My paternal grandmother died of a heart attack long before I was born. Heck my dad was still a boy when she died. All but one of his sisters died in their 40’s and 50’s. The final one made it to a ripe old 65. Heart disease claimed them all.
My 5 siblings and I watched our dad lead a sedentary life. He’d come home from work, eat dinner and crash in front of the TV. The next morning we’d find bags from cookies and chips left near his TV chair.
It was no surprise when my dad became obese and developed Type II diabetes. As a kid, I made mental notes that I needed to learn from this and not follow in his footsteps.
In his 50’s, dad needed a quintuple bypass. Not 1, not 2 but 3 doctors refused to do the surgery due to the risk. When he finally found someone willing to operate, I was hopeful but doubtful. I said my goodbyes the night before and braced for what seemed to be the inevitable.
That was 16 years ago. Miraculously, my dad survived. I wish I could tell you he’s totally revamped his lifestyle and is a fit, active man in his 70’s now but that wouldn’t be true. He does somewhat better with food, not so much with exercise. He still really despises veggies. I can say though that since the heart surgery, he has a certain ‘fire’ about him. A stubbornness. Willfulness. I think he enjoys life more now and doesn’t take tomorrow for granted.
Watching him and his siblings navigate through a minefield of heart disease has given me plenty to think about. About living fully, taking chances, about changing what I can and picking my battles. About staying on top of blood sugar and cholesterol and getting my behind in for a stress test instead of poking my head in the sand.
I’m sharing this because it’s National Heart Health Awareness Month and women are notorious for ignoring the signs of a heart attack:
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
- As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
Has heart disease touched your life?
My dad died young (50s) of a heart attack, unexpected – not overweight at all. My mom died even younger of colon cancer and that is the one I worry about more. Get your colonoscopy when it’s time!
And that is why I exercise and sort of watch what I eat.
Such an important message, especially for women who tend to think they(we) are immune. We’re not!
I was nodding my head reading that about your dad–my dad had quadruple bypass a few years ago. He does an Ok job of taking care of himself, but he could still improve in so many ways. It’s hard to be a healthy person and watch it, isn’t it?
Wow! Good for you for being proactive:) I have seen enough people suffer because they lead inactive lives, to keep me active even when I don’t feel like it. Great reminder Marcia:)
Thanks for the excellent reminder. It’s very difficult to watch those we love make poor choices regarding their health, diet and lifestyle, isn’t it? My maternal grandparents each had heart disease and bypasses (yes, plural), and my mom and her sister are the third generation of females in their line to have Type II diabetes. I am the only female in the fourth generation, and I’m determined that the trend stops with the third. While genetics are my only risk at this point, I’m going to have to stay on top of it.
We have shockening lost a few people to heart issues… I wish I could say it immedtiately made me change things, but it didn’t. 🙁
My day’s family is riddled with heart disease. My paternal grandfather died at 52, my uncle at 36, and my dad at 58. My dad, too, had a quintuple bypass, which gave him an extra 13 years with us, which is better but certainly not enough. Two of my three brothers and I are very conscious of our heart heritage and stay active and eat healthy. That said, I have a history of high blood pressure and haven’t taken medication in some time without having regular blood pressure checks. Thanks for spurring me to take better care on the medical front as well as the lifestyle side.
So glad your dad recovered and is actually doing somewhat better almost 2 decades out. My father-in-law basically gave up after his similar surgery. He did live for another 17 years but didn’t have that “fire” you speak of in your dad.
Thanks for this reminder, for the list of symptoms. Sounds surprisingly similar to a perimenopausal anxiety attack, doesn’t it?
My paternal grandmother died of a heart attack two weeks before my parents’ wedding. I wish I would have known her!
Very, Very important message. Thank you for sharing
Good post. Most women believe that breast cancer is the #1 cause of female deaths, while actually it is a heart attack.
So very hard to watch someone you love make poor choices about their health – for me it’s my mom. Thanks for posting this reminder!
Lost my own Mother to a stroke many years ago. Heart disease is sneaky and scary. Good post. Thanks for the tips.
My dad made bad choices and it caught up with him. I lost him almost a year ago. Heart disease is no joke! Must stay healthy!
Thank you so much for sharing & joining in on this important message to spread out there.. HUGS!
Our family also has a history of heart disease. Both of my grandfathers had heart attacks followed by by-pass surgery and my Dad had a heart attack at the ridiculous age of 32. He wasn’t overweight but he was under an enormous amount of stress. Our whole family underwent a diet makeover and those lessons have stuck with me for life. But not Dad – he still eats whatever he wants, is heavily overweight, doesn’t exercise and has high blood pressure. I personally think that his life span won’t be a long as it could have been.
Thanks for sharing this. My grandma passed away due to heart failure. 5 years ago I Had symptoms of PAD but totally destroyed it with my change in lifestyle. Take care.
My grandma had heart disease. I always thought it was only because she was obese but I myself have high bp. I had my annual physical this week and all the blood work came back normal. Cholesterol even! Just working on that bp.
Sorry about your dad. It’s frustrating and hard to watch the one’s you love dealing with heart disease. I’m glad he has some fight in him though!
As you know, my dad died at in his 50’s after a massive heart attack, and like you I am very aware of my family history and stay in shape in part to try and prevent potential problems. Glad your dad is doing alright. And thanks for posting these warning signs. Always good to have a reminder.
Gaye
This is a good reminder for everyone. My maternal grandfather died at 49 from a massive heart attack. My mom was 19 and her sibling ranged in age from 7-22. My uncle died 7 years ago, also at 49…also from a massive heart attack. Everyone reads the warning signs, the most important thing is to listen to them!
Thank you for sharing this! I’m glad your dad is still here, I wish he had changed his lifestyle more but I’m glad he appreciates what he has.