|
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart
disease is the number one killer of American women.
Cardiovascular disease causes a death among women nearly
every minute — some 500,000 lives a year. Even though heart
disease is the nation’s number one cause of death — even
surpassing cancer — only 13 percent of women recognize heart
disease as their own personal greatest health risk.
February has been designated “American Heart Month” since
1963, and many organizations make it a point to raise
awareness about heart health. This issue of Café looks at
“matters of the heart” and how we must cherish our own
health at every age.
Heart
disease can affect women even in their 20s and 30s. But
until something happens, most young women don’t pay much
attention to their heart health. Meet these real women who
hadn’t considered their risk of heart disease until it
touched their lives — and thankfully have lived to share
their stories:
Kendra, 32
Two years ago, at age of 30, I thought my fatigue and
tension headaches were the results of being a single parent
to an active 10-year-old daughter, working in a new
position, and the stress from completing my last semester of
graduate school. But it was not until I took a free heart
screening that I learned that I was at risk for a
potentially deadly disease.
I
attended a breakfast for female executives prior to the
National Woman’s Heart Day® Health Fair in Washington, D.C.
After a simple heart screening offered by Sister to Sister:
Everyone Has a Heart Foundation, an organization that
provides free heart screenings to raise awareness about
heart disease, I was shocked to learn that I had high blood
pressure, which increased my risk for stroke.
The
10-minute heart screening consisted of a simple finger prick
that tested my cholesterol and glucose levels. They also
checked my blood pressure and calculated my height and
weight to determine my body mass index. I got the results
on-site, which included an overall risk assessment and
guidance on how to adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle.
A
trained medical counselor encouraged me to see a physician
for follow-up. In my doctor’s office a week later,
additional tests showed that I was pre-diabetic. Because my
now 66-year-old father is diabetic and insulin-dependent, I
knew that heart disease strikes people with diabetes twice
as often as people without diabetes. My doctor gave me a
choice: lose 30 pounds or go on medication.
I began my heart-healthy transformation by joining a
weight-loss center and changing my diet. Instead of gorging
on five meals (plus cake and sodas) every day, I began
eating three small meals with plenty of fruits and
vegetables, drinking only water and lots of it, and cutting
out red meat.
Today
my blood pressure is normal and I’m no longer showing any
risk signs for pre-diabetes. There are other benefits, too.
Exercise has been an energy-booster for both my mind and my
feet. I also no longer use an inhaler or take allergy
medication for my asthma.
When I went for my screening, I felt empowered. I learned my
personal heart-disease risk factors and how to reduce them.
Getting screened was the best 10 minutes I've ever spent. It
saved my life.
Emma, 26
At the age of 26, young, fit,
and slim, I didn’t think twice about the suggestion by my
doctor to take a random cholesterol test. Needless to say,
both my physician and I were quite alarmed when my level
came back at 280. The normal range is below 150. I had a
good diet and was considered to be at an “ideal” weight for
my height. But, it turns out I am genetically predisposed to
high cholesterol.
My
maternal grandfather died of heart disease and my mother is
currently on medication to lower her cholesterol level. I
had to eliminate saturated fats from my diet and exercise
more to try to lower my level. I don’t want to be on
medication this young, but I also don’t want to contract
heart disease when I’m 30 (which, according to my doctor, is
possible). I’m just grateful I had it checked.
Michelle, 36
Up until about eight years ago, I hadn’t had much
experience with heart disease. But that changed. I was in
the best shape I had been in since having my second son
two-and-a-half years earlier. I was working 40-plus hours a
week, taking care of my family, and playing soccer and
softball. I had never had any type of physical problems and
considered myself to be in excellent health.
I
woke up in the middle of the night with a feeling of
discomfort in my jaw, chest pains, and cold sweats. I woke
my husband and he rushed me to the hospital. At the hospital
they immediately went to work trying to find out what was
wrong with me. I had never smoked, drank, or taken drugs. My
age and low body fat was confusing as to what the problem
was. They finally took a chest X-ray and placed me on an ECG,
a heart monitor. They contacted the cardiologist on call
with the results.
The
doctor performed a coronary angiogram, which helps detect
plaque build-up in the arteries. They discovered a
spontaneous dissection of my left main coronary artery, and
decided the safest course of action was by-pass surgery. So
at the age of 28, I received a triple bypass. After a week
in the cardiac intensive care unit and another five days in
the hospital, I was allowed to return home. I needed to try
to begin my life again.
I had
made a decision before I left the hospital not to let what
happened control my life, but I found that was easier said
than done. It took time to get over being overly cautious
about everything, especially when it came to my children.
Slowly I began to return to the activities of my previous
life, including returning to work full-time and playing
soccer.
After
extensive testing there was never any explanation of why my
coronary artery dissected. Three-and-a-half years later, I
came to a point in my life where I had moved beyond
questioning what had happened, and was back living life to
the fullest.
Barbara, 49
I do not fit the profile of a typical heart patient — I’m
slim, fit, young, and Asian. Yet, just a week after I turned
49, I had a heart attack.
For several weeks before my heart attack, I had felt
tightness and pain in my chest and shoulder. I attributed
this to stress — I had just moved out of my house after
splitting up with my husband and had a very demanding job.
On an out-of-town business trip, the pain worsened and I
ended up in a hospital emergency room.
Because of my profile, the ER doctor initially dismissed my
pain but as it grew more severe, I became more and more
persistent. Four ECGs later, I was immediately surrounded by
a team of doctors and nurses asking: “Do you have a will?”
and “Do you have an advanced directive?” I was shocked. I
didn’t think I would have to worry about this at my age.
After a grueling period that included two angioplasties and
four stents in three arteries, I eventually returned home to
where I had an additional surgeries.
Since then, I have learned that many women, myself included,
delay in seeking treatment — sometimes it’s because women
have atypical symptoms, so they don’t think it’s a heart
attack.
Today, I am still on medical leave from my job. I never had
a balanced life before but I do now. I know how to slow
down, observe, and focus on the “now.” I spend time doing
the things I enjoy — immersing myself in classical music and
opera and taking Pilates and tai chi. I value friends and
family much more.
Safeguarding our health
In our 20s and 30s we often focus on our appearance and
weight, or perhaps minor health issues. Seldom do we
consider our risks for heart disease. We think it can’t
happen to us. But from these stories, we see that it can.
When we’re busy with work and our personal lives, we may
take our health for granted. Sometimes we neglect our diet
or don’t get enough sleep. It’s easy to ignore symptoms of a
potentially dangerous illness, because we don’t consider
ourselves to be unhealthy. If we are raising families, we
may be more concerned with the health of our spouses or
children.
This triennium, Women of the ELCA launched a new health
initiative, “Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls,” to help
women be wise stewards of their health and well-being. One
thing this initiative will focus on is educating women about
heart disease and stroke. The initiative encourages women to
pay closer attention to their physical, emotional, and
spiritual health. Women of the ELCA also aims to bring
greater awareness about the importance of health to young
adults, so that they may be empowered at an earlier age to
safeguard their health.
In
March 2006, Women of the ELCA will introduce a new resource
that we hope will help us learn how to talk about health
more freely and begin to think about health as a matter of
the whole person — body, mind, and spirit. Over the next
three years, with continued efforts around this topic, Women
of the ELCA and the entire church can begin to educate and
inspire women to honor their health and well-being at every
age. By honoring our own health, we better participate in
creating a healthier church, community, and world.
Top
Back to Hot Topic
Forward this
article to a friend
|
