Tag Archives: Rosie
Rosie O’Donnell’s Heart Attack: Know Your Symptoms
Taking Aspirin a Good Step, but She Should Have Called 911, Expert Says
Aug. 21, 2012 — Talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, 50, advised women via her web site on Monday to learn the symptoms of heart attack and heed them after revealing she ignored her own and now feels ”lucky to be here.”
O’Donnell suffered what she called a “widow maker” heart attack a week ago, she told fans. She googled ”women’s heart attack symptoms” and, although the list matched hers, simply took an aspirin.
The next day, a cardiologist diagnosed a heart attack. Doctors removed a large blockage from her coronary artery before inserting a stent to keep it open.
Her story is a timely reminder that women’s heart attack symptoms are often different than a man’s, and that women often wait too long to get emergency help, says Chrisandra Shufelt, MD, associate director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Heart Institute, Los Angeles.
Although chest pain can be a symptom of a heart attack for a woman, often the signs can be more subtle. In O’Donnell’s case, she did complain of pain in both arms, which is a typical symptom. But according to the American Heart Association, women may also experience what are called “atypical” symptoms, including:
- Back, jaw, lower chest, or upper belly pain or discomfort
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
Shufelt, who did not treat O’Donnell, answered questions about women and heart disease and described typical treatments for women who suffer heart attacks.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for U.S. women.
Rosie says on her site that ”it’s a miracle” she is still here. Do you agree?
I wouldn’t call it a miracle. She definitely took the right steps to save her life, including the aspirin. Ideally she should have called 911 when she googled that information.
That is the information we need to get out — that it’s OK to call 911. It’s important. Even if you are wrong. That delay can cause more damage.
What did the cardiologist likely do when Rosie arrived?
The cardiologist checked her blood pressure, her pulse, performed a physical, listened to her heart, and performed an EKG. That tells us a lot of information — how the heart is functioning and if a heart attack is going on. He would have diagnosed the heart attack.
They performed an angioplasty [at the hospital] to see if there was any blockage. Once you detect a blockage, it’s likely the source of her heart attack. [After clearing the blockage] they open it up with a stent.
Is it likely she had been ignoring symptoms for a while?
A large percentage of women have a set of symptoms up to a month before. Some women have cold flushes or break out in a sweat, a clammy sweat. Shortness of breath is a common symptom. Some women have stabbing pain in their back. So it’s important to pay attention.
The classic Hollywood heart attack — the elephant sitting on your chest, clutching your chest, chest pain — can happen in a woman, but other symptoms can occur in women more often, such as shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, overwhelming fatigue, or pain in the back or jaw.
Roloffs To Rosie O’Donnell: Pick On Someone Your Own Size
Chelsea Handler recently appeared on Rosie O’Donnell’s new show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and both ladies made some very surprising remarks about little people.
“I’m a little ashamed about it … [but] I have a mild fear or anxiety around little people,” Rosie said before asking Chelsea if she would ever sleep with a little person.
Now, Amy and Matt Roloff, stars of TLC’s “Little People, Big World,” are fighting back.
“I thought that was a little over the edge,” Amy told me. “I was sad and disappointed that someone like Rosie would say that. For me it’s okay to have those personal feelings, but to air it as she did, I think, was inappropriate. I’m a person, I’m an adult.”
Although Amy’s husband felt a bit more understanding when it comes to Rosie’s comments, he did make it clear that her words are offensive.
“I want to give Rosie a big hug and have a big cry with her,” Matt said. “Amy wants to to kick her in the shins. She objectified us — that’s where I draw the line. If she wants to call us a name out of ignorance, that’s one thing, but talking about us as objects is a disturbing conversation in many ways.”
Though Amy and Matt are ready to move on, they realize just how much more work there is to do when it comes to changing attitudes and educating people about little people.
“It’s very hurtful, especially for our children,” Amy said.
Check out an all new “Little People Big World” special, which airs Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern on TLC.
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Can Rosie O’Donnell Help Oprah Save Struggling OWN? (VIDEO)
In her first week on the job at her OWN network, Oprah Winfrey discovered she was in for a much different experience than her 25-year tenure on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ In a note on her Facebook page, she wrote, “It’s ten times harder than doing my daily show.” ‘The Insider’ (weekdays, 7PM on CBS) reported on Winfrey’s efforts to improve the network, including hiring Rosie O’Donnell to do her own show.
According to ‘Insider,’ OWN is the 63rd ranked cable network and Web site traffic has recently plunged by 50 percent. Winfrey is hoping O’Donnell’s show, which shoots on Winfrey’s old set, will give the network a boost when it debuts this fall. O’Donnell seems happy to be involved. “We did like a four-hour sort of sit down, what’s going on, what do you think,” she said. “At the end of it, she’s like, what do you say we do this. I’m like, I’m in.”
One ‘Insider’ reporter seemed optimistic about the network’s future. “Certainly launching a new network in this economic environment is a very challenging task,” she said, “but the one thing that this network in particular has behind it that no one else can that it does is the power of Oprah Winfrey.” Whether that’s enough remains to be seen.
