Can you die of a broken heart?

I touched on this yesterday.

My grandparents have been married 67 years. My grandmother was sent to a nursing home for rehab. They just found out that she must go to long term care. The thought of her never coming home has left my grandfather in a tailspin. He's so depressed and sad but also angry. He refuses to visit her anymore.

He was very strong and healthy for his age but has stopped eating and is making himself sick.

He's an Aquarius

She's a Taurus.

She's been in and out of hospitals and rehabs for years now and he always sat with her from early morning until after dinner. Since he got the news that she can't come home he hasn't gone to visit at all. She has called him a few times, he was grumpy but then called back a few minutes later in a better mood.

He was so sad yesterday.

I do believe so. 😢

Lovebirds do

Yeah, it's called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Traumatic emotional stress can cause the weakening of the heart muscles, which can lead to heart failure or even tearing of the heart wall (a literal 'broken heart').

Posted by -elle-
That is so heartbreaking 😢 I just can't imagine.

it truly is. almost brought me to tears reading it.

Posted by jane84
I do believe so. 😢

Yes, I've seen this happen to people after a devastating loss, or even the fear of such a loss. There is such a thing as the will to live and thrive. The brain controls the body and will tell it to get sick and even to die in an effort to escape the unendurable.

Posted by yupvirgoo
Yes coz the heartstrings can break when one experiences something so emotionally shattering, thus affecting the pumping of blood properly.

This is why it's always best to control one's emotions.

i don't think it's possible to control or suppress heartbreak

Posted by littlesnow
it can cause heart problems yeah..when you're in pain emotionally..your heart actually hurts. I felt my heart hurt before. I think prolonged amount can cause death..

also your grandpa is going through depression so he doesn't seem like he's going to try to get himself out of that situation. not eating-detrimental to his health

if your grandpa wanted could you put him in a nursing home? or bring your grandma home but keep her checked daily or frequently

He wants to stay home. My uncle asked him to move in but he said no. We talked to him about assisted living but he isn't having it. He wants her home but the doctors say no way. For the past two years she had a nurse come every day but now her health is just to poor. She needs oxygen 24/7 and her heart is bad.

They are both very independent and refuse to live with any of us. My grandma pretends that she is doing great because she doesn't want to worry us. A couple years ago, I was on the phone with her and she was telling me how great she felt. Unbeknownst to me, as soon as she hung up she called 911 because she couldn't breathe. She was struggling that entire call but pretended so I didn't worry.

Short answer- Yes.

I see it all the time in the cemetery where my dad is buried. The section he's in has a looot of ww2 era vets. Over the last 17 years, we've watched graves get reopened when the spouse died. Usually the men go faster than the women do. They seem to hold out longer. But one died, and the other would die shortly after.

Anytime we've seen a new "dirt pile" in that section, we go check it out. It's tapered off quite a bit since it's been 17 years, but the first 8 or so, it was incredibly frequent there. The dates on the markers definitely tell a story, that's for sure.