He’s a distance runner. Just like me. A parent. Just like me. A spouse. Just like me. A sibling. Just like me. He’s young. Just like me. Younger, even, than me. He had no risk factors, other than high cholesterol and family history. Just like me. He continued running. Just like me. The first mile […]
28
Sep 2012
Just Like Me
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27
Sep 2012
13
Aug 2012
So it’s finally happened to me. My health insurance company has refused. I’ve always considered myself and my family blessed to have good insurance. We’ve had our share of medical emergencies and long-term issues and with a little hard work and a lot of time on hold, we’ve gotten good coverage through the years. So […]
19
Jun 2012
Myth Busting
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This post is inspired by a helpful American Heart Association article “Top 10 Myths About Cardiovascular Disease,” which warns of the dangers of making false assumptions about your risk for heart disease. I’m not the only one who made false assumptions about my heart; it took ER doctors and even cardiologists hours to believe I […]
09
May 2012
It’s on. I’ve been stress-tested, blood-tested, and pressure-tested. I’ve been examined, reviewed, and notated. Poked, prodded, and medicated. And all the tests and medical professionals have come to the same conclusion: There’s nothing really wrong with you, except for that heart attack thing. So yes, go ahead and train for that marathon. Go ahead and […]
24
Apr 2012
Reporting In
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I love a good infographic. What a fun trend and great way to present information in our ever-more-visual, data-saturated media age. So of course I’m going to love a heart-health infographic, and this one from the Wall Street Journal does not disappoint. (Click on it to see larger.) It accompanied an article called “The Guide […]
13
Apr 2012
Once last fall, in the midst of battling the worst of my post-heart-attack depression, I told a friend to be worried if I didn’t blog for a while. That writing was something positive I was doing, and if I couldn’t summon the energy to write, something must be wrong. So, unsurprisingly, she was a little […]
29
Feb 2012
I was surprised at how much American Heart Month meant to me. Maybe because having a disease is, at its core, a very lonely thing. No matter how much others care, no one really knows what it feels like — or how it makes you feel — to just be. So I set out to […]
28
Feb 2012
I was asked to speak at a United Hospital Foundation event celebrating American Heart Month and to share my “patient story.” The annual event, “Celebrating the Hearts of Women” focuses on women’s heart health and prevention, and was held February 22. I was nervous, but it went well, and I made it through without crying […]
28
Feb 2012
I always love a flash mob video, but this one got to me a little bit. Midway through the camera captures some people holding signs thanking scientists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, clinical trial participants, and others who work every day to manage, cure, or prevent heart disease. I was looking for flash mob fun but found […]
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