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TESTIMONIALS
Retired farm worker and administrative assistant at city hall, Achiet-le-Grand

Françoise, 66 years old

Françoise, 66 years old

A few weeks ago, I had a stress test. The results came back normal, and I was relieved. But that evening, I didn’t feel well…

I had a headache, nausea, the urge to vomit, and—most notably—on two separate occasions, the sensation that someone was jabbing large needles into my chest.

The next day, I had a resting scintigraphy, which came back abnormal! They ran an emergency blood test. The doctor told me that a blood marker called troponin was more than 200% above normal… Suspected heart attack!

The ambulance took me to the cardiac emergency room. Two cardiologists confirmed the suspected heart attack.

An emergency coronary angiogram showed healthy coronary arteries! Phew!

“Ma’am, you’re having a takotsubo!” Yes, broken heart syndrome, caused by acute stress.

I stayed nine days under observation in the cardiac intensive care unit.

I was completely wiped out and as pale as snow. I’m recovering very slowly because I’m so tired...

No exertion for now—I have to let my heart recover, since it was under strain. I’m taking medication morning and night while I wait to see my cardiologist again the following week…

This doesn’t just happen to other people; I have to learn to slow down...

It’s not easy—you can’t change who you are

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Carole, 46 years old

Marseille, teacher

Often tired as soon as I woke up, I consulted different doctors on several occasions, who treated me for anxiety and stress. I was astonished because I had no reason to stress, but the doctors were unanimous, so I stopped wondering. So I endured what I described as tetany attacks: I felt oppressed [...]

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Marie, 59 years old

Administrative Assistant (Paris, France)

Last summer during the heatwave, I had difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, even though walking was my favorite pastime. I lead a healthy life and eat a balanced diet. I decided to see my doctor because of the chronic fatigue and shortness of breath. I was worried about light pain in my arm [...]

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Françoise, Antony

Manager, 52 years old

In the spring of 2016, I'm 48 years old. My back hurts regularly, but nothing visible on the X-ray. My doctor tells me to work a bit more standing up, maybe change my mattress and rest, to have less stress. I spend my summer vacations hiking in the Auvergne. I'm pretty out of breath and my [...]

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