I'm gonna grab some snacks, weir bit,
you know, And what would you do in the hallway
just sobbing. I would go to the little chapel that
they had there. We have a Christian faith, and I
would just sit there and be like, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Like, we've answered your call.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
We are taking care of this family just as we
feel we've been called to do.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
And now now what.
Speaker 6 (16:54):
With Courtney's fierce advocacy, the doctors finally do a CT scan,
which would hold the necessary clues as to what was
causing Drod's rapid health decline.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
So when I finally got the CT scan, I mean
nothing could have prepared me for what information would come
back from that.
Speaker 6 (17:16):
We'll be right back with Symptomatic a medical mystery podcast.
Speaker 10 (17:25):
Hi I'm Cindi lauper My scalp was covered with psoriasis,
which could lead to soiatic arthritis, but Cocentics treats both.
Speaker 8 (17:33):
Cocentics at U canyon Mab is prescribed for adults with
moderate to severe black soris as three hundred milligram dose
and adults with active sooriatic arthritis one hundred fifty milligram dose.
Don't use if you're allergic to cocentics. Before starting, get
checked for TB, serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that
look like exima, and an increased risk of infections. Some
fatal have occurred. Cocentics may lower ability to fight infections,
so tell your doctor if you have an infection or
(17:55):
symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle leggs or cough out
a vaccine or plant to or if IBD symptoms developer wors.
Learn more at cothentics dot com or one eight four
to four concentics.
Speaker 10 (18:05):
Couthentics works for me.
Speaker 8 (18:07):
Ask your doctor about concentics.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
Now back to Symptomatic, a medical mystery podcast. Jerrod Green
approached most of what life through at him with a
smile juggling a full life at work and his PhD
studies and at home as a proud husband and father,
but rapidly the symptoms of a perplexing condition landed him
(18:33):
in the emergency room, hoping to find answers before it
was too late. What were your biggest fears in those moments?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
There are so many fears that are so layered. It's
like what are we doing here right? Like is he
going to have to stop working? And my persistent fear
is like what are we going to do to get
him the care that he needs?
Speaker 6 (19:02):
Through fear and confusion of her own, Courtney continued to
show up for Girod when he needed it most, pushing
for answers until the doctors found the clue they were
looking for. On a CT scan, they found that part
of Grod's spleen had died off because of a blood clot.
Seeing the blood clot led the doctors to order an
echo cardiogram to get a better picture of the.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Heart, and that's when they found that I had not
only a reduced objection fraction, but also enlargement within my
heart as well. And that's when the doctor later came
in and diagnosed me.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
With congestive heart failure.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I didn't know anyone with heart failure or even heart disease.
I didn't really know what heart failure meant to me.
It's such a dooming term to call it heart failure,
like my heart has failed, and that means maybe I'm
not going to make it out of this.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
As doctor said, you have heart failure. It's very significant,
it's very severe. Your heart is almost non functional, and
it's really bad. So we think we should transfer you
to Greenville, which is like the next biggest town. I'm
just sitting there, silent, crying, trying to ask questions about
(20:20):
like the practical reality about what that means. Because you're
saying heart failure, I don't know what that means. That
doesn't mean anything to me.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
You know, my doctor at the time, who's not a
heart failure specialist, he's like, this is maybe a fifty
to fifty percent chance of survival and that you probably
should start looking into long term disability and maybe look
to stop working because this is going to be a
long road for you.
Speaker 6 (20:50):
I can't imagine how frightening and difficult that must have been.
It must have been like waking up into a nightmare.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Yeah, and so at the time I was in the
hospital thinking, you know, is this going to get better?
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Can I fight this? Can I beat this?
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Is this something that's going to just change my life completely?
Am I not going to make it out of the hospital?
Like are these my last days? And so it was
really tough and stressful time, and part of me was
in shock, and part of me, I feel, couldn't even
bring myself to process that information.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
And I was like, how how are you feeling? And
he was like, I just don't even really know. And
that was like the first time I saw him cry
in the whole process. And I just don't think there's
anything worse that could have been said to Jerrod, like
this devoted husband and father than like fifty fifty chicks.
Speaker 6 (21:48):
After terrifying months of uncertainty, Jerrod and Courtney finally had
a name for the disease that had flipped their lives
upside down, congestive heart failure, But they were still left
with many unanswered questions For people who don't know, Can
you just break down, by definition exactly what congestive heart
(22:11):
failure is? Yeah, so our heart has many different things
it does. I often talk about it as plumbing which
is the artery is that's where we have heart attacks.
And then we have electricity, which is the way our
heart beats, and then we have the structure of our heart,
and that's where congestive heart failure comes in. That's doctor
(22:31):
Courtney Jordan Beckler, the medical director of Health Equity and
health Promotion at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
So, when the blood goes into the heart and then
comes out, the percentage of blood that goes in versus
going out, that's called our ejection fraction, and that's really
the pump of the heart. Fifty five percent of that
blood volume is what we consider normal.
Speaker 6 (22:56):
That's a normal functioning heart.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
So it's something you don't want less and you don't
want more, and so there's all sorts of definitions, but
for sure, less than forty five percent is when we
start to classify mild heart failure. It's more severe at
thirty five percent, and then very severe at twenty five percent,
and under is more advanced heart failure.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
How can can just a heart failure impact people's lives?
Heart failure if we don't do anything.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
About it, on average, fifty percent of people will die
in five years.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
And so it's a big deal.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
It can be an end stage process in terms of
death if we don't get people the necessary treatment early on,
and I think importantly to many of these conversations, it
can impair your physical and mental health.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
Are there things about his specific case also, just in
terms of his age that might have made a quicker
diagnosis more difficult? What stuck out as unusual? Yeah, really
great question.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
I think that because Girod is a little bit younger,
we often think about heart disease impacting people only when
they get old, incorrectly. In fact, you know, one of
the fastest growing demographics of heart attacks is women aged
thirty five to forty five, which a lot of people
don't know. But the point being, some of these types
(24:30):
of statistics take a long time for physicians to start
to pick up on and see that, gosh, we're seeing
Unfortunately some of these diagnoses at younger and younger ages.
So I do think unfortunately that was one of the
challenges with Drod's diagnosis, is that had he been older,
we would have been more likely to think of that faster.
(24:53):
It's definitely not an excuse, but I think that is
a reality.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Gerard was only twenty nine years old when he was
diagnosed with co est of heart failure, unusually young for
someone to experience such significant cardiac issues. He was put
on a regiment of medicines and also given a life fest,
a defibrillator he needs to wear constantly in case his
heart has to be shocked back into a normal rhythm.
Though he had an answer for what had been plaguing
(25:17):
him in many ways, his diagnosis only opened the door
to a host of new questions.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
What does this mean for my life and my family?
If I do have a fifty to fifty percent chance,
does that mean I'm not going to make it? And
if not, what's going to happen to my family at
that point?
Speaker 6 (25:35):
Wow? And I mean talk about an undiagnosed illness and
enemy from within? How did you feel about your own heart,
about your own body in that moment?
Speaker 1 (25:48):
I guess I just was thinking what did I do
to fail my body?
Speaker 5 (25:54):
Or what did my body do to fail me?
Speaker 1 (25:57):
And it's hard to not think, you know, what's wrong
with my heart?
Speaker 5 (26:01):
Like why did.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
This happen to me? Is it because of something I did?
Or the ways I'm not taking care of myself? And
in some ways I think that I wasn't set up
or positioned well in a lot of different arenas to
do that. But I think that I had a lot
of self blame. I was like, how did I let
it get to this?
Speaker 6 (26:20):
At this point, you at least had the life fest
to have you though.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
The life fest it was helpful, but it's not perfect either.
It would beep in the middle of the night and
I'd have to readjust it. The first time that it
beat was terrifying because it's like, oh no, it's something happening.
Speaker 5 (26:36):
You know. Ended up just being that the pads just
need to be shifted.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
But it was also just hard to live life with this,
you know, five pound battery pack attached to my body
at all times.
Speaker 6 (26:49):
His kids were only two and four when he was diagnosed,
so much of their lives are ahead of them. The
gravity of what this meant for his life was constantly
on his mind for a new normal is what led
him to the Minnesota Hard Institute and his relationship with
doctor Jordan Beckler. Where was he in his diagnostic journey
(27:10):
when he first cross paths with you?
