Woman’s ‘horrendous cough’ would disturb violin classes — a stranger’s words helped her uncover a life-saving diagnosis
One would never imagine that a simple symptom, such as a cough, could lead to something more worrisome. Many of us would likely dismiss it as a sore throat or a trivial condition. A 71-year-old violin teacher, Constance Meyers, perhaps thought the same of her cough, The Washington Post reported. However, when it worsened to the point of disturbing her students, she became worried. A stranger who happened to be at the right place at the right time managed to share something crucial that helped the woman finally receive a diagnosis.
Meyers was a healthy woman overall who was conscious of her body, right from exercise, diet and so on. Unfortunately, for over a year, she was struggling to get rid of her cough. Doctors couldn’t understand what the root problem was. While some pointed out it might be asthma, others said it was her advanced age. Meyers herself began concluding. Having had a medical history of cancer in her family, she dreaded that the terminal illness might have struck her too. She took X-rays and tried to get as much medical input as possible. However, reports only suggested no evidence “of pneumonia, scarring or other conditions causing your symptoms.”
Her friends and family started to worry about her health. “The cough got really horrendous. My husband was going out of his mind. He has asthma and said, ‘It’s not asthma,’” the violinist recalled. What followed was a series of scans, appointments and medications, in hopes of relieving her. Yet, there seemed to be no way to understand what was wrong. Months after her struggle, Meyers met Megan Y. Kamath, one of the moms of her newly enrolled students. Being an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, she noticed the cough soon. Along with it, she made a new observation — the 71-year-old only coughed while walking.
The mom urged Meyers to get a stress echocardiogram. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the procedure is used to understand how the heart is functioning during exercise or movement. The results came back abnormal. “I was a little bit in shock. I didn’t think I’d have a heart condition. I was always waiting for the shoe to drop with cancer,” she said. On being recommended an angiogram, it was revealed that the woman had a 90 to 99 percent blockage in her left anterior descending artery. Known for its high fatality rate, the blockage can cause a heart attack. Meyers finally had a diagnosis but a terrifying one. “Constance was a ticking time bomb. She could have just dropped dead suddenly,” Kamath remarked.
The woman was immediately scheduled for an angioplasty and followed the treatment. Throughout, Kamath remained persistent and cautioned her to be mindful of her cough. She also specifically asked her to go to the ER if her cough worsened. “I remember she told me three times,” Meyer said. Fortunately, things didn’t go that far; Meyers was able to get her treatment done successfully. She quickly noticed how her cough had stopped and showed no signs of recurring. Meyers is grateful for a life-saving caveat and remarked, “I often wonder what would have happened.” Kamath is glad to have been able to make the minute observation of her symptom and speak out. Her message to others remains clear — “I try to encourage patients to be proactive about their care.”
