My heart story...

There's a funny little thing about death...

In July, 2002 I got the shock of my life. I discovered that heart attacks are the leading killers of women. In fact, 8 million American women live with heart disease. One in two will die of a heart attack.

I found out firsthand. I was having some chest pains, back and shoulder aches, nausea and dizziness. But I ignored the symptoms and continued with my busy schedule.

Then one afternoon when I finally took a minute to rest, I felt tightness in my chest and back. For a tiny moment I considered it might be a heart attack. I sat and waited for the wave of pain and nausea to past. My skin felt clammy. The pressure in my chest increased. It felt as though a huge wall of cement was sitting on my chest.

Heart attack? No, I assured myself. No one in my family ever had serious heart problems.

Suddenly, I knew I was going to vomit and I crawled into the bathroom. As soon as my stomach was empty the pain went completely away. I had three more of these events within the next two or three weeks. Like aftershocks that follow an earthquake, they were enough to finally get my attention.

My cardiologist suggested a heart catherization. His diagnosis was "unstable angina at rest." The decision to do the heart cath made me more than a little nervous, but I assumed that these tests are simple. They do this procedure several times every day. But I still worried anyway...

The cath lab seemed surreal to me. I was lying there on the table trying to hold my fear in check and be cooperative. They gave me an injection to calm me down. The doctor talked to me through the procedure as he examined my heart. He explained that my left artery was perfect and my heart was strong. "In fact," he said "I don't know why we are wasting our time. I am entering your right artery now" and that was the last thing I heard him say.

Suddenly I was aware of the staff rushing around me. All I could focus on was the intense severe pain in my chest. I felt as if I had been slammed chest first against a brick wall. Tears slipped down my face and into my ears. I could feel them spill out of my ears and drip to the floor. The skin on my chest was searing with pain. I swear I could smell melted plastic. I was freezing and I felt like I was trying to crawl up and out of a very deep hole.

"Do you know what happened?" I was asked. They were the experts and they were asking me?!

The doctor spoke to me softly and slowly. He explained that I had a 30% blockage in my right artery. When they inserted the probe and the dye, the blockage increased to 70%. My heart stopped! Not once but three times! They applied the electric paddles to revive me.

As they completed the procedure, a technician asked me what I was thinking. As the tears dripped silently to the floor, I whispered "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye!"

The good news is that the blockage is only 30%. The great news is that it can be reversed with diet, exercise and medication. Today, my heart rate is perfect. My doctor assures me that with a healthy lifestyle I may live a long life.

What is the most important thing I can tell you? If you think you may be having a heart attack, call an ambulance or get to a hospital as quickly as possible. And do your homework. Get all of the information that you can find about women and heart disease. Your doctor will give it to you or call WomenHeart or go online at www.womenheart.org.

The scariest part of all is some women experience no pain or symptoms during a heart attack. I'm lucky. My experience wasn't fatal. I'm very fortunate and thankful that it will be a long while before I have to say goodbye.

By kwinner
Posted November 18, 2008 at 12:39 am
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Our sister Dianna quotes a statistic that says in 1/3 of women with HD, the presenting symptom is death (correct me if I quoted wrong D). I'm so glad you are among those of us LIVING with HD, and those of us who have survived heart attacks. I still thank God every morning when I wake up, and every night before I go to bed, for one more day with the people I love. I too, hope to have many more of those days! Your story brought tears, that feeling of fear, I don't know that any of us ever totally loses the memory of it, or the deep and abiding appreciation it brought for every second we have. I'm so glad you're here!
Hugs,
Kristen

By Sher6668
Posted November 20, 2008 at 2:33 pm
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Thank you for putting your words on this posting. The waves of nausa, pain, and fear. I AM NOT ALONE. I drove home from the gym as I experienced mine, my husband took 1 look at me and called the ambulance. At the time I was so embarressed about it, but he insisted and I'm glad he did. When my kids and Mom arrived at the hosiptal all I could do was cry and tell them how much I loved each one of them. Something I will not take for granted from here on out.
I'm sorry you had a heart attack, but thank ful someone out there is like me... I AM NOT ALONE.

By Josee
Posted November 20, 2008 at 4:33 pm
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I had the same symptoms as you- fatique, dizziness, chest pain that was like extreme heartburn, whenI experienced back pain and numbness in my left arm, I went to the ER. They admitted me,did a chemical stress test and an echocardiogram- passed both! Discharged me with an antacid. I do not fit the "male" profile for heart disease- I am petite, thin, excellent cholesterol levels, no high blood pressure, no diabetes. I have a family history, but my father wa overweight, had diabetes, high cholesterol. For all intents and purposes I must have my mother's genes. That night I awoke with severe chest pain- so bad that I vomited. Went back to the ER and enzyme tests showed I had just had a heart attack. A catherization showed 85% blockage in the left aterey, 50% in the right. The location was too dangerous for a stent. Double bypass. There must be other tests for us? If I had not persevered, I could be dead. You, too.

By GrammyJoeJoe
Posted November 20, 2008 at 10:32 pm
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Hi,
The one in two number came from data we recieved at a WomenHeart symposium. I checked my notes... But at any rate even ONE is one too many. But thanks for your kind words.
I think the biggest thing is that I didn't take it seriously. I was so stuck in denial I couldn't even begin to consider that it would be anything as serious as a heart attack. I thought it was stress, over-work, and all of those other excuses we can imagine to keep us from taking care of ourselves... The first question they asked was if I smoke (Never!) and if I have diabetes (No!) so of course I wouldn't believe it could be ME!
Well, thank God and Yea US! We are here to help others who are on this journey we call survival.

You are the BEST!

By GrammyJoeJoe
Posted November 20, 2008 at 10:33 pm
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Oh yeah, if you get a minute check out my new website:

http://sites.google.com/site/justoneheartbeat/

It is a work in progress that I am doing for an online journalism class at University of Michigan...

By Patybluetx
Posted November 21, 2008 at 12:04 pm
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Isn't it funny how one quick brush with death changes us so immediately and efficiently? We go from craving a double cheeseburger with extra pickles and a big side of fries to thinking that food is inspiring to kill us LOL. I didn't have a HA I had HF the tough part was that I was 9 mos pregnant and they had to get the baby out in order for me to live but I couldn't lay down b/c I could breathe. Alas, with a strong will and the everlasting inspiration that my hubby provides, I get to sit here and be inspired by you ladies everyday :). Life is GOOD!
Thank you for sharing your story! It's definitely the best way to get the word out! If you want healthy recipes feel free to visit my blog Http://foodiesheart.blogspot.com it's a constant word in progress. Welcome to our little community!

Martha

Welcome to Inspire!

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