Tag: cholesterol

The Silent Killer Continued…..

Sonya Suttle

So, I am attaching an image from the American Heart Association that visualizes the major points that blood pressure effects. There’s hardly an internal organ that does not escape it’s effect somehow. Think of your blood pressure as a plumbing system that has to maintain pressure, which is exactly what it is!

Source: American Heart Association (AHA)

The one common denominator in all of the images above is that they all contain vessels, that transport blood back and forth to the heart. Some of those are arteries and are very tiny and very sensitive to pressure changes. The HEART eventually fails because the pressure is to great to keep up the pace. It can’t pump that hard all the time. High Blood pressure causes arteries to scar and become blocked causing a HEART ATTACK (think stretch marks, with plaque forming on them). The increased pressure eventually damages the arteries in the kidney, which is a constant filtering system, making it difficult for them to remove waste and help regulate your blood pressure (they do that too!!). Unfortunately for males, it makes for a really bad day for bedroom shenanigans (no further explanation needed). It also damages the arteries in the eyes, increasing vision loss. And finally, it can cause a vessel to burst in your head, or become clogged, causing a STROKE—a LIFE-CHANGING event. One of the greatest causes for admission to a nursing facility!

IT IS IMPORTANT to maintain your blood pressure! It should NEVER be shrugged off as not important because you don’t feel well, because you are damaging your insides, whether you feel it or not.

A hypertensive crisis occurs when you have a blood pressure over 180/120 and are symptomatic—headache, blurry vision, chest pain, chest pain, nausea/vomiting, numbness or weakness or other stroke-like symptoms. CALL 911–do NOT attempt to drive yourself to the hospital! Treatment can be initiated earlier with the EMS, you will not have to WAIT in the ER—yes wait, and you won’t have a heart attack on the way to the ER causing a wreck! TRUST ME!

Things to do to reduce your risk, CUT DOWN ON SALT, DRINK WATER-NO SODA, eat, veggies and lean meats, eat a DASH diet or Mediterranean diet. EXERCISE! Maintain your cholesterol. Check your blood pressure, visit your PCP for an annual physical with labs. See the link below for the CORRECT way to check your blood pressure…Now you are pressure wise! No pressure though..😂

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home

Sources: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/health-threats-from-high-blood-pressure

Watercolor, 2021

Female Chest Pain, not a broken heart!

Sonya Suttle

Most people identify chest pain with the crushing pressure or elephant setting on your chest. Did you know that heart disease is the NUMBER ONE killer in the US for women? I bet if you are a woman, you didn’t know that….1 in 5 deaths for women are related to heart disease. I get the feeling that a lot of you feel that heart disease is more of a man’s disease though, that’s why I’m trying to wisen you up today!

First, let’s talk about PREVENTABLE risk factors for heart disease—YES PREVENTABLE! Diabetes, overweight and obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy eating. Does any of those apply to you? We’ve already discussed activity and diet, and I suspect you all are are aware of the dangers of smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol. We still haven’t had a discussion regarding diabetes, but just being a diabetic increases you risk of heart disease and being a poorly controlled one increases it even more. Also, cholesterol—we talked about those numbers, what they mean and how to keep them down—get to work!

So female presentation of chest pain doesn’t always show up as typical crushing chest pain-the kind we often see in men. It is more sneaky and often easier to dismiss as something else. Heartburn, muscle pain, bad sleep, stress, etc. Women are notorious for putting things off, to keep up their roles as caretakers for the family. They may ignore symptoms they think are other things but that can be very serious. Nausea and vomiting, chest pain (not always), neck pain, jaw pain, pain in upper back, fatigue, indigestion, fainting, shortness of breath, or pain in the upper abdomen can be signs of a heart attack in women. They may only have ONE of these symptoms or they may have more than one.

IF YOU THINK YOU ARE HAVING A HEART ATTACK: CALL 911! Don’t wait! Seriously! Do not drive yourself. EMS personnel can provide life-saving treatment at your home, in your home, immediately! If you go to the ER, you will not get inside quickly, you may have to wait—Don’t wait! If you have aspirin laying around, CHEW one up and swallow it. This will help you to prevent clot formation during a heart attack.

Hopefully, this short post will bring to your attention some of the differences with women and chest pain. A lot of this is preventable. I’m going to post a couple of good graphics, the first is female heart disease deaths by county 2018-2020. The darker the color the worse is is-the southeast glows!!! The second is a visual of the chest pain differences between men and women from the American Heart Association. Be heart wise!!

Source: CDC
Source: American Heart Association, Go Red for Women

Sources: https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/signs-and-symptoms-in-women/symptoms-of-a-heart-attack. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/women.htm https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/aspirin-for-heart-attack-chew-or-swallow