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Things I Wish I Had Known Sooner

lkay
4 Recommendations

Hello all,

I keep picking up little tidbits here and there and am surprised there isn't a list, kind of like David Letterman's top 10, of Things I Wish I Had Known Sooner ....

I hope you all will jump in with your tips, no matter how trivial it might seem to you because it might be new to me and all the others out there. Also don't hesitate to add anything humorous because heaven knows we all could use a laugh or two.

So here goes -
I wish the doc had told me to take my lipitor at night before bed - a friend who is also a nurse said that it is processed by the liver easier while you are sleeping and more effective. It was two months into this treatment before I heard this tip.

Explore topics in this discussion:

Exercise Surgery Lipitor Back pain Pregnancy Beta blockers Anxiety Angina Menopause Stent Zocor Stress Dizziness Asthma Heart disease Hysterectomy Aspirin Coumadin Fever Diovan Pain Heart attack Depression

68 replies

artiste

For Joy,

Your comment on the Diovan caught my attention. Have you tried taking it at different times during the day, to minimize the dizziness? I now take mine at night. I have to be careful when getting up at night, but the dizziness is much better during the day.

I wish I had known sooner that I should have been more proactive with the cardiologist about which meds, when to take them and how much. Now I'm much better at keeping him informed about what works and doesn't work for me. I keep logs of blood pressure and symptoms, and he listens and makes adjustments accordingly!

I wish I had known sooner the wide variety of symptoms, or lack thereof, that women experience. If I had known that the burning in my lungs when skiing was angina, then I wouldn't have waited to call my doctor. I might have avoided a heart attack. I couldn't have avoided the angiogram and the triple bypass, but I wouldn't be recovering from surgery with a damaged heart as well.

lkay

This post tickles me to no end - it must be my lasting legacy here at WomenHeart - it just won't go away quietly.

There is so much material here - I just read it again for a refresher course. Heart 101.

Lots of love to all,
Laura

Linda_RS

I would like to contribute one to the already inclusive list that you have already collected.

I wish I would have had the strength and spirit to tell the ER department that I was not suffering from anxiety- that I was having a "real" problem. I couldn't breath.

Patheart34

Hi,
Thanks for sharing with me-I wills start taking mine at night!

Carolanngel

You have summed it up in a way that I could not have. Thank you. I have copied your words and sent them to many people (including my grown children). It was like receiving a gift that I could pass on. Very on target.
Peace and prayers,
Carol
(serendipity319@aol.com)

latoray47

Thank you Grace5 & Laura, yesterday i went through a lot of the previous post and learn alot and appreciate your reply's. It really does help hearing from women who have had all these story's and issues and i really believe in the power of humor so it was great to see also so many funny things posted along with the "tough" stuff. thanks, i look forward to posting more soon and reading more and learning more!

lkay

Hi Latoray,
You have found one of the most loving, all embracing communities - I hope you will let these wonderful women enfold you with their wisdom, support, love, grace and humor. Whatever your story is, they will listen attentively and respectfully. I promise all of this to you.

peace,
Laura

grace5

Hi!

Don't you ever worry about bringing anyone down, we've all walked or are still walking in your shoes, this board is for all of us to feel free to say anything, anything at all, as negative as you like, as angry or as tearful or even as happy as you feel, you can say it all. There will always be someone here with a virtual cup of tea and a virtual biscuit to listen (so to speak) we all know how hard it is for people in our worlds to understand how we feel, they're scared too, so we come here to open up and say it like it is without fear of upsetting anybody.
Big cyber hugs, it gets better, I promise! xx

latoray47

you just did! i am shell shocked,, and i have no one to talk to about how i am feeling, after all i am a spiritual teacher and supposed to be the support for everyone else in my life and people forget i am human too ( altho i never have).... oh so much more i could write about but i feel like i would be just bringing others down... must find the sunshine in all this....

Bronte

I wish I had known that you can be young, have low cholest. ,blood pressure and no family history of CAD and still have a heart attack.

I wish I had known the bypass would impact my brain as it has. I wish others would not look at me like I'm stupid when I can't remember things due to the cogn. impairments.

I wish health insurance was not tied to your job. I hate my job but my health insurance is great so I have no choice but to stay and be unhappy. Like many others, I have to choose between my life or my happiness.

I wish I would not feel this weight of a death sentance everyday.

