Warren and Donna Selkow find themselves in a unique position
to address and write about the
problems of living with coronary artery disease. In October
of 2000 Warren had a "mild" heart attack. The event (the
word used by the medical establishment) revealed a very
serious underlying condition, a failing aortic valve.
Subsequent testing revealed four completely blocked veins, a
failing mitral valve and a large aneurism on the aorta. He
was scheduled for open-heart surgery to repair all the
damage that included a four-way by-pass, a new mitral ring
and replacement of his aortic valve with a mechanical
devise.
By the end of 2001 Warren found himself in seriously
declining health and another test revealed he had a leak in
his heart and a mitral valve on the verge of complete
failure due to the leak. In January of 2002 he had that
valve replaced and a pacemaker implanted.
Donna Selkow was called upon to provide the day-to-day care
to ensure Warren's survival. Donna already had extensive
experience in caregiving to seriously ill people that
literally started when she was a child and she looked after
her grandmother. Donna became educated about heart disease
and with this education and her already well developed sense
of what good care means, nursed her husband through the
worst of the times which did not end with just the simple
healing of the surgeries. No, her care would be required for
the following many years.
Warren was a business executive in the sales and marketing
area of Information Technology. During his career he was
employed by National Cash Register, Honeywell, IBM and
Siebel Systems. He was employed by Siebel Systems when the
heart attack and ensuing surgery disabled him and ended his
working days.
Donna was a stay-at-home mom who raised their children (as
Warren says, “almost single-handedly) due to his travel
schedule.
The Selkow's now reside in the Phoenix area and are
completely retired. They have two grown children and two
grandchildren, both now in their teens.
The Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease and
Other Chronic Diseases by Warren and Donna Selkow is a
must-read for those living with heart disease, diabetes,
COPD, or renal failure. A survivor of two open-heart
surgeries, and his caregiver wife, offer a straightforward
first person guide that will save lives. Readers will
discover comprehensive physician-reviewed, approved and
endorsed information about the various tests leading to a
diagnosis, specifics about open-heart surgery and making it
through Intensive Care. Sections include preparing for
surgery and recovery, diet, medications and exercise, the
emotional side effects of depression, anxiety, and stress,
and living a life of fitness and productivity. Based on the
personal experiences of patient and caregiver, information
is delivered with humor and in-your-face honesty. From the
first diagnosis of heart disease to living a long and
healthy post-surgical life, this book delivers at all
levels. http://www.simplehand.org
*The results of the 2010 International Book Awards have
been announced.
The Simplified
Handbook for Living with Heart Disease and Other Chronic
Diseases
has been honored as a "Winner" in the "Health: General"
category
Books-And-Authors.net: Where did you grow up
and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your
earliest influences and why?
Warren Selkow:
I
was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa. I am a product of the
public education system that existed in that large city at that
time. This is important only in so far as I was educated in a system
that prized “normal” and I was not that. Oh for the days of the “red
menace”, Joe McCarthy, the House Un-American Committee and dear old
Dwight Eisenhower, our President. You know, an easier time when the
only thing you had to fear was the rampant bigotry and ignorance and
stupidity. Other than that it was an ideal time.
I was greatly influenced
by a group of non-traditional heroes. They were Ben Franklin, Thomas
Jefferson and John Adams. Remember, I was raised in Philadelphia so
it was a usual practice to ride my bike downtown and visit the
historical locations.
My family influencers were my mother and father, who taught me the
value of hard work, my Uncle Ben, who taught me to challenge
everything and my Uncle Joe who taught me to be accepting, challenge
conventional wisdom and be endlessly curious.
Back to my education;
when I was in the third grade I was doing very poorly. My mother
thought I was bored so she took me to the Philadelphia Library and
got me a library card, my very own library card (what a great gift
is a library card). The school system was determined I read at a
third grade level. The only problem was I was reading at a six and
seventh grade level. So I would have to say that reading was very
important to me. I currently read between two or three novels a week
and have for many years. It was only as an adult that I learned that
I could write an intelligent sentence, paragraph and chapter.
Books-And-Authors.net: Why did you write The Simplified
Handbook for Living with Heart Disease and Other Chronic Diseases?
What is your personal story?
