February is American Heart Month

The first Friday in February has been designated as National Wear Red Day to show support for Women's Heart Disease Awareness.

In May 2007, I was on travel in Chicago, Illinois. I had an out of body experience. I started feeling extremely fatigued and my body became very cold; in addition, I started having problems breathing. My feet and legs began to swell and my stomach appeared to be that of a nine month pregnancy.

Once I returned home I drove myself to the neighborhood hospital. I thought I would be given an antibiotic and be on my merry way. The joke was on me, after numerous tests I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

The neighborhood hospital had limited resources and was not able to treat me; from there I was transported to the local hospital. When I arrived at the local hospital I was immediately taken to the Intensive Care Unit and was hooked up to several monitors and machines. I was terrified. After spending several weeks in the local hospital and going through more testing, I was told I would need heart surgery to correct a leaky heart valve. The leaky heart valve would either have to be repaired or replaced. Not feeling comfortable in the local hospital or accepting the fact that I had heart disease, I rejected the advice that I had to have immediate heart surgery. In the meantime, while the doctors were unable to convince me that I needed the surgery, they decided to transfer me to a hospital specializing in heart disease.

Dealing with the thought of my chest cavity being cracked open for heart surgery started to take its toll and became an ordeal for me to handle.

During my hospital stay at the Heart Center I had two procedures that would determine if surgery was necessary. The first test, I cried through the entire procedure (yes, I'm a cry baby). A tube was inserted from my neck to my heart to get pictures of the leaky heart valve (it really didn't hurt, but I still cried). The second procedure I slept through. A tiny probe was inserted through my mouth to my heart to test for hypertension.

I got the official word that I did not need heart surgery. I was nearly in tears and could not contain myself while speaking with the doctor. The diagnosis was Pulmonary Hypertension (a type of high blood pressure that affects only the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart). My lifestyle has drastically changed since 2007. I sometimes have bad days and sometimes good days. No matter how I feel I don't let it get me down. The hypertension in my heart is now being treated with medication.

According to the Women's Heart Foundation, 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer. Another 31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, representing 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.

Heart disease has perhaps touched you or someone you know. Make it your mission to fight heart disease and the No. 1 killer in America. The red dress became the symbol to remind women of that fact as the pink ribbon reminds women of breast cancer. Go Red for someone you love on Friday, February 4, 2011.

For more information contact
National Wear Red Day
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Health Information Center
Attention: The Heart Truth
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
(301) 592-8573
(240) 629-3255 TTY
(301) 592-8563 Fax
nhlbiinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth