A heart is a most precious thing

February is American Heart Month.
Visit the American Heart Association
for more information on heart health.

It's so simple when we are young, "young" being relative because we are always young compared to someone else, to take our health for granted. I know I have. Yes, we might do the right things, eat right, exercise...but how do we know we are doing enough?

Early this week, my mother was hospitalized and diagnosed with a heart health issue. It's important to note that mom has always been healthy, active, watched her diet and done the things she should do. Mom is young and has no risk factors or indicators for heart problems, so this turn of events has been quite surprising. She has had a very stressful last few years, caring for her elderly father until his death in June, however, one wouldn't think that stress alone could cause such a thing. But it can, as I am here to testify.

When people think of heart health, they think of heart attacks., chest pain, etc. However, it's a much more complex issue, and I'm only beginning to scratch the surface of learning about it.

The earlier symptoms of a heart issue can be vague, and easy to attribute to many other causes. Fatigue, occasional forgetfulness, mild difficulty breathing when active, (usually attributed to fatigue) difficulty sleeping...these things could be a cold, they could be depression, they could be stress related. Heart disease isn't even always indicated by high blood pressure. In mom's case, that didn't turn up until very recently, resulting in the doctors not even looking for a heart problem the last few weeks, as mom's condition deteriorated.

The last few months I have noticed that mom didn't seem herself, however, my parents moved out of their home of 33 years in September, and I attributed most of what I noticed to the stress of moving; it was a huge undertaking. Never once did I think it could be a heart issue; like I said, she has no risk factors, so it was the furthest thing from my mind. Even four weeks ago I thought she had caught a winter cold that had developed into bronchitis.

Later symptoms of heart failure are difficulty breathing and general exhaustion, and heavy coughing that sounds like pneumonia, among other things. In my mother's case, they diagnosed her with pneumonia because she was retaining fluid in her lungs. It wasn't until she began to have edema in her feet that we realized something was really wrong. That was last weekend.

I am telling this story to educate. Heart problems are particularly easy to miss in women, because women generally downplay their symptoms...we are always the nurturers, the caregivers, and worry about anything that will prevent us from our normal roles. If you visit GoRedForWomen.org, you can find a great deal of information about women's heart health issues. I urge you to become educated. Ever day in America, women die of heart disease. In many cases it could be prevented.

My life has changed. I have Type II diabetes...which itself puts me at increased risk for heart disease. Now I have additional risk factors I must take seriously. Fortunately, many of the things I am already doing to care for my diabetes are also good for my heart. Still, there are some changes I need to make.

I'm 38 years young, but it's never too soon to take it seriously. If I was 28 it wouldn't be too soon. We take our youth and health for granted, believing we will deal with it "later". Even if we do all the things we should be doing, it's never too soon to be educated, to know our genetic and lifestyle risk factors, and to know what symptoms to watch for that might indicate potential problems.