Friday, April 25, 2008

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS

A NURSES HEART ATTACK EXPERIENCE

I am an ER nurse, (day in and day out!) and this is the
best description of this event that I have ever heard.
Please read, pay attention, and send it on!
Diane K. in AZ

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS

I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best
description I've ever read. Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction)
Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have
when experiencing heart attack...you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the
chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we
see in the movies.

Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.

'I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10 :30 PM with NO prior
exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've brought
it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring
cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and
actually thinking,'A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft,
cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been
in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of
water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball
going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You
realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more
thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down
to the stomach. This was my initial sensation---the only trouble was that I
hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little
squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was
probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing up and
under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when
administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and
branched out into both jaws.


'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening--we all have read
and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI
happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, 'Dear God, I
think I'm having a heart attack !' I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat
from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought
to myself 'If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next
room where the phone is or anywhere else.......but, on the other hand, if I
don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may
not be able to get up in moment.'

'I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next
room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart
attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my
jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said
she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was
near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor
where they could see me when they came in.

'I then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I
don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a
gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to
St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw
that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap,
helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending
over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any
medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or
form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist
and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral
artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side
stents to hold open my right coronary artery.

'I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken
at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took
perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the
fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my
Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on
restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the
procedure) and installing the stents.

'Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want
all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.'

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not the
usual men's symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum
and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of
their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one and
commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn
preparation and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when
they wake up....which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms
might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING
is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have
a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER--you're a hazard to others on the
road and so is your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking
anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road.Do NOT call your
doctor--he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach
him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will
tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car
that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you
need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal
cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated
reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or
accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term
stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly
hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can
wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we
know, the better chance we could survive. A cardiologist says if everyone
who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save
at least one life.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Gratitude

A thank you and gratitude go to God and all who help me get through a day. I suppose I should make this more a blog and gratitude journal instead of just a repository of stuff I want to reference at some point. Ok. I'll try here. Some of the things on my mind include the Bella Voce singers at http://www.bellavocesingers.com/ with several concerts coming up. Well, here we go with a listing of things I want to reference -

Sat. 17 May New Ulrect Concert Series
Sunday 28 May St. Saviour's Church
Fri 30 May Women and AGirls Choir Festival
Sunday 1 June 7:30 Good Shepherd Church

I'm also thinking alot about environment-related issues. A Keller-Williams group (Stewart team) has a sign up on the property south of Hawthorne and a presentation was made by a city hall about a possible plan, similar to previous plans to put in a street. I'm looking forward to the walk in the HH park.

I'm also thinking a lot about a good way to handle the eco-friendly invitations for the fund-raiser for the Friends of Euclid Creek. Alphagraphics and the Repro Center were mentioned. Automated Graphics was also mentioned at http://www.ags.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=static&path=/capabilities/capabilities.html

We saw Patton. George Scott has the lead role with Karl Malden as General Omar Bradley. The acting is wonderful, so believable that this is how things happened and how people acted during those times. Bradley was advisor to the move. Cuppola directs. Cinematography is also wonderful. The scene with the huge flag opens the movie. That of course is unforgettable. I do wonder if Patton with his thoughts of reincarnation could have been considered truly crazy. A lot of what he said in the movie made sense to me. :-) On a totally unrelated item and something that should not be part of this paragraph, we have been walking with Leslie, with yoga at the end, all on the same DVD.

Mrs. Vidmar is in my thoughts. She recently lost her brother. Her husband is ailing. My thought and prayers are so much with her. She is a very nice neighbor and so wonderful throughout the years to my mother and all of us.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Pond


Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Animal home up close

Animal home

Animal head

Creek photo

Pink stuff 13Sep

May 31 - Pink Carpet Movie Premier* A VIP Reception at the Hard Rock Cafe and movie premier of Sex and the City Movie. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.citywideevents.info

June 7 - National Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Washington DC The largest 5K (3.1 mile) Race in the country held annually in Washington D.C. to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research and education programs.

