I’ve been transitioned. After six weeks and 1 day at rehab, I’ve graduated to “Level III: Transition” care and won’t be returning to outpatient rehab at the hospital (at least, I have no intention of having to return there!). This is my report card, er, “outpatient discharge summary.” It has a sort of kindergarten-report-card vibe to […]
11
Oct 2011
Transition
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04
Oct 2011
Party Hearty
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I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of heart-related puns. If you continue to read this blog, consider yourself warned. Last weekend my family and I had a ton of fun while running. To fuel those workouts, we had a pasta party at our house Saturday night. Pasta is a safe bet: crowd pleasing, healthy, easy. […]
03
Oct 2011
Amazing Race
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This weekend was Twin Cities Marathon weekend – the race I was training for this summer and was planning to run with my brother, Mike. Life, as we know, intervened. So a few weeks ago I asked my rehab physiologist (aka boss-of-me) if she thought I could run the TC5K instead. I got permission from her, […]
21
Sep 2011
I hope everyone has seen this funny and really, far too realistic video, produced by Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association’s women’s heart health campaign. The day of my heart attack started as a totally normal day, and I expected normalcy to resume at any moment (hmm, still waiting). I called Scott from the ER […]
21
Sep 2011
My 12th Pill
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I now take 12 pills a day. Me, the self-righteous riot grrl who demanded to see the results of studies of this drug or that drug on women and then refused to take them when the doctor admitted there was no such thing. Me, the nervous first-time mother who wouldn’t even take fish oil supplements while […]
03
Sep 2011
Alright ladies, listen closely. If you haven’t ever had your cholesterol checked, do it now. If you know you have high numbers, start working on it. If you have a family history, get yourself a cardiologist and have a full workup. Know your body and know your risks. Now. As if you need a reason […]
02
Sep 2011
Her name was Ellen and she brought me dinner. The parish nurse at our church has organized volunteers to bring over dinner a few times a week, and Ellen’s day was Tuesday. She came to the door with a roast chicken, a salad from her garden, and a loaf of nine-grain bread. We chatted awhile, […]
25
Aug 2011
Her name was Mary Jean and she leaned over to talk to me as I waited for orientation on my first day of cardiac rehab. “Will you be joining us?” she said. “Yes,” I said. “I had a heart attack last Sunday, and I left the hospital on Wednesday.” “Oh,” she said, and paused. I […]
22
Aug 2011
A simple question, really. But it has taken me three days to try to answer it. The question came in a one-line email from a friend I haven’t seen since I was a teenager. It also came at a time when I was feeling, well, miserable. So I didn’t answer. (Sorry!) Here’s the weird thing: I really feel […]
21
Aug 2011
Yes, you read that right. I’m 37, a woman, a marathon runner, a healthy cook. I’m in shape with a normal BMI, an active, healthy, young(ish) mom of two. I’m not even stressed out. And I had a heart attack on Saturday night, late, maybe Sunday morning. It’s hard to tell, since it wasn’t diagnosed until I was […]
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