Have you experienced a heart attack, or thought you had one?

Two nights ago, I thought I could not see another sunrise.

I woke up in the middle of a deep sleep with extreme pain on my chest. It felt like a ton of bricks was pressing against my chest. I could hardly breathe. When I did, pain shot through my entire upper torso.

“Oh God, not a heart attack please,” I told myself. And my mind was flooded by thoughts of my best friend who is still recuperating in the hospital due to a triple by-pass just a week ago.

I lied still in bed for what seemed an eternity, debating whether to drive to a nearby hospital or call my daughter who is a doctor…Then fell back to sleep.

The alarm woke me up. The pain, though less excruciating, was still there.

After having my regular breakfast of a loaf of bread and milk chocolate, topped off by watermelon, apple, and papaya, I went for my daily morning exercise.

My routine consists of 45 to 50 mins of brisk walk mixed with modified push-ups and isometrics. I do it regularly but this time, I want to see if my heart will hold up.

To my relief, it did. My chest pain was just one of those anomalies that can happen to an old bloke like me. It was not a heart problem at all.

Like most of us, I take my health for granted, you know, the machismo kind of thing. Besides, I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle, and a heart attack, to my mind, is as remote as the North Pole.

I take my health with some kind of panache, the machismo thing  – like most of us. Not because I feel healthy, but because I lead an active lifestyle. I take a heart attack as remote as the  North Pole.

But I wouldn’t recommend that kind of derring-do for you or other seniors out there. You’ll never know if your chest pain is the real thing and heart attack kills – without warning.

So watch out for these danger signals. If they happen without any real reason, consult your doctor. It is better to be dead sure than sure dead.

1.  Excessive Fatigue:

Excessive fatigue can be due to strenuous activities or a coronary artery problem due to plaque build-up. This issue makes your heart work extra hard to get its normal supply of oxygen.

I asked a cousin how he knew that he had a heart problem. “Excessive fatigue,” he said. He could not climb a flight of stairs or walk the distance between two lampposts without pausing for breath.

2.  Shortness of Breath:

Shortness of breath is also a good indicator of a heart problem. This happens when the heart pumps less oxygen to the lungs.

The heart and the lungs work together to keep your body functioning. If one is impaired, the other is also affected.

Shortness of breath is one of the things I observe very carefully each time I exercise. While it is normal to gasp for breath at the onset of extreme activity if it persists after a short period of adjustment then, get an appointment with your doctor.

3.  Weakness:

Of course, if you are experiencing extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, it follows that you will feel weak.

Weakness results from the same reasons of other heart attack danger signals – lack of oxygen-carrying blood from your heart to your muscles.

4.  Dizziness and/or Cold Sweat:

These conditions occur because of the poor cardiac circulation to the brain resulting in clamminess and dizziness, especially when suddenly getting up from a bed or chair.

This should not be mistaken for the dizziness you may experience due to sudden positional or motion change which can happen after sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time.

5.  Discomfort or pain in the chest:

Chest pain or discomfort related to an impending heart attack is caused by diminished blood flow to the chest. It grows more intense until a heart attack occurs.

Call emergency is your chest pain or discomfort is accompanied by a heavy pressure or squeezing sensation in the chest, with pain radiating from to the neck. jaw and arm.

Take note, however, that these symptoms can also occur during a heartburn episode. Nevertheless, take no chances.

A heart attack is often called a “traitor disease,” or “a thief in the night,” because it strikes without warning.

Not exactly. Heart problems send out warning signals long before they happen – like an oncoming train. We just often ignore them, taking them as parts of aging. Maybe Yes. Maybe No. But would you play Russian Roulette with your health I guess not.

To make you more attentive to your body, ask yourself this question, “Am I a potential candidate?”

The Mayo Clinic has an excellent article about the risk factors of a heart attack, especially for seniors like you and me. Read it, take note of the risk factors and keenly observed your body’s language.

Millions, worldwide, unnecessarily die of  heart attack each year and in 2011, 787,000 Americans didn’t see another day or night of the harrowing experience of being struck down by the disease. Don’t be one of them.

Live a fuller life by doing something about your heart health; listen to it. Chances are you will hear it warning you that something is cooking, and it is not good for you.

The life you save will definitely your own.

