GRAND Magazine - Summer 2022 - 13

ask dr. gramma karen
1. Prior to going to the hospital, did
you have any indications that something
wasn't right?
" Yes, but I chalked things being off as
being age-related, now that I'm 71. I was feeling
more tired than usual, my swimming was
sluggish, and I had to stop more often and
rest. I just thought I was not working hard
enough, that I was getting lazy, and that I
needed to work harder.
" Also, a few days before my heart attack,
I had been a volunteer handing out food
and water to the rescuers at the site where a
condo collapsed in Surfside, Miami. It was
hot and emotionally draining, so I assumed
this added to my feeling crappy. "
As research points out, and was the case
with Anita, " ... women are having the symptoms
weeks before the heart attack starts,
and [healthcare workers] need to find and
urge them to get medical care to prevent
them from going to the emergency department
when it is too late. "
Of related importance, although 70% of
women have the same symptoms as men,
that is, chest pressure or chest tightness, 30%
of women have atypical symptoms: extreme
fatigue; shortness of breath; an inability to do
what one was able to do before. Again, these
findings apply to Anita.
For a comprehensive understanding of
heart attacks, I highly recommend " Heart
Attack (Myocardial Infarction). "
2. What was going on that you
decided to get yourself to the emergency
department?
13 GRAND Summer 2022
" That entire day
I had no appetite,
and I attributed
this to being
excited that my
son was arriving
soon from Tokyo,
where he lives.
Then around 2
a.m., I started
vomiting; by 2:30
a.m., I knew I was
in serious trouble.
I am happy
with less of
everything. "
As Anita's
experience
illustrates,
Anita
" Because an emergency department was
only a few minutes away, I decided to drive
myself there. I know, I know, I have been
told that calling 911 was the recommended
option .... Anyway, when I got to the ED, I got
the shocking news that I was having a heart
attack. They immediately brought me to the
cardiac catheterization lab and placed a stent
in a blocked artery. In the next few days, they
unblocked two more arteries with stents. "
To read the details of Anita's heart attack
and recovery: " Diving Back Into Health, "
published by Broward Healthy Now.
3. As a result of your heart attack, what
changes are you making, or did you make
in your life?
" I don't push myself through situations
that are too much for me anymore - for
example, I no longer go to late dinners, be in
big crowds, go on trips that I don't want to
go on, drive alone to faraway places, do too
many people-pleasing things. Turns out that
committing to
and practicing
healthful habits
do not guarantee
an absence
of medical challenges,
but they
do offer a chance of minimizing deleterious
outcomes.
A final comment from Anita
" Right after my heart attack and even now
and then, I question all my healthy habits.
What good did they do? I still had a serious
heart attack! However, as four different cardiologists
have reminded me, I had several lifethreatening
artery blockages. They say it was
my swimming and exercise that saved me.
" So, regaining as much of that fitness as
possible has been very motivating for me. It
is great to be back with my swim team. I may
never be as fast as I once was, but I'm back! "
Karen L. Rancourt, Ph.D., writes an advice
column, " Ask Dr. Gramma Karen, " hosted
by GRAND Magazine. Her latest book is
" It's All About Relationships: New Ways
to Make Them Healthy and Fulfilling, at
Home and at Work. "
Look Inside
" This book...set me
straight. I wasn't sure
where my boundaries
were as a grandma... "
A Must--‐Read for
Grandparents
A Must Read for
Everyone!
This book takes the
uncertainty and thorniness
out of relationships.
No more being confused,
or unsure about what to
do, often doing something
that makes a relationship
even worse!
" Karen identifies the
cause and effect of
family issues in plain
and simple language. "
--‐ Amazon.com Reviewers
Show me the book!

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GRAND Magazine - Summer 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Summer 2022