June 8 at 6 pm- Cruise for the CureTM A dinner cruise event on Lake Erie, planned and hosted by WQAL and WDOK to benefit Komen Northeast Ohio. For more information, visit www.wqal.com.

June 16 at 6 pm - Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure® meeting Interested in helping plan the 15th annual Race for the Cure? RSVP to kohare@komenneohio.org< em>.

August 22 - 24 - Cleveland Breast Cancer 3 Day * A 3 day and 60 mile walk around Cleveland to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Fund. For more information visit www.The3Day.org or call 1-800-996-3DAY.

September 13 - 15th Annual Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure® Online registration will open in June. If you are interested in taking a leadership role on the organizing committee, please email kohare@komenneohio.org.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Best nature walk ever

Barb Holtz, naturalist and member of the Friends of Euclid Creek, provided on April 13 a pre-review of the guided tour that is to take place on April 20. The April 20 walk is to be an interpretive narration through a part of the Highland Heights community park. The pre-review was wonderful.

I saw some of the park that I had not seen before and learned a lot. I had not seen the three creeks that are in the area. These creeks are headwaters of Euclid Creek, which flows into Lake Erie at Wildwood State Park.

We looked at characteristics of the area that make it a wetland. Barb explained that wetlands, among other things, provide a water purification, area for water to go (this water might otherwise go, for example, into someone's back yard), and a chance for the land and ecosystem to regrow/regenerate as nature intends. Some of the items we noticed on the walk -

1. Native wildflowers, spikes, and other vegetation show that the area is alive and healthy and functioning wetlands.

2. Animals are making homes throughout the area as shown by various items we noticed such as foxhole-type structures, nests, a skull (about two inches across, probably from a raccoon), signs of woodpeckers, birdsong, and deer droppings.

3. Three creeks and at least one pond make for a very beautiful and interesting walk.

20 Apr 2pm Walk

Sunday, 20 April, 2pm Highland Heights Park Walk
Meet at the second picnic shelter, by the pool

Barb Holtz, naturalist and member of the Friends of Euclid Creek, will provide a guided tour with interpretive narration through a part of the community park.

She will help us explore the Dusty Goldenrod Meadow nature reserve, located on the Mayfield School Board property on the north side of the park.

Everyone is welcome. Call Frank Skala at 440-473-3484 for information.

Did you ever wonder what lies behind the parking lots and playing fields? Experience the wonders of the Highland Heights Community Park on Sunday April 20th, at 2 pm. We invite you to join us for a guided tour into the "wilds". Barb Holtz, naturalist and member of Friends of Euclid Creek, will provide a guided tour with interpretive narration through a part of the Community Park few of us have seen or experienced.

Did you know that three creeks meander through this area? They are headwaters of Euclid Creek, which flows into Lake Erie at Wildwood State Park . Barb will also help us explore the Dusty Goldenrod Meadow nature reserve, which is located on the Mayfield School Board property on the north side of the park.

Interested? Be sure to wear boots. They don't call them "wetlands" for no reason. We will meet at the second picnic shelter (by the pool) at 2:00 on April 20th. The walk will take between one and two hours. Everyone is welcome.

Sponsored by the Friends of Euclid Creek (www.FriendsOfEuclidCreek.org) and LOGS (Love Our Green Space), a Highland Heights citizens group. For more information, please call Frank Skala at 440-473-3484.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

STC Meeting April

April Meeting Covers Consulting Rates
By Jeanette Evans

Our April meeting--The Meter is Running: Setting Consulting Rates for Independence--was presented by Chris Juillet, a technical writer, consultant, and attorney based in southeastern Michigan.

An STC Fellow, Chris has served STC in a wide variety of roles, including Assistant to the President for Special Interest Groups, founding manager of the Consulting and Independent Contracting Special Interest Group, and President of the Southeastern Michigan community. www.cjplc.com shows his impressive background including a summary of the articles he has published in STC and other publications.

Held at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South (in Independence), our April 15 meeting covered issues concerning the setting of consulting rates, how much to charge, and why. Chris noted at the meeting that there are many ways to establish a consulting rate and many of these neglect basic business principles. Christopher showed why those rate schemes often yield rates that are not appropriate and how to establish a consulting rate you and your clients can live with.

