By Melinda Campbell
**This is a reflection of my personal health story and in no way is to be considered professional medical advice. Refer all questions about your health to your personal healthcare providers.
February is Heart Health Month
It is the month of multiple reminders about best practices concerning cardiac health and prevention of heart disease.
It was a little over a year ago I got out bed, became dizzy, and had to immediately lie back down. My breathing was shallow. My head was swimming. I was scared and uncertain what to do. My children couldn’t drive. Calling 911 seemed a bit dramatic. With no adult immediate family anywhere nearby, I was in quite the predicament. I live about fifteen minutes from the nearest clinic, but it wasn’t open yet…not that I could drive myself, mind you.
I try not to bother my healthcare provider friends with uncompensated questions, but I felt that was my only recourse. Though my thoughts weren’t entirely coherent, I pieced together enough info in some texts that a couple of these friends told me to just go get checked out.
As a solo parent, I overthink so many things. My head was racing with questions. What is going on? Could this be something really simple? Do I need to waste the money on a co-pay? What if this is very serious? Who is going to take care of my boys if I have to go to the hospital? So many thoughts…
It took a couple tries, but I found someone who could take me to the local clinic. Once there, the basic protocol showed things were okay. I was having a blood pressure whammy experience. Some fluids, a little dietary shift, and some rest, and I would be fine in a day or two.
Here’s the most important part of the doc visit though: the nurse practitioner said it is vital women not ignore symptoms that could be precursors to—or actually pieces of—a major cardiac event. He said women are always better off checking than working through tricky health moments.
When you have the number of health concerns I have, you have a tendency to want to be a suck-it up kind of girl because you could run yourself ragged going back and forth to the doctor.
I have Meniere’s Disease, so I have vertigo. I typically have low blood pressure (90ish/50ish), so that often brings lightheaded moments. Fibromyalgia and anxiety can trigger chest tightness, and anxiety certainly causes shortness of breath sometimes. How am I supposed to be able to know when to pull the trigger on a checkup? My care provider told me sometimes you just don’t know, and because of that, you just don’t take chances.
A couple years after my husband was killed, I was having a lot of chest pains, and I wasn’t responding positively to the medicines my primary care provider had given me. I was sent to a cardiologist for a full cardiac work up, and while I was told I was suffering from Broken Heart Syndrome, I was also told my heart physically was in good shape. Circumstances have improved in many ways, but random episodes still happen. I am 100% open with my medical team because I want to be as proactive as possible about my health, so we regularly discuss my progress. There is too much at stake not to.
When I attended the Aging Differently Summit sponsored by Amgen, I was reminded about the interconnectedness of women’s health issues. Many of the suggestions from that summit on osteoporosis are also applicable to good heart health. Our bodies are complex puzzles, but there are relatively simplistic guidelines to wise health management: diets rich in clean nutrients, exercise, proactive and routine checkups with care providers you trust, and self-advocacy.
Knowing family medical history markers is key as well. I plan on making a diary of important information for my boys and encourage you to do the same. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the old saying goes.
Now it’s time to finish my quiet time and maybe get that second cup of coffee…decaf on high anxiety days, of course. I would love to hear from you about your heart healthy habits! Share them in the comments below!
…until next time…
For more info on women and heart disease click here.