Speaker 4 (27:12):
So he had already been formally diagnosed and was actively
on his treatment plan, but I think he was in
a place where he was able to kind of look
back and think about how things might have been different
in his journey with different additional help and opportunities along
the way from the health system. So I think from
(27:34):
a traditional treatment perspective, he was getting what he needed,
But what he was specifically reaching.
Speaker 6 (27:42):
Out to us about is some of the social support.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
We can't disconnect our head from our body. We are
whole human beings, and unfortunately, as I'm sure many of
your listeners know, sometimes in the way healthcare is practice now,
we do that. So I think that what Gerard was
looking for in part was that it took I believe
seven months for him to hear back from a social
(28:07):
worker and just navigating different changes in his life that
he was planning to make with work and family and
figuring out what that looked like living with a chronic disease.
Speaker 6 (28:20):
I think that was what he was hoping to get
more of.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
So she's very steeped into heart failure and health as
relates to women, people of color, and also thinking about
the environmental factors that impact people's health. She's really just
been a great thought partner and is a leader in
this space and someone who I have been able to
(28:46):
go to get feedback, ideas, recommendations, and just general insight
into better understanding heart failure.
Speaker 6 (28:53):
More deeply, how important as a doctor is taking into
account the environment, mental factors, and stressors that a patient
is dealing with on a daily basis.
Speaker 9 (29:06):
So it's critical we know that up to a third
of all cardiovascular disease is caused from poor mental health,
and that includes things like social isolation, anger, stress, anxiety, depression,
bipolar disorder, you know, schizophrenia, really severe types of mental health.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
So it's actually as much of an impact as having
abdominal obesity or smoking, But we don't talk about it
in the same way as physicians, as healthcare folks in general,
and unfortunately, because we don't have a pill for that,
we get nervous to ask. But to what you're saying,
it's critical that we understand that has an impact not
(29:51):
only on the ability of the body to adequately fight disease,
whether it's COVID or ongoing heart issues, but it also
impacts our ability to take medications on a routine basis,
our ability to get outside and go for a walk,
or nourish ourselves with good foods.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
Navigating proper health management can be a journey all on
its own, one that rivaled even the treacherous road to
the proper diagnosis. However, finding empowering care and support is
what truly changed the course of Girod's life. He now
has found a place and people who are there to
help him take care of his mind, body, and spirit.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
We've talked about, like maybe we want to move out
of the freezing, bitter cold someday, and it's like, no,
we're not going to leave the Minneapolis Heart Institute. Like
this is where we are. We have such an amazing team,
and like we just feel so so lucky. Not everybody
has health insurance, not everybody has the resources that they
(30:54):
need to access that, but like it's such an amazing
place and I hope that everybody that needs it can
have it.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
Girrod has now started to find a relatively stable pattern
in his life. He switched from the life best to
an internal defibrillator called an ICD, making it much easier
and more comfortable to move around. He's also realized how
lonely this diagnostic journey felt at times. Even though he
did have so much family support, he was missing the
(31:24):
connection to people who were going through a similar journey
to talk with and to share with. So Girod is
now using his story to make sure no one else
with heart failure has to be missing that important piece.
When did you realize that you needed to connect with
a larger community? When did you realize that you needed
(31:45):
support from other people who were going through what you
now had on your plate.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
As a black person who very much believes and community
as part of our healing process. It was part of
our journey, as part of how we raise kids. It's
not just about medications and limiting sodium and water intake
and working out. It's about community, it's about joy, It's
about healing with other people. And this is something that's
(32:16):
true about my community in general, is that if there's
a space that doesn't.
