Ah, February. The month where love is in the air and there are hearts everywhere! And that is why February is known as Heart Month!
The American Heart Association (AHA) puts the focus on heart health awareness each February, because heart disease is a leading cause of death in the US. Heart Month encourages individuals to focus on their cardiovascular health and take steps to improve their heart health overall.
In more recent years, the AHA has put a special focus on women’s heart health. They host Go Red for Women events, and every year there is a Wear Red Day around February 6th or 7th.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women. Nearly 45% of women aged 20 plus are living with some form of cardiovascular disease, and only half of women entering pregnancy in the United States have optimal cardiovascular health. Women experience unique life stages, such as pregnancy and menopause, that can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
I’m sure you have all seen these “signs and symptoms” lists before, but they definitely bear repeating here:
*Signs and symptoms of 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.
And did you know that in addition, there is a “silent heart attack?” A silent heart attack is often chalked up to symptoms of stress or anxiety, and often dismissed. Just like any other heart attack, there is a blockage of blood flow to a section of the heart. Symptoms later discovered to have been a heart attack include indigestion, flu-like feelings, a feeling like a strained muscle in the chest or upper back, or discomfort in the jaw, upper back or arms. Because a silent heart attack often leaves scarring and damage, it puts a person at higher risk of other heart problems. And because the person didn’t know to seek treatment, blood flow to the heart might not have been restored quickly, no medications were administered, and the impact could be greater.
If you think you may be having a heart attack, please get help immediately and advocate for yourself! It’s also not a bad idea to bring someone to advocate for you, so that the heart attack isn’t mistaken for a panic attack or something else.
*Signs and symptoms of stroke
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you ever experience any of the signs and symptoms of either a heart attack or a stroke, please call 911 immediately!
While you can always play Google MD to learn more about what predisposes someone to being more prone to heart disease, most of us already know that family history as well as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking are all contributing factors. Heart failure may still hit the healthiest of people and is a diagnosis that has a big impact on that person’s life. How well someone does depends upon the type of cardiac problem, the involved medical care, and the support provided by family and friends.
Daily assistance for loved ones with a heart condition is so important, and Care Advantage provides that much-needed extra layer of support. A caregiver can help patients remain stable when things are under control and can also recognize the signs that things might be getting out of hand. This allows early medical intervention to occur, getting things back on track. Our caregivers weigh heart failure patients daily to check for fluid retention, and make sure medications are taken on the proper schedule.
For stroke patients, we help them regain mobility and can assist with feeding, and we converse with them to aid in speech improvement. We oversee heart healthy lifestyle changes, ensuring proper diet, hydration, exercise, and more. We can accompany patients to doctor appointments, list to the explanations, and take notes for the patient and family. And should there be any negative changes in status, we recognize when a call to the doctor is warranted, or if the patient should go to the hospital. This daily assistance alleviates acute episodes and improves longer term outcomes.
In the spirit of Heart Month, take a minute to thank your ticker for all that it does for you every single day. And take another minute to think about how you can improve your health to ensure your heart has many more years of ticking right along!
