Author: Sherry Farney
This holiday season Angela Coon is celebrating the fact that she is still here for her family and on the road to better health after experiencing a recent heart attack at age 51.
It was in late September, and near the end of her workday, when Angela, a substitute teacher, was walking a student out to the bus that her first symptoms began.
“I started to feel pressure in my chest and a tingling feeling that went down my left arm,” said Angela. “I literally said to myself, ‘I’m having a heart attack,’ and then I said, ‘I can’t be having a heart attack.’ I have a history of acid reflux and thought it must be that, or maybe I had strained my back somehow. I finished my day at school, drove home, took some antacids, and laid down for about five minutes. The pain and tingling didn’t go away. I called my husband and told him I felt weird, and he headed home.”
Once her husband arrived, he took her to the McLaren Fenton ER. During the ride, Angela’s energy level continued to drain. It didn’t take long after their arrival for the two of them to hear the news that she was indeed having a heart attack. An ambulance was called, and while Fenton ER staff were prepping Angela to go to a McLaren Flint catheterization lab, they also explained what she should expect once she got there. She arrived at the Fenton ER at approximately 4:45 p.m. and was already recovering with a new stent in her heart at the hospital around 8 p.m.
According to the American Heart Association, many women think the signs of heart attack are obvious. That is often not the case at all. In addition, too many of us are not aware that heart disease is still the number one killer of women in the U.S. One in four women will die from it, while one in 30 will die of breast cancer.
No one was more shocked about the heart attack than Angela herself.
“I am a non-smoker, and I exercised several times a week, I did yoga, and I didn’t have high blood pressure or cholesterol,” said Angela. “From the time I received the stent, I felt better, but emotionally, this experience has been difficult to wrap my mind around. Currently, I’m in the outpatient cardiac rehab program at the hospital, and it’s helping me with that part of my experience.”
McLaren Flint’s Cardiac Rehab Program has five highly experienced exercise physiologists who work with patients recovering from heart attacks, and heart procedures, including surgeries. The outpatient program consists of 18 to 36 sessions of telemetry-monitored exercise classes and education classes on risk factors and heart disease, nutrition, and cardiac medications.
“Most patients tell us coming to the program makes them feel safe to begin their own exercise program and to return to their everyday activities like driving and doing chores around the house,” said Liz Birchmeier, one of the cardiac rehab staff. “For most of the patients we work with, the psychological aspect of recovery is the hardest part for them to overcome, which makes sense since, for some patients, this is their first time experiencing a major surgery or having a life-threatening event.“ We are here to get them through their recovery, both physically and mentally.”
It turns out a small tear in one of her arteries was causing Angela’s heart attack. With no other high-risk factors, it’s likely stress also played a role.
“My advice to other women is do not second guess yourself, if you feel something that isn’t normal, get it checked out,” said Angela. “Women need to invest more in self-care and stress management. Don’t second-guess yourself. As part of my recovery, I’m looking for another job. Do what you have to for your mental and physical health.”
If you are looking for a cardiologist, you can find one here.