My new word
If you have been reading my blog for quite a while, or if you look back through my archives, you might remember that on a few occasions I've mentioned having a new word. Well, it's that time again. I have a new word. You won't find this one in the dictionary, and not even a google search will get you any results. That is because the word has not been coined yet. I just invented it myself, so it truly is my new word. And the word is...... a-hem.... drum roll please........
Euphorrhythmia
The prefix "euphor" refers to gladness, uncontainable excitement, great joy, pleasure, exceeding happiness, elation, or a wonderful state of mind. It is most commonly used in the English vocabulary in the word euphoria, which you might be more familiar with.
The suffix, "rhythmia" refers to the activity of the heart muscle. In health care, we commonly refer to dysrhythmia and arrhythmia interchangeably as broad terms for a large variety of abnormal heart rhythms, which are a problem for the patient. A very common example of this is atrial fibrillation, where the chambers at the top of the heart (called atria) are not pumping blood into the lower part of the heart (called ventricles) regularly. That is only one example, but a very common one.
Personally, I don't like to talk about a patient having an "arrhythmia," and I don't use that word interchangeably with "dysrhythmia" like other folks do, because the prefix "a" in "arrhythmia" refers to having no, none, or absent. To me, that means that the patient is dead, because they have no rythm. If they have no cardiac rythm, then their heart must not be pumping blood, and that is obviously not compatible with life. The only true arrhythmia that I know of is a flat line on an EKG (electrocardiogram), but most other health care providers wouldn't agree with me on that. So, while the majority of healthcare providers use the words arrythmia and dysrhythmia interchangeably, I only use the word dysrhythmia when talking about live patients.
Now you know that arrhythmia and dysrhythmia are health care terms used to refer to cardiac problems that some patients have. So, what is a euphorrhythmia? Well, it is something that I have experienced, and I mean more than once recently. It's certainly not a problem. It's not like a chest pain or pressure. It's not something I'm going to go get checked out at the local emergency department. I don't need a doctor to tell me what it is. Quite the opposite, it is a healthy sign of life! In my own words....
Euphorrhythmia: the very real physically felt sensation that one gets inside of the their chest, substernally, where their heart "skips a beat" or gives a transient sensation of flutter followed by a warm flushing sensation similar to what the face feels like when turning red, as a result of being awestruck, dumbstruck, flabbergasted, starry-eyed, twitterpated, suddenly astonished, intensely amazed, or pleasantly surprised. The occurrence of a euphorrhythmia differs from a palpitation in that palpitations are alarming and concerning to the patient, but euphorrhythmias are desirable, ticklish, and good.
Recently, I've been getting brief euphorrhythmias when I get a text message from Kelly, or when she gives me that cute little smile, or sometimes when I ring the doorbell at her place and she answers the door, or for a variety of other similar Kelly-related phenomena. So, there you have it.... euphorrhythmia. I think it should be added to the dictionary. I'm adding it to my vocabulary, and won't be too bashful about it.
Euphorrhythmia
The prefix "euphor" refers to gladness, uncontainable excitement, great joy, pleasure, exceeding happiness, elation, or a wonderful state of mind. It is most commonly used in the English vocabulary in the word euphoria, which you might be more familiar with.
The suffix, "rhythmia" refers to the activity of the heart muscle. In health care, we commonly refer to dysrhythmia and arrhythmia interchangeably as broad terms for a large variety of abnormal heart rhythms, which are a problem for the patient. A very common example of this is atrial fibrillation, where the chambers at the top of the heart (called atria) are not pumping blood into the lower part of the heart (called ventricles) regularly. That is only one example, but a very common one.
Personally, I don't like to talk about a patient having an "arrhythmia," and I don't use that word interchangeably with "dysrhythmia" like other folks do, because the prefix "a" in "arrhythmia" refers to having no, none, or absent. To me, that means that the patient is dead, because they have no rythm. If they have no cardiac rythm, then their heart must not be pumping blood, and that is obviously not compatible with life. The only true arrhythmia that I know of is a flat line on an EKG (electrocardiogram), but most other health care providers wouldn't agree with me on that. So, while the majority of healthcare providers use the words arrythmia and dysrhythmia interchangeably, I only use the word dysrhythmia when talking about live patients.
Now you know that arrhythmia and dysrhythmia are health care terms used to refer to cardiac problems that some patients have. So, what is a euphorrhythmia? Well, it is something that I have experienced, and I mean more than once recently. It's certainly not a problem. It's not like a chest pain or pressure. It's not something I'm going to go get checked out at the local emergency department. I don't need a doctor to tell me what it is. Quite the opposite, it is a healthy sign of life! In my own words....
Euphorrhythmia: the very real physically felt sensation that one gets inside of the their chest, substernally, where their heart "skips a beat" or gives a transient sensation of flutter followed by a warm flushing sensation similar to what the face feels like when turning red, as a result of being awestruck, dumbstruck, flabbergasted, starry-eyed, twitterpated, suddenly astonished, intensely amazed, or pleasantly surprised. The occurrence of a euphorrhythmia differs from a palpitation in that palpitations are alarming and concerning to the patient, but euphorrhythmias are desirable, ticklish, and good.
Recently, I've been getting brief euphorrhythmias when I get a text message from Kelly, or when she gives me that cute little smile, or sometimes when I ring the doorbell at her place and she answers the door, or for a variety of other similar Kelly-related phenomena. So, there you have it.... euphorrhythmia. I think it should be added to the dictionary. I'm adding it to my vocabulary, and won't be too bashful about it.
posted by GKStauffer at 20:00
3 Comments:
Lack of rhythm does not equal lack of activity.
You do not understand medical terminology. What you are thinking of is probably regularity virsus irregularity. Lack of regularity does not equal lack of activity. Rhythm is different when referring to cardiology. Rhythm in cardiology is not the same as rhythm in music. Rhythm in cardiology refers to the conduction of an action potential through the SA - AV nodes, Bundle of His, and Perkunjie fibers, as manifested on an EKG. Therefore lack of rhythm does equal lack of cardiac muscle contraction, and is not compatible with life. A normal cardiac rythm includes a "P" wave, a "QRS complex" and then a "T" wave. But a euphorrhythmia in a Bubba involves a Kelly factor. :-)
This makes me reminiscent of a conversation we had in the wee hours of the morning something like a year ago. I bet you now understand my sage wisdom of the "trust me, you'll know" variety. Ahh, the 4th wonder of the world according to Prov. 30:18-19. Good luck!
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