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And Get Heart Healthy
The facts are clear. More women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined. Unfortunately, heart disease is often silent, hidden or misunderstood. Granger resident Lora Bentley knows this first hand.
Lora, who has always been a working professional, leads a busy lifestyle while raising four children. Two years ago, she experienced a night that seemed routine. She worked during the day, then attended a high school softball game, and ran to the grocery store to pick up some last minute things for a late dinner. She never dreamed that she would also have a heart attack that night.
While she was shopping for dinner items, she felt some pressure in the middle of her chest. Lora chalked it up to stress and being under a lot of pressure. She had never had any known risk factors for heart disease. Yet she was feeling poorly enough that she left her groceries in the store and went to sit in her car. Moments passed and she felt better, which she believed confirmed that the culprit was stress. She returned to the groceries. But the pain returned so severely that she left the store and drove home.
Although the American Heart Association recommends that you call 911 if you suspect you have a cardiac issue, she arrived at home and her husband started to drive her to a local hospital. By this time she felt clammy, had waves of nausea and was shaky. Her husband pulled into a nearby fire station, and the staff there called for an ambulance.
Once at the hospital she was advised that she was likely suffering a gall bladder attack, given her age of 48 and gender. She had a chest X-ray, an EKG, nitroglycerin and morphine, which helped with the pain. By then, she felt pain still centered in the chest and also down her right arm. Later when a cardiologist reviewed the results of her tests and blood work, they determined she had indeed had a heart attack.
In Lora’s case, the blockage in her heart dissolved with medication and no surgery was needed. At the time of the heart attack, she was placed on several medications, but is now down to two. She works out on a regular basis and became involved with the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women program.
“My goal is to educate women, including my daughters, that they are more at risk from cardiovascular disease than they realize,” said Lora. “Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. Even though I thought I was in fairly good physical shape and young enough that I shouldn’t be affected by heart disease, I was. I want others to know the warning signs.”
Heart Attack Warning Signs for Women
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most of them start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort, as in Lora’s case. Often the people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are some of the signs that can mean a heart attack is occurring:
Chest Discomfort
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in Other Areas of the Upper Body
Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of Breath
This feeling may occur with or without chest discomfort.
Other Signs
These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain. If you or someone you are with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don’t wait longer than five minutes before calling for help. Call 911.
Get Involved and Go Red
Would you like to be involved in Go Red For Women this year? There are several ways to do so!
National Wear Red Day is a national awareness day where we encourage community members to wear red in observance of women facing heart disease and stroke. This year that day is on Friday, February 3, 2012. There is no charge for participating, and it can be as simple as wearing a touch of red that day. Those who wish to be more involved may download free materials at goredforwomen.org. Those who choose to take the extra step and register for the Go Red For Women initiative will be mailed a free red dress pin.
View and Share Go Red For Women’s Short Film. Emmy-nominated actress Elizabeth Banks directs and stars in the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women short film and PSA, “Just a Little Heart Attack,” inspired by the real-life stories of women who have been affected by heart disease. The short film is at Facebook.com/GoRed and provides a powerful and entertaining wake-up call.
Go Red Heart Match is a new program that matches Go Red women who share a similar experience with heart disease, allowing them to provide support to one another. Learn more at GoRedForWomen.org. There is no charge for this online program.
Visit GoRedCorazon.org or Facebook.com/GoRedPorTuCorazon: Access information in Spanish and to learn about Go Red efforts in the Hispanic community.
BetterU Makeover Challenge is a free 12-week online program that provides guidance to transform your overall health through small, simple choices. Visit GoRedForWomen.org to sign up for the program and connect with women like you who are committed to making healthier choices every day. The BetterU Makeover Challenge is sponsored locally by TCU.
The Michiana Go Red For Women Educational Symposium & Luncheon will be held at the Gillespie Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn in South Bend on Thursday, May 3. The event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., is reserved seating only.
There will be a keynote speaker, interesting breakout sessions, a silent auction and the results of a local BetterU Makeover Challenge. You can find out more information about tickets by calling Jessica Schaffer at 317.732.4713 or Jessica.schaffer@heart.org.
Medical Editor's Note: It is important to also note that the signs which indicate a heart attack in women are complex, which has led to varying opinions in medicine. Many doctors, including myself, find that women often may not exhibit the classic symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pains, making it all the more crucial for women to be very aware of the other possible signs of a heart attack.
*TM Go Red trademark of AHA, Red Dress trademark of DHHS.