Warren Selkow:
On October 10th, 2000, a Thursday, I woke up at
about 11pm with the worst case of indigestion I had ever had. This
is quite amazing given my years of eating everything that got near
my mouth or was within reach. Antacids did not help. In great
distress I flew to my computer (I did not have to open a sash and
there was no Santa Claus) and Yahooed “heart attack symptoms.” Of
the eight listed symptoms I was having seven. The only one I was not
having was “death” which I would say is probably a symptom
discovered as a result of a post mortem.
Fortunately for me I lived only five minutes from an Emergency Room
and off we went. The blood test confirmed I was in fact having a
heart attack, which the ER docs quickly stopped and saved my sorry
butt. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
The following morning I as given an echocardiogram and the tech told
me the great medical lie. I asked what she saw and she said, “I
don’t read them, I only take them.” As she finished the test my wife
and son showed up in the room. It was not yet 8am. I am worried
about when I can go home. A few minutes after the tech left my room,
a nurse showed up and began puttering around the room. We did not
think too much about it at the time but the cardiologist who wanted
her to keep and eye on me sent her there. A few minutes later, the
cardiologist, Dr. Steven Raskin, appeared as if by magic (Dr. Raskin
would turn out to be a life saving blessing in disguise).
Dr. Raskin quickly
figured out what kind of Type A jerk I was and without wasting a
word said: “You have a chronic, serious and severe leaking aortic
valve and if it is not repaired you will be dead in six months.” I
replied, “Can’t be. I am scheduled to start a class on methodology
on Monday, there are a hundred or so consultants scheduled to take
that class. And the following week I am the keynote speaker at a
major industry function in Atlanta, and several thousand are
scheduled to be there.”
The good doctor didn’t miss a beat and said to me, “Well you may be
going but you will not be coming home.” As you can guess, I retired
that very day. I was only fifty-eight. A subsequent angiogram
revealed I had four completely block arteries and an aneurism larger
than a golf ball on my aorta. On October 26 all those problems were
fixed and a few others like a malfunctioning mitral valve. I
received a four-way bypass and my aortic valve was cut out and
replaced with a St. Jude mechanical valve.
I was sent home to heal. And I did until the following June or so. I
started to decline and nobody seemed to know why. In December 2001 I
got seriously sick again and a test revealed my mitral valve had
sprung a leak. On January 10th, 2002, that valve was replaced with
another mechanical valve. I could not sustain a regular heartbeat so
a pacemaker was implanted. In November of 2002 my heart still could
not sustain a regular beat so an AV node ablation was done. I am now
completely dependent on my pacer and have no complete natural
heartbeat of my own. Ain’t technology great? Now I am bored to tears
about my story so please don’t ask again.
Books-And-Authors.net: How has your personal lifestyle for
better health changed? Exercise? Diet?
Warren Selkow:
My lifestyle has undergone a tremendous remake. My
daily routine includes an hour of low impact exercise (seven days a
week), carefully monitored intake of salt and stringent rules as to
daily intake of fat. Believe this, if I can do it, anybody can.
Books-And-Authors.net: In The Simplified Handbook for Living
with Heart Disease and Other Chronic Diseases, you write "When I
first started to write this, I had no plans as to what the final use
of this book would be. In fact, it wasn’t even a book. It was, at
best, a short monograph." Explain.
Warren Selkow:
In 1492 Christopher Columbus found what would
be dubbed “The New World).” Oh, wait, that’s another story. The book
came about the following way:
1. My wife got sick and tired of listening and watching me
bore anyone I could latch on to and explain about my surgery
and what a poor boy I was. Stop complaining to strangers,
she chided me, and start writing some of this stuff down.
2. I had some
serious up and downs, mostly downs, and was fortunate enough
to have my cardiologist fire me. I was sent to another
cardiologist. Thank you, thank you and thank you again. My
new cardiologist was Dr. Joseph Caplan. As part of his
practice he made me enroll in his well-ness clinics,
including lipid and CHF counseling. It was during one of
those sessions; conducted by Michele Ridings, his RN in
charge of education I had a curious thought. “If I had only
known all this stuff when I first got sick, my life would
have been very different.”
3. I wrote a
paper of about 20 or so pages entitled, “Confessions of a
Foodaholic”. I gave the paper to Michele and asked her if
she would just show it other patients. She didn’t do that.
She gave it to Dr. Caplan, instead.
4. When I saw
Caplan sometime later, he had the paper. He said that what I
had written was really a core curriculum for four chronic
diseases, heart disease, diabetes, COPD and renal failure.
Would I expand and expound on what I had written. I didn’t
really want to but I did and “The Simplified Handbook For
Living With Heart Disease and Other Chronic Diseases, is
that result.
Books-And-Authors.net: What is arrhythmia? What is CAD?
Warren Selkow:
Arrhythmia simply means “irregular” heart beat.
It comes from the Greek, Ar, which means irregular, and “rhythm”
which means “I got it rhythm, who can ask for anything more? Sorry
about that. CAD is simply
Coronary Artery Disease.
Books-And-Authors.net: In The Simplified Handbook for Living
with Heart Disease and Other Chronic Diseases after surgery you
write "Start to demand stool softeners and drink as many fluids as
you possibly can. You are going to have to move your bowels before
you get to the next phase of care and without those stool softeners,
it will be very painful and difficult." Explain.
Warren Selkow:
After surgery a patient is given mega doses of pain
relievers, usually in the opiate family. Good stuff for easing pain,
bad stuff when it gets to patients bowels. These drugs turn the
bowels to concrete. Trying to take a healthy bowel movement is very
painful and very, very difficult. Liquids and stool softeners
greatly alleviate this problem.
Books-And-Authors.net: You write: "The path to recovery is
almost identical to the path traveled by someone coping with the
loss of a loved one. An important part of your life will be taken
away from you and you will have to grieve for that loss." Explain.
Warren Selkow:
A result of the drugs is depression. Serious
depression. In many cases a patient loses the ability to earn a
living and a total career. (That happened to me.) The ID, EGO and
Libido take a serious hit. A patient has to grieve the loss of all
of those things and until that grieving takes place there is no
getting over the depression and no getting better.
Books-And-Authors.net:
You say, "it is now time to talk about the worst part of the whole
damn ordeal: depression and the accompanying stress and anxiety."
Explain.
Warren Selkow:
Here
is a terrible fact of heart disease: A full 99.9% of those having
open-heart surgery suffer from depression. Within two years after
the surgery, 9% or so will commit suicide. Now isn’t that a
depressing statistic. Yet, this is not discussed or publicized.
The American Heart Association now recognizes depression for the
problem it is and has asked its’ members to solicit information from
the patient as to the severity of the problem. The AHA estimates at
least 50% of all cardiologists do not bother.
We spend a lot of time
discussing this issue. More importantly, we discuss what can be
done.
Books-And-Authors.net:
You wrote The Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease with
your wife -- How much input did she have and how did you two share
in its writing?
Warren Selkow:
Donna contributed all
the intellectual content in those sections called Caregiver notes.
This is somewhere between 25% and 40% of the book. Much of the
material written by me as the patient was influenced by Donna’s
comments and input. It would not be incorrect to say Donna deserves
almost 100% credit for the entire effort. If it were not for her, I
would not have survived the ordeal.
Books-And-Authors.net:
How did your wife learn to be a caregiver after your surgery? Are
there classes for caregivers? What are the activities of a
caregiver? Physical & Emotional?
Warren Selkow:
Donna did not learn to be a caregiver after I got sick. Donna
learned how to be a caregiver by nursing to grievous ill sisters, a
mother, a father, a brother in law, two grandmothers and many
others. This does not count just the caregiving involved with
raising a family. Donna’s skills were well honed by the time my
sorry butt got home from the hospital.
The caregiver must
simultaneously be a:
1.
Practical
nurse
2.
House
keeper
3.
Cook
4.
Companion
5.
Supporter
6.
Driver
7.
Lots
of other things.
Caregiving is both
physically and emotionally draining. It is hard to watch a loved
one suffer and not be able to do much to make the healing go
faster. The work gets even harder when the patient gets very
depressed and becomes uncooperative.
Books-And-Authors.net: What advice does your wife (Caregiver) have for someone going
through or preparing to bring home a loved one from the hospital?
Donna Selkow:
1. Get
the house prepared prior to the patient getting home.
2.
Get
educated as to all the things the caregiver is going to have to know
including everything the patient needs to know about diet, drugs and
therapy.
3. Be
prepared for the long haul and be prepared to lose sleep.
4.
Be
prepared to be aggravated.
5. Be
prepared to do the cooking and cleaning
6. If
you can’t do all of the above, get help.
7. Read
the book for everything else and there is a lot to learn.
Books-And-Authors.net: How does the personal schedule of a caregiver change when they
are a family member?
Donna Selkow:
Not much of a change
other than caregiving is a 24/7 job with no time off.
