GONE RED

Go Red for Women special section in Minnesota Monthly. August 2012.

Last February was my first heart month and it surprised me by being a big deal. One of the things I did, quietly, was go to the Go Red for Women Casting Call at the Mall of America. Each year several women are chosen as Go Red spokeswomen, and I knew that if I didn't at least try, I'd be mad at myself. But I didn't tell anyone about it, except Scott and even him not til the day before.

I went alone and got in line with my form and clipboard. There was a Go Red media backdrop, a chair, lots of lights, a camera, and an interviewer. She was very nice and clearly a professional. She knew how to get me to talk comfortably (public speaking is not a problem for me; cameras, that's another story). By the end I was crying and so was she. It was over quickly and I was happy with what I said. I looked around a little at the other Go Red events, and went home.

I guess some others liked what I had to say because I was selected as the winner for Minnesota, and so now you can see yours truly in Minnesota Monthly this August and on bus shelters (!) and billboards (!!) next February.

The photo shoot for the magazine was fun. There were four of us -- Angie, Andrea, Jennifer, and me -- and we posed for approximately 600 snaps of the shutter, maybe more, in a really cool commercial studio. We had photos together and individual "red dress" iconic shots. During the downtime we talked about heart disease and why we were there.

It was really humbling and inspiring to hear their stories. My age or younger, the other survivors are just as surprising heart disease "victims" as I am. And they are just as committed to sharing what they've learned, raising money and awareness, and living life to the fullest.

I hadn't expected to enjoy the experience so much and now I want to do more. The Casting Call will open up new opportunities for me to learn and grow and spread the word.

Even if I do have to look at my head 14 feet tall.

PAY ATTENTION NOW

I think the most important message I can send is that heart disease can happen to anyone. It is not a disease of old age; it is not a men's disease; you can be healthy and active and still be affected. So naturally I want to share this American Heart Association infographic on myths vs. realities.

Pay attention to your body and your risk factors. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women, more than all forms of cancer combined. Pay attention, and spread the word.

Click image to enlarge.

HEALTH RISK

So it's finally happened to me. My health insurance company has refused.

I've always considered myself and my family blessed to have good insurance. We've had our share of medical emergencies and long-term issues and with a little hard work and a lot of time on hold, we've gotten good coverage through the years.

So this is my first outright rejection. They don't want to pay for Crestor anymore, because my cholesterol no longer needs to be reduced more than 40 percent. So precisely because it worked -- dropping my LDL from 180 to 58 -- I no longer need it. Sure, that makes perfect sense.

They'll reconsider if I "try and fail" the generic brands, so lucky me, I get to start testing new medications and dealing with new reactions, interactions, and side effects. I'm especially looking forward to the muscle pain I hear comes with Lipitor; despite the mega-dose of Crestor I was on, I had managed to escape that. Muscle pain + marathon training = good times.

And then there's the anxiety of new drugs. I don't especially love that I'm on 14 pills a day, but at least I'm used to them all and I know what they do to me. Spending the next year trying and failing sounds like a new roller coaster ride of emotions and stress.

The most frustrating thing about this is that it seems that insurance would rather pay for another heart attack than keep refilling Crestor for the next 50 years (I'm optimistic, even when mad). They must have fed my data into their algorithms and concluded I was a low risk and therefore worth the extra cash in hand today. They feel comfortable with the risk; too bad I don't.

I know that this is a minor setback and that for millions of others, denied coverage is a much, much bigger issue -- one of life and death, not of anxiety and inconvenience. It happens. To many.

It shouldn't.