Signs of a Weakening Heart
Twenty years ago, during a visit to my parents’ home in North Carolina, I sat beside my father watching a televised football game. While he was enjoying the game, I was distracted, struggling internally with my frustration over his lack of self-healthcare.
You see, four years earlier my dad’s lifestyle of smoking, overeating, and under-exercising had led him to suffer a massive heart attack. Subsequently he was prescribed several medications—which I was pretty certain he was no longer taking, at least not regularly.
Noting that his breathing was labored, his stomach distended, and his ankles swollen (the left one more so than the right), I finally couldn’t contain my frustration any longer. “Dad”, I said with an edge in my voice, “you have congestive heart failure! When will you begin to take care of yourself?” I believe his answer to me was, “Leave me alone, Lisa.”
And so I did. He died within the year.
So if you will allow me to “bother you” with some details, I believe this week’s tip may tip the scales in favor of a longer, more productive life for you or your loved one.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) affects millions of middle aged and elderly persons each year. Its symptoms can come on quite abruptly, say after suffering a heart attack, or they can develop over time as arteries and the heart’s muscular wall begin to harden and/or weaken, or from another heart weakening condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
The earliest signs, shortness of breath and fatigue, are often missed or misdiagnosed for years because of the age category you are in. But no one should feel out of breath after having made the bed or having climbed a flight of stairs (unless you are severely overweight).
If you’ve noticed any one of the above, bold-scripted signs, and especially if you’ve observed more than one, then please schedule a visit with a cardiologist—and then DO WHAT THEY ADVISE! Your very life may be hanging in the balance. And I believe that life is far too precious for me to just “leave you alone”.