Taking It To Heart

“Life Is A Banquet, And Most Poor Fools Are Starving To Death.”    Rosalind Russell, Auntie Mame, 1958

Have you ever had that deep-down, excited feeling that something in your life was about to change, you just didn’t know what?  Well, have I got a story for you….

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For those who have experienced major change, either through failing health,  finances, family dynamics or accident,  I’ll go on record believing the 2nd biggest event in my life qualifies as the most dynamic, energy-shifting circumstance imaginable, and though it wasn’t a knock on my door from Publisher’s Clearing House, the changes it has delivered are irrefutable, permanent, and I can’t help but thank God each and every time I think of them.

Caught as a Baby Boomer in the Corporate revolving door (as millions of others), I’ve had no golden parachute, no health insurance, no savings, and only contract jobs as opportunities for employment since the late 90’s.

“Flying without a net,” I’ve learned  some things are completely out of my control; I’ve had to turn to another Source for my benefit.  I’ve had to move past the fear, discard old beliefs that did not serve me, and “float like a butterfly” to grow and change for over a decade.

That job my parents promised would be there after college graduation, you know, the one I was supposed to float through for 25 years never materialized, and like so many others, I’ve been laid off, down-sized, company sold, company closed 10 times in as many years.

I digress — about 6 months ago, I got a sign that things were definitely about to change! Little did I know that an urgent message from inside me would be the catalyst to propel me into a brand new, wonderful existence!

Now, before you think I’ve completely lost any semblance of sanity, please let me explain a little further….

Men’s and women’s heart disease is now the Number 1 killer of people living in the United States, and the estimated costs to Americans  in 2009 will reach or exceed $304.6 billion, including health care services, medications, and lost productivity, according to the latest CDC statistics.

Coronary heart disease affects not only the patient, but every member of their family, either directly through genetic inheritance, or indirectly through financial stress (read “ increasing bankruptcy”) and uncertainty.

My own father suffered a stroke at 42, spending the rest of his days (19 years) in a nursing home.  A successful dentist, he fell victim to many of the common causes of coronary heart disease;  no exercise, high blood pressure and obesity.

And yet even in this day of information saturation, a majority of Americans continue to do all the wrong things, and expect to get the right results.  Many don’t know, or recognize, the symptoms of heart disease, and ignore a potentially deadly symptom until it’s too late for treatment. Believe me, this is not something that will just “go away” because you think it should.

I’m one of the lucky ones!  After surviving Hodgkins Disease 25 years ago (I wrote a book about that one, the beginning of my transformation), I was given another chance, which I can add has been lived fully and productively!

I’m now known as “Kitty” to a few of my friends,  since to date, I’m on my third “incarnation.”.  And to be honest, that’s o.k. by me, I’ve got six more to go!

Congestive Heart Failure and Other Confusing Names

Just the term instills terror! Add that one to terms such as Mitral Valve Synapse, Angina, Hematoma, Arythmia, Pulmonary Stenosis, and of course, the laymen’s terms, Heart Attack, Stroke, High Blood Pressure, and High Cholesterol, and it’s no wonder people don’t spend hours learning what may be going on in their bodies. I was no different.

Early one morning about six months ago, I awoke and was unable to catch my breath.  I’d been fighting a “cold” for about a month, but just to be safe, I phoned my family physician the next morning and scheduled an immediate appointment.  “Ah,” I thought as I went about slowly getting ready, “another respiratory infection to take care of.”

Upon arriving, I was ushered into the examination room, thinking the visit would end with a prescription and doctor’s instruction to rest for a few days.  I received a “breathing treatment” from the Physician’s Assistant, only to discover  upon completion that the physician had been busy “working me in” to the cardiologist’s office on the next floor!

The heart murmur, and a previously detected congenital, ventricular septal defect (a small hole located in the ventricle of my heart) had become increasingly worse since my visit 6 months prior, and upstairs I went, in tow by my doctor, to have an echocardiogram - immediately!

“You’re not getting out of my sight!” the doc explained.  “We’re getting to the bottom of this – today.” 

Reluctantly I entered the exam room, disrobed and sat on the table, all the while thinking to myself, “Who’s going to pay for this?”  Though I’d had the funds to pay for an office visit, I was certain I DIDN’T have the money to pay for this test!

The technician entered the room, and after running a wand over my greasy, slathered chest gathering images, I was done.  “You can get dressed now,” she explained.  “Dr. M will be with you shortly.” 

What happened next is nothing less than a Miracle!  Join me as I share the process and information on how I survived (both mentally and financially), and tips on what you can proactively do to prevent becoming another statistic!  Please join me to find out how you can become informed, aware, and productive in your healthy heart life!