Some of the articles and other topics Chris has tackled in the past include:

- International issues in copyright
- Protecting your website from legal land mines
- Errors and omissions insurance: assuming the risk of professional liability
- Cyberlaw and you: what new media communicators must know
- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Our community was lucky to have Chris present, after several years of trying, and hear his take on the often challenging task of setting consulting rates.

Recycled countertops

http://www.enviroglasproducts.com/slab.asp
http://www.vetrazzo.com/where.html
http://www.euro-stone-ohio.com/

These are sites for recycled glass countertops and Euro-stone.

What is EnviroSLAB™? This is supposed to be a unique, environmentally friendly countertop that is as beautiful as it is easy to maintain. Suitable for kitchen, bathroom, or any other countertop or table application, a standard 27" x 84" x 1" (nominal) size countertop, EnviroSLAB brings exquisite 100% recycled glass and porcelain terrazzo into an affordable price range for anyone remodeling or constructing decorative surfaces and countertops.

Vetrazzo... the original recycled glass surface - For a decade now, Vetrazzo® has created dazzling surfaces in places where people live, work and play all across the country. This is something called repurposed glass.

The acpideas.com for backsplash tiles.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Gratitude, yachts, etc.

I have been remiss in keeping up with my gratitude thoughts and blogging as a substitute for a gratitude journal. I am still trying to be grateful for the wonderful things in my life.

1. Gratitude to God and all who help me get through a day
2. Gratitude to all who try to overcome problems; that includes cancer and the dinner for a cure at the yacht club. Maybe next year Rick and I will volunteer and help serve. Should I serve the food or the drinks?

http://www.clycohio.com/

35111 Halsey Drive , Eastlake, Ohio 44095
Telephone (440) 942-0299 - Fax (440) 942-1531

swnik@sbcglobal.net

Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club

Doors open at 5:30 PM

@ Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club
35111 Lagoons Drive
Eastlake, Ohio 44095

Bishop N to I90 W to OH-2E Exit 185 to Painesville
OH-91 SOM exit toward Eastlake 2 miles
R o 283 (Lake Shore Boulevard) 0.3 miles
L on Erie 0.9 miles
R on Halsey

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Gratitude again

1. Thank you to God and all who help me get through a day
2. Thank you to friends. They multiply the happy times and divide the sad.

Maybe this is obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Happy times, hmm, those would be things like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations. Sad times would be times of sickness and death.

On to other matters, Rick and I watched Syrianna this weekend. So this is my two cents. The movie was much better than I expected, especially the end. Matt Damon and George Clooney (with a beard) star. Roughly, I would say the movie is about U.S. relations with oil-rich countries of the the Middle East with Iran and Kazakhstan mentioned. The various threads of the story - and there are lots of threads - are made-up but believable enough. The cinematography is beautiful and acting excellent.

The various threads made me say at one point - boy, this looks just like a movie except it jumps all over the place and doesn't really tell a story. I'm sure that was part of the point, as the threads show relationships that are complex. Matt Damon plays the part of an energy analyst who becomes very influential in the Saudi family and brings his own family overseas. George Clooney works for the CIA and gets very challenging assignments throughout the Middle East, in part because he is fluent in Arabic. I must say both actors were very convincing. Clooney in a beard is really like a whole different person from the Ocean's 11-type Clooney. Matt Damon in addition to being a very serious business person shows great affection for his family that includes wife and two small sons.

Some of the threads in the story include what it is like to work for a US company dealing with the Middle East - including Texas-based companies and big mergers, what it is like to work for the CIA, what Saudi royal family politics is like including the rich Saudi life style, what US-Middle East relations are like for the CIA, what it is like to be a Muslim terrorist ready to give up your life, and what can torture be like for a CIA agent working in an area, in this case an area controlled by Hezbollah, that is not friendly to the US. Actually, now that I think of it, the jumping around of stories was effective in that so much ground was covered. I give this a thumbs up. You will not regret seeing it.

This weekend we also went to the garden club rummage sale.