Thursday night at the Go Red For Women Expo we had an excellent motivational speaker Elizabeth Hein from Chicago. At the age of 27 she had a heart attack. Her mother also died of heart disease. What was compelling about her story is that she went to several doctors because she felt like she had a bone in her heart. It was a pain difficult to articulate to her doctors but they kept telling her that she was under stress. They told her to go home and get a massage and destress. Yet she knew there wasn't something quite right about how she felt.

Another important piece of information about her story is that she was a runner and in very good shape. She asked her friends if they felt their hearts beat like she did and they told her "no". She had a "gut feeling" that something was not right about how she felt. Her family believed her but her doctors did not.

The "meat" of her message was that Doctors sometimes don't believe "women". I don't know if they think we're whiners, babies, or what. Heart disease affects women differently than men. Our symptoms are different than in men.

Something I learned that I didn't know is that high blood pressure medicine is trialed on men and not women. This is why it takes time to regulate women on medication for high blood pressure. These medicines are "made for men" not women.

Living in a rural area and having high blood pressure and high cholesterol it really makes me think about "what if".
WHAT IF: I have a heart attack at school. If I go to the Atlantic Hospital are they going to Life-flight me to Omaha or Des Moines? If I have a heart attack at home and go to the Harlan Hospital, will I get there in time?

What I do know about living in a Rural Area is that we have dedicated men and women who train to be EMTs with our local fire departments. This is not a paid position, nor are they paid for their training. They do it out of the goodness of their hearts to help others in need. I appreciate that.

I would like to say when you go to the Doctor and don't feel like they "hear you" or "believe you" keep looking until you find someone who will. Take care of your heart by eating well, getting exercise, and balancing your life's needs so you can be a "healthy
woman". That's what I plan to do so I don't have to worry about the "What Ifs" anymore.
Control the things you can control like diet and exercise.

"Is the glass half full, or half empty? It depends on whether you're pouring, or drinking." Bill Cosby

Thanks Elizabeth for your very important message, I heard what you said.

Blessings,
Laurie