First call 911, Then Me!

Carol's Corner

By Carol Fiedler, Parish Nurse

I saw the following article in "Prevention Magazine" and thought it would be worthwhile to pass on to you. As I was reading this, the mail-man was telling Karen about one of the people on his route, who had fallen and hit her head. She had a Lifeline with her that she could have pushed for help, but knew the mailman would be by at about 2:00 and waited on the porch for him to help her. Thank goodness she had a good outcome and the delay didn't cost her her life.

"Message to Mom:
Call 911, Then Me!"

A shocking 64% of people say they would call a loved one before 911 if they had crushing chest pains – the classic sign of a heart attack, notes the British Heart Foundation. 'A delay of just one hour in getting to the emer-gency room could allow more than 39% of your heart muscle to die,' says Richard A. Stein, MD, director of preventive cardiology at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. 'The sooner you get there, the better your changes for survival.' Tell your parents to call 911 immediately if they experience chest or unusual shoulder pain or shortness of breath. Even milder symptoms, such as fatigue or slight pressure in the chest, probably deserve a call. 'For many women, warning signs aren't very dramatic,' Stein says.

March: DVT Awareness Month

March is DVT Awareness Month. Deep vein thrombosis is a condition in which a blood clot forms inside a deep vein, commonly located in the calf or thigh. DVT occurs when the blood clot either partially blocks or completely blocks the flow of blood in the vein. This is what Vice President Cheney is dealing with now.

Symptoms of DVT may include pain, tenderness, swelling or discoloration of the affected area, and skin that is warm to touch. A major risk associated with DVT is the development of pulmonary embolism (PE). PE occurs when a blood clot breaks loose from the wall of a vein and travels to the lungs, blocking the pulmonary artery or one of its branches. Patients with pulmonary embolism may experience short-ness of breath, an apprehensive feeling, chest pain, rapid pulse, sweating, or a bloody cough. If you believe you may be experiencing DVT symptoms, talk to your doctor immediately.

Please check the kiosk for a sheet on DVT, and if you are planning a long airplane flight, I have a sheet of exercises that you can do to prevent DVT.

Women's Heart Health Awareness Month

Carol’s Corner
February is Women’s Heart Health Awareness Month. Women are more likely to have atypical symptoms of a heart attack, such as nausea; vomiting; pain in upper back, neck or jaw; indigestion; or being extremely fatigued.

What lifestyle changes can you make for a healthy heart?
1. Quit smoking.
2. Stay physically active (a minimum of 30 minutes a day) can be broken into 10 minute segments – do this most days of the week.
3. Limit alcohol intake.
4. Maintain a healthy weight.
5. Eat a heart-healthy diet.
6. Know your numbers.
Blood pressure should be
120/80 or below.
LDL “bad” cholesterol should
be under 100 mg/dL.
HDL “good cholesterol”
should be above 50 mg/dL.
Total cholesterol should be
under 200.
Waist measurement ideally should be 32 ½ inches or less for women, and 35 inches or less for men. 7. Aim for 10,000 steps every day. (I thought I walked a lot, but found that I have to do an intentional 30-40 minutes every day to attain that goal.) Get a pedometer and see how you fare stepwise on a daily basis. Challenge yourself to increase your steps each day. Get someone to walk with you – it makes it much more fun, and you can keep each other on track.