I wish I would not feel like such an outsider due to my disease.

lkay

hey Queene and cjr - great additions to this ever growing wish list. You're right - help with cleaning would have been nice.

cjr - welcome to the "but you look so good" club. It sure is hard for people to understand how deceiving these looks can be. I wouldn't wish for anyone to walk in my size 10W shoes, but if only they could just slip them on and see how it feels ....

be well,
Laura

cjr

I wish I had never told anyone my diagnosis. I was just trying to accept it and understand. Now my daughter watches me like a hawk and calls my cardiologist ( her friend ) and tells him when I use my Nitro. Then he calls me and asks how I am doing and I say fine. Lol - I am thinking of taking her off of my Hippa list so just maybe she won't be the first to know the outcome of my tests.
There are always the times someone sees me out at Walmart shopping for groceries and look at me and make some comment that lets me know that they don't understand why I am shopping for groceries, but I may not be able to go to church or other activities. ( I try to go to all meetings of the functions I am a member of) They don't know that I have to rest and use nitro before unloading groceries, and then again before I put them away. They don't understand that some days I feel better and stronger than others and that I don't seem to have any control over that. I am still struggling to balance activities, exercise and rest.
I wish I could learn to say no when asked to do something and not feel guilty. I pray for patience and love for those who are sometimes judgemental. They truly just do not understand and I hope they never have to learn first hand.
All of you have touched my heart. Thanks for all the postings. I wake up full of joy and gratefullnes for what I have and for the strength I have. May each of you have joy in your lives daily - all day!

cjr

Queen_E

I wish I had known sooner (BEFORE):

1) the connection between high stress and the inflamation processes in the arteries

2) that I really DID need to find the time to exercise, it was more important than work or TV or most things

3) I could have nicely asked for MORE before my heart attack and I likely would have gotten it - more support and help from my husband every day in caring for our kids and keeping our house, more help with stress on the job, more help dealing with anxiety about stress on the job, more time for myself to just chill out, have fun, exercise.

4) it's not selfish to actually take care of yourself

5) a cleaning service really WILL be worth the money if you can afford it - because you can spend time picking up the mess vs just cleaning the surfaces that are visible.

lkay

thanks for adding on to this wish list ladies.

Laura

Patybluetx

Hmmm well ready? I'll only do top 5...

5. I wish that people wouldn't make swelling for pregnant women "normal" b/c it's always worth a look

4. I wish that I had knewn more about the heart issues that can affect women b/c of pregnancy

3. I wish that there was more continuing education for OB's about heart issues that can affect pregnant women--esp first time moms (PPCM in particular b/c of it's rarity)

2. I wish I knew to listen to my body and trust that "something's wrong" feeling sooner

1. I wish I knew I had a right to make my OB listen to me and not just disreguard me as a "nervous mother-to-be"

Luckily, I've learned those lessons and although I learned them the hard way I'm a more empowered health care consumer vs the powerless patient I once was :)

Here's to learning the lessons life has to offer us!
Martha

nanamo

i wish just once we dont hear from a doc your to young to heart disease
i wish the medical field would learn more about women and heart disease
i wish there was one med we could take that takes care of everything instead of 19 a day
i wish i could turn back time
i wish i could help more women with the understaing of heart disease and women
i wish they would of told us how much weight we would gain by just one pil not to mention 4 that help put it on you but

but most of all i wish love and happiness for all my heart sisters thank god we have each other



god bless
surviving heart disease one day at a time
with trigger 04/08
for 10 years now
nanamo

heartache301

I wish I'd get back to a point in my life where my illness didnt seem to be the center.. that is that the rest of my life wasn't just happening around it...

I truly took those days for granted and hope and pray for a day when I barely had to think about my heart at all and could get on with other things..

I eat around when I am due to take medications, I worry about certain acitvities exacerbating angina. I get distracted from the everyday wonder if I should be worried about every little sensation or twinge and how it relates to my heart... and although I truly apprciate this board... the fact that I have to come here to talk about my expereinces because I dont want to burden my family and friends that arent going through what I'm going through anymore.

I just want to be me again, if I'm a little sick now and again and have to deal with that that's ok... but I just want to stop associating "me" the biggest part of "me".. as my heart condition...

I'm trying and hoping I can get to that place again... soon.

Ecksunbeam

Terri's "Frank"--the cardio.
:--)

Sherrie

lkay

Mae,
I'm so glad to know its possible to return home to womenheart and still feel good - looks like you've been around here a while. You know you can always come home to this site for a quick pick me up!



My best to you,
Laura

lkay

Hi NCHeart,
I'm not sure if we have crossed paths this past month since you have joined us here - if not, let me say welcome!
Acceptance is sure one of the hardest things with health issues - our own acceptance of our condition, and the acceptance of us as we now are by others. Its a double whammy - the old one-two punch.

That's the great thing about this site - the acceptance is healing.

Be well,
Laura

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