"Conversations With A Cardiologist" is a place where real patient journeys are told. Ordinary people get to share their journeys from finding out they have heart disease, their fears, frustrations and their breakthroughs. It's about finding what worked for them and where they found value. It's also about the challenges they face and the human experience. It is also a place where people who want to learn can do so in a safe environment - be inspired or learn about different ways to treat heart disease.
I am Dr Jodie-Ann Senior, a cardiology director, heart failure specialist, educator and mentor. I spent the early part of my career absolutely fascinated by the world of cardiac transplantation and heart failure. I loved working in the field and was passionate about the people we helped. There was nothing more rewarding than taking someone who had what was shaping up to be a death sentence, and finding a way to give them back their lives, watch them cheat death and ultimately go on to contribute to their own families and communities. With young people it was thrilling to see them grow up, get married, have their own children, return to work. With older patients we got to see them watch their own families grow up and have their own children.
Working in transplantation has been a privilege and a commitment that I will never forget. There were some stories of heart break and people we lost that will stay with me for life also. But the wins helped us deal with the losses.
In my own life, I learned that I also had heart disease - an uncommon congenital heart disease. Something I was born with but unaware of until after the birth of my third child. it was largely due to that diagnosis and surgery that I decided to leave the transplant service as I felt uncomfortable with my patients knowing this about me. I didn't want to have to explain it. I concentrated on my young family and building a private practice, and increased my administrational role as cardiology director, to focus on patient outcomes and providing a better clinical service.
Through my own health journeys, I have spent a lot of time interested in learning how to have the best health possible. To me it wasn't enough that my patients were no longer sick. Not being sick is not the same as being healthy. Well-being has been a big focus of my practice and my commitment to patient care. Treating patients with compassion and empathy, but empowering them to make changes to ensure they improve their health and their clinical journey. Prevention is always better than cure but if disease is a reality, then finding the path back to optimal health is the challenge that I willingly take on with anyone willing to join me.
Dr.Jodie-Ann Senior MBBS FRACP, Melbourne, Australia.