Heart Health

February is Heart Health month. I always expected my husband to have heart problems. But nothing prepared me to hear a cardiologist tell me that I needed a pacemaker immediately. About six months before hearing this diagnosis I recognized something was different in my body. I felt as though I was on a constant adrenalin high. My conclusion was that I was suffering from anxiety and fear and the solution was to spend more time in Scripture and prayer and trying to root out my core sin issue. Months of spiritual exercise did not resolve my physical issues and I blamed myself for what felt like a constantly stressed mindset. One night I went to bed, heart pounding, and thought, "I don't remember what it feels like to be peaceful. I don't know how to get back to an emotionally stable mindset." I had been to my doctor who took me seriously but tests were inconclusive. Finally, a doctor who is a family friend warned my husband that my appearance indicated something was seriously wrong physically. He made arrangements for me to see another specialist.While we waited for tests and diagnosis, our doctor friend warned me to rest and to be careful, that something was wrong with my heart. I didn't believe him. But a halter monitor proved him right. Within hours I was diagnosed with third degree heart block and told I needed a pacemaker immediately. No one knows why this happened but the pacemaker gave me back my physical health as well as my peace of mind. The adrenalin high was gone. A year later I was diagnosed with other heart issues that required a pacemaker/defibrillator and heart meds (which all heart patients know can be worse than the condition they are are treating). I'm happy to say that my latest medical reports indicate that some of my issues have been resolved and my heart is not damaged and is in fact normal. God used aggressive doctors, meds, exercise, rest, family support and prayer to put me back on a level path. I tell women that my journey showcases the need for us to take charge of our own health, to be in tune with our bodies and to insist that doctors listen to us when we know that something isn't quite right. And we shouldn't automatically think the root cause is spiritual or emotional. The idea of women suffering from heart disease has taken on new meaning for me. Per an article on iVillage, in the U.S., heart disease kills one woman almost every minute. Roughly 430,000 women lose their lives to heart disease each year, a number that's higher than the annual deaths among women from all cancers combined, according to the American Heart Association.

For more on this disease and what you can do to help your heart, click here 18 Heart Health Tips on iVillage

Now go take a walk!

In His grip, Sharon