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Exist for us, we're going to create a space.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
That's what I did, and I don't know if Gerrod
explained that to you. That's part of when we met
was in this quest to start a support group. Now,
I've been a part of support group since my time
in Fellowship, particularly because we have so many disparities with
women heart disease, and so I helped lead a support
group at that time.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
It's been great. And as much as I think that
maybe I've helped people, they've helped me as well. So
I think that I've stepped into this whole new world
of not only DEI work, but advocacy, health equity. There's
a world out there of research and things that people
are understanding about the physiological impacts of racism, stress, poverty
(33:06):
on communities, and particularly black communities. And I think that
society tells us that our outcomes are our fault and
our fault alone. Now I'm thinking about not only how
do I maintain my own health, but how do I
help other folks have access to better care so that
(33:27):
if they are at risk or experience heart failure, that
they can get the level of care that I got
and the level of support that I got.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
The same King of Chill, eternal optimist and constant rock
of support for Courtney, is now giving his energy to
make sure other people don't have to wait as long
to find a diagnosis or community with shared experiences. This
drive pushed Drawd to start posting about his journey on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
And I remember my wife and sister were just talking
about how ever, since I was with heart failure, I
have like these really critical and direct hot takes. I
think that we kind of joked around like heart Failure
hot takes, and I was like, you know what, this
is actually kind of cool. We should do something with this.
And from there I created the Instagram page heart Failure
(34:15):
hot Takes as a way really to share my story
and in some ways it was about community, but in
a lot of ways it was just therapeutic for me
to share.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
Gerard is definitely somebody that is living his life. He
is thriving, He's living alongside his diagnosis. He has definitely
not become his diagnosis. Also, he is out trying to
make this easier for other people. I just, both personally
(34:46):
and professionally, have so much respect for that.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
And the last thing that I will say is take
the time to appreciate and show gratitude for yourself and
for others in your life, because it's hard to do
this without.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Any of that.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
And the more gratitude and compassionate you show yourself and
to others, the easier this becomes as well.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
The hope that I have for everyone is that they
know that they're allowed to advocate for themselves. I think
so often we kind of get that white coat syndrome,
not just with our own stress around medical providers, but
just about you know where our agency lies. Don't be
afraid to keep asking questions. Don't be afraid to ask
them to note it in your chart that they are
(35:37):
declining your request for a test to be run like
that is within your right to want the best for.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Yourself and the people that you love.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
You can follow Girod's journey with heart failure on Instagram
at heart Failure Hot Takes.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
My name is Gerrod Green and I was twenty nine
years old when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Speaker 6 (36:05):
On the next episode of Symptomatic Chris Thaudi had a
simple case of indigestion, but things quickly became unmanageable, losing
control of his GI flares. No intervention could seem to
ease his suffering.
Speaker 11 (36:18):
I drove myself to the hospital, to the emergency room
in a sheer panic because I was worried if I
called the ambulance, you know, they wouldn't get there in
time or whatever. And I had never felt anything like
that before, pain radiating from everywhere. That's essentially what it
felt like.
Speaker 6 (36:39):
Uncover what sent his body into a full allergic spiral symptomatic.
A Medical Mystery podcast is a production of Ruby's Studio
from iHeartMedia. Our show was hosted by me Lauren brad Pacheco.
Executive producers are Matt Romano and myself. Our EP of
post production is James Foster. Our producers are Sierra Kaiser
(37:02):
and John Irwin, and this episode was researched by Diana Davis.
Speaker 7 (37:16):
In Trusto Sukubatu Valsartan Tablets is the number one heart
failure brand prescribed by cardiologists and has helped over one
million people. It's a prescription medicine that treats adults with
long lasting heart failure and works better when the heart
cannot pump a normal amount of blood to the body.
Speaker 12 (37:32):
Don't take in Trusto if pregnant. It can cause harm
or death to an unborn baby. Don't take in Trusto
with an ACE inhibitor or Alice Karen, or if you've
had angioedema with an ACE or ARB, don't take with
Alice Karen or within thirty six hours of taking an
ACE inhibitor. The most serious side effects are angioedema, low
blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium Angioedema is
swelling of your face, lips, tongue, and throat that may
(37:54):
cause death. If it causes difficulty breathing, get emergency help.
Speaker 7 (37:58):
Ask your doctor about Intrusto. To learn more, visit support
dot intrusto dot com or call eight three three four
four six six six nine nine. Propricing visit in TRUSTe
dot com. Backslash cost. If you can't afford your medication,
Novartis may be able to help
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.