What started out as mild chest pains ended in open heart surgery for Belvoir Hospital’s Kareece Larry.
Larry knew something wasn’t right in 1995, when she began experiencing shortness of breath while working out. She was just 40 years old, physically fit, and an active-duty Soldier at the time.
“I’m a nurse by trade, so when the pain began, I knew something was wrong with my heart. However, I had no risk factors or other warning signs,” said Larry, now in her 60s and Chief of Discharge Planning for the hospital. “I wasn’t overweight, I exercised regularly and ate healthy. Neither of my parents suffers from heart disease, nor do my two siblings. The entire initial experience was unexpected.”
Upon being examined and undergoing a variety of tests, Larry’s doctors determined she had nearly full blockage in two heart vessels. In the proceeding seven months, Larry underwent three cardiac catherizations, one angioplasty and two stent placements, as well as two double bypass open heart surgeries.
“I didn’t know I was at risk until it was too late, and now I do my best to educate other women to truly listen to their bodies and educate providers to really listen to their patients when it comes to heart health. Early detection and intervention can save lives,” said Larry. “I also urge women to be persistent and follow-up on any factor that may put them at a greater risk for heart disease.”
Lia Anderson is a Public Health Clinical Nurse Specialist at Belvoir Hospital and works to educate women on the importance of heart health, as well as the warning signs of cardiovascular stress. She says heart attacks and heart disease are more commonly associated with men, but statistically, “Women die from heart disease more than men.”
Nationally, one out of three women will die from a heart attack or heart disease, compared to one in four men, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite increases in heart disease awareness over the past decade, in the CDC’s most recent reporting year, 2013, it says the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. is heart disease, yet only 54 percent of women are aware that heart disease is their No. 1 killer.
Common risk factors for heart disease e.g. high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity affect both men and women. Other factors that play a role unique to women and a potential for developing heart disease are menopause due to the loss of heart protecting estrogen and complications of pregnancy. The risk is greater for women than men in diabetics.
“Many women are still functional in early and later stages of a heart attack. There’s less suspicion of a heart attack because women can remain very active during the onset of heart attack and heart disease,” said Anderson. Women often wait longer than men to seek help when having a heart attack and health care providers can be slower to recognize the presence of heart attacks in women because the “typical” patterns of chest pain and EKG changes seen in men are less frequently present, she added.
“While men generally have crushing interior chest pain, women’s chest pain can be vague. The pain may feel like a squeezing or fullness anywhere in the chest, rather than the classic left side and radiating down the arm. Pain can come and go and be felt in other areas such as the neck, back, and jaw. Women may experience flu-like symptoms, nausea, fatigue, body aches, mild shortness of breath—a general sense of just not feeling well,” said Anderson.
It’s those symptoms, according to Anderson, that send women to urgent care clinics or their primary physician, not to the emergency room or to see a cardiac specialist.
“Physiologically our arteries smaller in diameter, but they’re also reactive, meaning they spasm more,” said Anderson. “We respond to life events and stress differently than men. A combination of these things plays a role when it comes to diagnosing and responding to heart attacks and heart disease.”
Protecting yourself from heart attacks and heart disease doesn’t have to be complicated, said Anderson. Simple preventive measures include a healthy diet, managing cholesterol and blood pressure levels, exercise, and smoking cessation make a big difference. The American Heart Association also recommends women who drink alcohol should limit their intake to an average of just one drink per day. Finding healthy outlets to manage stress also can reduce the risk of heart disease.
“Heart attacks are life-changing events. A patient learns that drastic changes in lifestyle must be made,” Anderson said. “The good news for women is that their hearts respond better than men’s to healthy lifestyle changes. Prevent heart disease before it becomes a lifelong condition. If you abuse your body and don’t take care of your health, your life will be shortened. That’s reality.”
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2017 09:30 |
| Story ID: | 223950 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 536 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Women, Don’t Suffer in Silence: Know the Signs of Heart Disease and Attack, by Alexandra Snyder, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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