~oOo~

The post 5 Effective Ways to Detect an Impending Heart Attack first appeared on Age With Charm.

Is there a member of your family who has had a bypass operation A friend, or you, maybe?

Then you must know it is something they (or you), don’t want to go through again, right?

The entire process, from pre-op preparation to post-op rehabilitation, is a series of tests, of prepping you up before you go under the knife, to making a new life of dos and don’ts after.

How do I know these My best friend had a bypass operation last December. Oh, he survived. But now I am left to drink and smoke alone – two vices that bound us together.

However, no matter how intricate or delicate the operation is, no matter how uncertain the results or expensive it may be, it is something you cannot say “No,” to without the risk of a death from a heart attack.

A heart attack (or myocardial infarction) refers to the death of a heart muscle due to loss of blood supply.

Lay people often call it cardiac arrest, which it’s not. Cardiac arrest happens when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions.

Though different, each can trigger the happening of the other. A heart attack results from a heart disease while cardiac arrest results from a blocked artery – chiefly the reason for a bypass –  one of the many heart anomalies that fall under the generic term “heart diseases.”

Heart Disease and Seniors:

Heart disease is the second most common medical issue among seniors (next to arthritis). But it is the top serial killer among people aged 65+, killing 489,722 U.S. seniors in 2014.

Of the various heart diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD) holds the top spot among seniors.

A 2013 report by the American Heart Association showed that there were approximately 42 million Americans in their 60s suffering from CVD. The percentage was higher in people in their 70s.

The silver lining (LOL!) is that 66% of CVD deaths occur in people 75 above.

At any rate, if you have a heart disease, regardless of age, worrying is not going to help you in any way. Most of the causes of a heart disease are modifiable by changing your lifestyle.

If you manage your heart problems well, you can enjoy old age even beyond age of 75.

Here are a few tips how to:

1.  Develop good habits:

Developing good habits is always difficult. But there is no truth that old dogs can’t be taught new tricks. You can and you must:

–  Quit smoking;
–  Get enough sleep;
–  Avoid stressful situations;
–  Limit your alcohol intake;
–  Develop a positive attitude.

2.  Adopt a heart-healthy diet:

You are what you eat and when you get old, what you eat can spell the difference between enjoying old age or frequent visits to your doctor.

To achieve better heart health:

–  Eat more vegetables, fruits whole grains and legumes;

–  Limit your intake of saturated (animal) fats and dairy products like whole milk, cream, butter, cheese, and ice cream;

–  Minimize eating baked foods like doughnuts, cookies, crackers, pies, and cakes that use hydrogenated vegetable oil;

–  When cooking or baking, use monounsaturated fats like canola, olive, and peanut oils;

–  Fill your diet with protein-rich foods like lean meat, fish, and vegetables. Eat foods that help bring your cholesterol down;

–  Eat the right kinds of carbohydrates such as those in quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and other high-fiber foods, and minimize your salt intake;

–  Don’t overeat. It stresses the heart. Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration and, above all, eat regularly to control your blood sugar, burn fat efficiently and regulate your cholesterol level.

3. Exercise: 

Several studies have shown that people who regularly exercise have less chance to develop coronary heart disease (CHD) than those who don’t. Even if they do at a later age, it will be less severe than sedentary people.

Exercise can reduce “bad” cholesterol and can raise the “good” kind.

Not only is it good for the heart, but also good for your overall feeling of wellness – a necessary ingredient to heart health.

4.  Socialize:

Studies have shown that socializing and social support lowers mortality risks and cardiovascular disease, especially if coupled with moderate drinking.

While heavy drinking is associated with greater risk of a stroke, light to moderate drinking does the opposite. People who imbibe lightly are less prone to strokes and coronary heart disease.

Every day more than 1,300 seniors die of heart attack (2014 figures). But your chances of being one of them is very slim considering that there were 46.2 million people aged 65 and above in the same year.

While this may sound consoling, but having a heart disease is like having a cocked pistol pointed at your temple. And it can go off anytime if you don’t manage it well.

Please share so other seniors will know that having a heart disease is not the end of the world. 

Image: www.steadyhealth.com

~oOo~

The post Cheatsheet for Seniors with Heart Disease first appeared on Age With Charm.