There are many risk factors for a heart attack that one cannot control, none of which apply to me:
- Age 55 and above for women — so no.
- Being male. Obviously I am not, but a majority of my cardiac rehab group is.
- Heredity, but I don’t have this on either side of my family. I still have three out of four of my grandparents and none of them has heart issues.
- Race can also be a factor, but since I am not someone of color, that does not apply to me.
There are also major heart attack risk factors that one can control:
- Smoking — I smoked very irregularly for years but quit many years ago.
- High blood cholesterol — Mine is in normal range.
- High blood pressure — I don’t have that, either.
- Physical inactivity — I had recently increased my activity after foot surgery and had even lost 25 pounds.
- Diabetes — Good on that front.
- Diet — Losing weight led to a change in my diet, but it was not significant and I have always tried to watch what I am eating.
- Alcohol – I hardly ever drink.
- Overweight – Well, there is one that I have.
- Stress — This is the second one I have. I do have stress with my job and money and just life in general.
So where does that leave me? I have two risk factors. Did these contribute to my heart attack? Yes and no.
My heart attack story is not really typical. It started late on a Saturday night while I was lying in bed with my husband watching the end of Saturday Night Live. At least, I thought that was where it started. Looking back, there were signs I ignored.* But on that Saturday night, I suddenly felt like I was kicked in the chest. The pain was incredible. It radiated from my chest, up my jaw, down to my hips and all the way to my fingertips. My arms and fingers hurt so much that I began to think there might be an issue.
Pain? What Pain?
As a woman, though, we tend to not take our own health as seriously as we do that of our family’s health. We can take a lot of pain. I really thought I was just having a bad panic attack. It lasted about 10-20 minutes. I was also vomiting and sweating profusely. I felt like I was on fire. I took one of my anxiety medications and prayed for the pain to stop. It did. My husband was very concerned. I reassured him and told him that I just wanted to go to bed.
Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, it started again. My husband informed me that I was going to the emergency room (I had no choice in the matter) and alerted our teenager we were leaving. The second one also ended, but I had another one all the way to the ER.
They quickly took me to a room and hooked me up to monitors. They drew my blood for labs. It felt a little like when you go to the doctor with your children: They act like they are dying at home, but when you take them to the doctor, they act perfectly fine. That was me … nothing was happening. All seven of my EKGs were fine and I was fine. Yes, women can have normal EKGs while having a heart attack.
I was shuttled off for observation. Still nothing, but again more labs showed that l had high cardiac enzymes, which signals a cardiac event of some kind. The cardiologist did not like those lab numbers and decided that I would have an angiogram on Monday. By this time, it was early Sunday and I still just thought it was a panic attack.
And it Happens Again!
I had to use the restroom before I moved to the cardiac unit. As I was coming out of the bathroom, it happened again. My nurse rushed to me and started calling for nitroglycerin (foul stuff that gave me a massive headache). Having another one was horrible, but at the same time I was kind of glad someone saw it. Once I was in the cardiac unit, I had one more before the following day’s angiogram.
The angiogram was surreal. That is probably mostly because I was higher than a kite on Ativan. They could not put me all the way out because they needed to talk to me. I got to watch the whole thing on my own monitors. It looked like lightning in my heart every time they sent the dye through. I listened to what they were saying. They were having difficulties finding anything. My cardiologist and his resident seemed frustrated, which was later confirmed in my follow up appointment.
Finally, after five tries, they found something. “That’s the widowmaker,” I heard the resident say. My artery was narrowed by about 50 percent. The rest of my arteries are clear and I do not have any blockages. None. The cardiologist told me that they can’t figure it out. He thinks it was either something I was born with or from some sort of trauma, like from one of the car accidents I’ve been in. There really is no definitive reason. Getting healthier and exercising more also could have been a trigger. Ironic right?
My life has changed. I had to have a stent. I am weak and have weeks of cardiac rehab ahead of me. I can only have a special MRI from now on and carry around a card with my stent information. The medical bills keep coming. I now have a new concern for my daughters if this has a genetic component that started with me.
Weight Was Not a Factor in My Heart Attack
But let me tell you, the worst part is explaining that my weight really had nothing to do with this. Everyone assumes that this was weight-related. They assume they can judge me by my size, and that the cause was one of the few heart attack risk factors that I had. It is frustrating and embarrassing! I shouldn’t have to explain this at all.
I am so tired of explaining it. It is hard. I want people to know that my weight wasn’t it. I am actually pretty healthy. My cardiologist doesn’t even want to see me for a year since my arteries look great. I am overweight, but my extra weight is not why my heart tried to kill me. I do want to be healthier; and yes, I do want to lose weight, but my thyroid has not worked for years so it is challenging. People should not assume anything about me, but they do. I am done explaining myself.
* Earlier signs she had ignored: “When working out before the heart attack, I could almost feel my heart. I could feel my heart beating in my chest. It would make me light-headed and a little bit dizzy. My body would feel tingly.”
About the Author: Jenni Wickert is the Curvicality board president. She’s been married to her best friend, Chris, for 20 years. She’s the mother of two girls: 19-year-old Sam and 8-year-old Norah. She’s also an industrial purchasing specialist, an avid lover of books and is a past president of her local Jaycees.
Have you had an illness or condition that everyone assumed was related to your weight? But it wasn’t. What did you do about it? How did you deal with people’s assumptions and comments?
