A few months ago the husband of a Red Hat friend was out for his usual three-mile run when he began to feel odd.
He felt a tightness in his chest, his left arm hurt, he was sweaty and, in general, did not feel well.
He finished his run home, looked up the symptoms of a heart attack on his computer, then drove himself to the hospital where he learned that indeed he was absolutely right – he was having a heart attack.
Later he realized that he should have called 911 to take care of him and transport him to the hospital. As is, after some surgery, he was just fine.
Every year many people die from heart attacks often with no prior symptoms, often people who seem to be very healthy. The Heart Association says 870,000 people die each year, with 450,000 of those being women. It is a scary number, but one we can do something about.
We need to have an annual physical during which our doctor will order a series of blood tests and perhaps others, too. These tests tell the doctor an amazing amount of information about us, especially about our blood, giving us numbers we should all know, as well as information telling us how our kidneys and liver are functioning, our blood sugar levels, how your body handles proteins and other information.
Those numbers we all need to know have to do with our cholesterol. They are vital because poor numbers can contribute to a heart attack. First of all, you need to know your total cholesterol number. Ideally it would be as close to 150 as possible. Some of us need to take medication to help us achieve this lower number, but, thank heavens it is available.
We need to know our HDL level – the good or “healthy” cholesterol. This acts sort of like a Roto-Rooter to help keep our arteries open allowing our blood to flow easily.
We need to know our LDL level – it is the “lousy” or bad, sticky cholesterol that can clog your arteries leading to a heart attack.
Another number to know is our triglyceride number. Triglycerides levels tell how much fat is floating around in our blood stream.
Usually before a doctor prescribes medication he/she will ask you to make some lifestyle changes, especially as to the way we eat. Out goes fast food, sugary desserts, most red meat, sugary pop, boxed crackers and cookies, ice cream, butter and mayonnaise. These just become occasional treats. In come more fruits and veggies, nuts, fish, chicken and olive oil. You may find it easiest to make gradual changes over time.
The second recommendation is to get some exercise to make your blood pump faster to help clean out those arteries. Try walking in your neighborhood or on one of the great trails we have in our communities or indoors in a big box store or at a mall. Join a gym. Go to your local senior center and take an exercise class. Above all, try to have a positive attitude as you make changes to help you live healthily longer. And don’t forget to laugh as laughter is often the very best medicine of all.
It takes time to make changes. You are not Superman or Wonder Woman. Take your time, experiment along the way so you will not become a statistic, but, rather will be here for a long, long time.
Step out, seniors, and into better health.
