Am I dying? UNC cardiologist's book helps people with humor

CHILL OUT A BIT.

>>> SOMETIMES A HEADACHE OR

STOMACHACHE ARE JUST A HEADACHE

OR STOMACHACHE.

SOMETIMES THEY ARE ASSIGNED

SOMETHING IS MORE SERIOUS.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO CHILL

OUT OR FREAK OUT?

DR. CHRISTOPHER KELLY CAN HELP

US WITH THAT IN THE BOOK MY

DYING.

HE IS TALKING TO US HERE THIS

MORNING.

I LOVE IT RIGHT AN INTRODUCTION

AND YOU SAY, YES, OF COURSE,

IT'S YES FROM THE MOMENT YOU

ARE BORN THE REAL QUESTION IS

WILL IT BE SOONER THAN YOU HAD

EXPECTED?

THE BOOK IS BASICALLY A HELP

GUIDE.

>> , BUT HE HAS A BODY AND

SYMPTOMS ALL THE TIME.

I THINK THAT IN THE CURRENT ERA

IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO SEE A

DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY WITH WHAT

WE'RE TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE

UNDERSTAND IF THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT IS BE TAKING COVER

URGENTLY OR SOMETHING THAT CAN

WAIT OR SOMETHING YOU CAN

FORGET ABOUT.

>> EACH CHAPTER IS BROKEN DOWN

WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT

AILMENTS, DIZZINESS, HEADACHE.

THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE

EXPERIENCE AT SOME POINT OR

ANOTHER.

>> EVERYONE WILL HAVE THEM

EVENTUALLY.

>> WHAT IS THE KEY FOR US?

>> FOR EACH OF THOSE SYMPTOMS

WE GO THROUGH SYSTEMATICALLY

TRY TO GIVE EACH VERSION OF

THAT SYMPTOM TO HELP YOU

UNDERSTAND WHETHER SOMETHING

THAT NEEDS ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY

OR THAT YOU CAN BLOW OFF.

EVERYTHING FROM LIFE-

THREATENING HEADACHES TO JUST A

REGULAR RUN-OF-THE-MILL

HEADACHE AND HOW TO TELL THE

DIFFERENCE.

>> A LOT OF TIMES WE CAN'T TELL

THE DIFFERENCE.

>> CORRECT.

>> THIS IS WHERE THE BOOK COMES

IN.

IT HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO

SEVERAL DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

WHAT REACTION HAVE YOU BEEN

GETTING?

>> IT HAS BEEN GREAT.

PEOPLE SAY IT'S A PRACTICAL

RESOURCE, WHICH MAKES ME AS A

DOCTOR REALLY HAPPY.

MY ROLE IS TO HELP PEOPLE.

TRY TO MAKE IT FUNNY AND

ASSESSABLE SO IT'S ENJOYABLE TO

READ.

AROUND THE WORLD PEOPLE ARE

BENEFITING. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT

RESPONSE.

>> YOU ARE NOT ASKING PEOPLE TO

REFER TO THIS AND BE DONE WITH

IT, THIS IS REALLY A GUIDE FOR

THEM TO DECIDE SHOULD I CALL

911, CALL THE DOCTOR, OR SHOULD

I JUST GET SOMETHING FROM OVER-

THE-COUNTER.

>> IT'S HELPING YOU TRIAGE YOUR

PROBLEM.

WHETHER YOU NEED TO LEAVE WORK

AND DEAL WITH THE RIGHT NOW OR

YOU CAN WAIT. ALSO, TO SOME

EXTENT, HELP YOU FIGURE OUT THE

LIKELY CAUSE. QUALIFYING IT

WITH WHEN YOU NEED TO SEE A

DOCTOR.

>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HEART

PROBLEMS.

I HAVE A FAMILY WITH A HISTORY

OF THAT AS WELL AS ME.

WHEN OUR PALPITATIONS, FOR

EXAMPLE, SERIES ENOUGH YOU

SHOULD CALL THE DOCTOR OR

SHOULD WE JUST RELAX ABOUT IT?

>> I'M A CARDIOLOGIST, SO I

DEAL WITH PALPITATIONS EVERY

DAY.

THEY ARE VERY COMMON.

PEOPLE CAN HAVE THEM FOR A LOT

OF DIFFERENT REASONS.

ANYTHING FROM ANXIETY TO TRUE

HEART DISEASE.

I THINK YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO

GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IF

YOU'RE PALPITATIONS MAKE YOU

FEEL LIGHTHEADED OR DIZZY OR IF

YOU HAVING CHEST PAIN WITH

PALPITATIONS.

THAT'S A SIGN YOUR HEART IS

GOING SO FAST THE HEART IS

FUNCTIONING WELL ANYMORE.

SHORT OF THAT YOU CAN PROBABLY

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE DR.

IN ONE OR TWO WEEKS.

>> THE CHAPTER THAT CAUGHT MY

ATTENTION IS FATIGUE A LOT OF

TIMES WE UNDERESTIMATE FATIGUE.

THERE'S A TIMING ISSUE IF YOU

FEEL FATIGUE IF IT LASTS HOW

LONG?

>> WELL, IT DEPENDS.

I THINK IF YOU HAVE AN ABRUPT

CHANGE FROM NORMAL BASELINE,

LIKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ALL

THE SUDDEN MUCH MORE TIRED THAN

YOU WERE EVEN JUST YESTERDAY.

THAT COULD BE A SIGN OF A

SEVERE ILLNESS OR INFECTION.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A

HEADACHE ALSO.

IF YOU HAVE JUST BEEN FEELING

MORE RUN DOWN OVER THE LAST FEW

WEEKS OR MONTHS IT'S PROBABLY

EITHER POOR SLEEP, WHICH IS THE

NUMBER ONE THING.

IT'S POSSIBLE YOU HAVE A

MEDICAL CONDITION, LOW THYROID

FUNCTION, ANEMIA.

THAT'S A PRETTY EASY THING FOR

A DOCTOR TO CHECK OUT.

>> WE PRESENT YOU COMING IN.

SOME REALLY HELPFUL INFO.