Dr. Megan Lynch hears it every day in the offices of Mt. Pleasant OB/GYN – that swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh … like something from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It’s an ultrasound’s miraculous transmission of a fetal heartbeat.
And over at Orthopaedic Specialists of Charleston, Dr. Kenneth Caldwell hears a sturdy “thump, thump” when he puts stethoscope to chest of an older athlete who’s got a knee issue.
Dr. Demetrios Papadopoulos hears it too, in the pitter-patters and thump-da-thumps that come through a busy Family Medicine office.
The rooms of Roper St. Francis hospitals and doctors’ offices are filled, every day, with people who get their hearts listened to. Cardiologists do EKGs and stress tests. Pediatricians listen up for normal rhythms and no funny echos. But what about patients? Those of us without stethoscopes and ultrasounds? We don’t hear our hearts. Sure, we might feel our pulse quicken (or slow), but really, we only know what makes us tick when we get that surge of happiness, or that something we call “love” that tugs on our heart strings. We listen to our hearts by paying attention to what inspires us to be our healthiest, best selves so we can be there for those we love, and to do the things that give us meaning and satisfaction.
So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and from the other side of the stethoscope, we want to know:
What do you love?
What makes your heart sing?
Leave us a comment. Send us a picture at healthlink@rsfh.com or post one on our Facebook page. And do us a favor (doctor’s orders!): take a moment to tell the special people in your life that you love them. That’s one medically-proven, heart-healthy way to make every moment matter.
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