Books-And-Authors.net: What are readers saying about The
Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease and Other Chronic
Diseases ?
Warren Selkow:
This is what are others are saying about the book. There are more
comments at
http://www.simplehand.org
"As a
book editor, I encounter a wide range of authors,
genres, and writing styles. Warren Selkow's book
resonates like no other. The impact of Warren's presentation exceeds anything
a medical professional could achieve in educating
at-risk people about the immediate need for lifestyle
changes. With its perceptive commentary from coauthor
Donna Selkow, this book is a must-read for patients and
caregivers. Physicians who treat patients with chronic
disease, regardless of etiology, will benefit too. The
Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease may
even be a lifesaver., My sixty-five-year-old husband is
an overweight type 2 diabetic and has heart disease. He
got there with my help. Calories, schmalories. How about
a steak with a loaded baked potato? Another beer? I'll
join you! As a neuropathologist, he knows the intimate
details of the ways in which chronic disease ravages a
body. I imagine he sees himself in every sixty-something
person who succumbs to the ailments that plague him. I
know he does. He told me last night about a
fifty-five-year-old colleague who died while taking his
morning shower. I wondered about what the man's wife
must be going through. And, after thirty-five years of
marriage, we didn't have to say it aloud—it's time to
make some changes. Big ones., After editing The
Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease, I
took steps toward improving our diet and exercise
routine. I realize now they were baby steps. That's why
I'll be first in line to buy a copy of WarrenSelkow's book. I hope it’s available to give to my
husband as a birthday present this fall.", Gail
Chadwick, Editor,
"I
have found the book very interesting and I think
everyone over forty years of age should read it. This
book explains the pain before the heart attack, the pain
while having the attack and your recovery from it all.
When you are at home with the family, you all have
concerns at that time, and the book explains how to
appreciate these concerns for the betterment of all.",
Paul Beck, Cardiac Patient,
"Mr.
Selkow has written a no-holds-barred, front-row account
that every heart patient should read., It is thought
provoking, amusing, hard hitting and direct. I will give
it to all my cardiac patients.", Dr. Edward Kowaleski,
Internal Medicine, Medical Director, Banner Arizona
Medical Clinic, Peoria, Arizona,
"WOW!
This fast reading handbook has invaluable facts and tips
for the heart patient to be, the recovering patient, and
the caregiver. It convinced this patient to follow
prescribed diet and medicines.", Jim Sterling, Glendale
Arizona, Cardiac Patient,
"The
Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease is an
excellent personal insight to the process of learning to
live with heart disease and tools to change your
lifestyle to live to your life’s full expectancy.", Mark
Bank, MS, CES, Manager, Banner Boswell Center Cardiac
Rehabilitation Program, must be acknowledged and treated
for the healing process to begin."
Books-And-Authors.net: What do you hope to achieve with
The Simplified Handbook for Living with Heart Disease and Other
Chronic Diseases?
Warren Selkow:
I will achieve the following with the book:
1. Generate revenue to fund the not for profit web site.
2. Become, through the web site, as a recognized place
to go to get informed about the chronic diseases we
write about.
3. Make the lives of heart patients and their caregivers
easier and less stressful.
Books-And-Authors.net: You say, "Go to library and read
two or three books a week." What was the last book(s) you read/
Warren Selkow:
I read many books. In the past few months I have
read books by Walter Mosley, John Lescroart, Robert Parker, J.
A. Jance, Henry Gates, Jr., Donald Westlake, Richard Stark,
Barbara Tuchman, The biography of John Adams, The History of
Time (for a second time and I still don’t understand it after
the middle) and many other things. I watch no day time TV. I
will watch a ball game, rarely miss them in fact, and feetsball
during the season. I forgot to mention the current book I am
reading by Elmore Leonard, which I will finish some time
tomorrow.
Books-And-Authors.net: What's next?
Warren Selkow:
I have no idea as to what is next. All I am
really focused on now is getting my book into the hands of those
that need it. And to continue to upgrade the web site.
Books-And-Authors.net: Do you have any hobbies? What are
they? How do they enhance your writing?
Warren Selkow:
Hobbies? Surely you jest. Hell, I’m lucky I can
find my butt with both hands in a dark room.
I was greatly influenced by a group of
non-traditional heroes. They were Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams. Remember, I was raised in Philadelphia so it was a usual
practice to ride my bike downtown and visit the historical
locations.
