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.

MYTH BUSTING

My new Road ID for running. In case I'm miles from home, alone,
it would be good for EMTs to know I've had a heart attack.

This post is inspired by a helpful American Heart Association article "Top 10 Myths About Cardiovascular Disease," which warns of the dangers of making false assumptions about your risk for heart disease.

I'm not the only one who made false assumptions about my heart; it took ER doctors and even cardiologists hours to believe I was really having a heart attack. But now I know the real truth and I want you to do the same.

Here are some of the myths the article describes and my own take on busting them. Read up, take your heart seriously, and pass it on.

I'm too young for heart disease.
Ha. I think we know how false this one is. I was 37 when I had my heart attack, and over the course of my eight weeks in rehab I saw at least two survivors much younger than me. In fact, 62% of people living with heart disease are under age 65.

I'll know I'm having a heart attack because I'll have chest pain.
Again, ha. No chest pain whatsoever. Sharp, stabbing back pain, yes. Arms, hands, and even palms aching to the point of tears, yes. Cold sweat, yes. Chest pain, not a bit. Especially for women, the symptoms of a heart attack can be as subtle as nausea. If something doesn't feel right, get checked. Don't assume it's heartburn, headache, muscle strain, or any of the zillions of excuses women make for their symptoms.

Genetics are destiny. Since heart disease runs in my family, there's nothing I can do about it anyway.
I fell victim to this one a little bit. I knew I had high cholesterol but so did most people in my family and they hadn't had heart attacks. I was off-and-on medication but it didn't really improve that much. I was off-and-on my low-fat diet, figuring all the exercise I was getting balanced that out.

Well, it didn't. With family history of high cholesterol my only risk factor, I had a heart attack anyway.

But here's the thing. After my heart attack, aggressive medication, diet management, rehab, and continuous exercise have brought my cholesterol way down, from a "bad" level of 180 to 58, and total from 230 to 106.

There is something you can do about it. So do it.

I don't need to start worrying about heart health until middle age.
Again, do I need to remind you that I was 37? (I guess that might be middle age - yikes!) Maybe it is, but if I'd been paying attention before that (I knew about my cholesterol levels in my early 20s), I might have avoided my trips to the cath lab and cardiac rehab.

The American Heart Association recommends you start getting your cholesterol checked at age 20 and to start even earlier if your family has a history of heart disease. Children with a family history can have high cholesterol levels, putting them at increased risk for developing heart disease as adults. My brother tested in the 300s when he was 13; I had my older son checked at age 10. So far, so good.

I should avoid exercise after having a heart attack.
Really? Someone actually thinks this? It might be hard. It might be scary. But if you want to live, get out there. I loved cardiac rehab and I recommend a formal, supervised re-entry into exercise. I felt so much safer, stronger, and more confident, and the structure it provided kept me accountable. Make sure your doctor approves and then get moving. I'm running a marathon this fall, but really, I'm running for my life.

The American Heart Association recommends at least two and a half hours of moderate intensity physical activity each week. There are 168 hours in a week; can you spare 22 minutes a day?

These are just half of the top 10 myths. Check out the AHA article for more!

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

I really love this series of videos by the American Heart Association. They are designed to teach and encourage "hands-only CPR" and raise awareness about the importance of treating heart attack victims as fast as possible.

Thank you to comedians Ken Jeong and Jennifer Coolidge for lending their talent and visibility to heart disease!

Enjoy!

MY FIRST HEART MONTH

I was surprised at how much American Heart Month meant to me. Maybe because having a disease is, at its core, a very lonely thing. No matter how much others care, no one really knows what it feels like -- or how it makes you feel -- to just be.

So I set out to connect as much as possible. To not be lonely, or sad, or scared, or depressed. But to be active, engaged, positive, and happy instead. It worked, and I was.

I shared my story a few places, like guest blogging for friends and colleagues, writing an article for the Minnesota Women's Press, and speaking at the United Hospital Foundation's annual "Celebrating the Hearts of Women" event. I went to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Casting Call (an on-camera interview that they use to choose annual spokeswomen; I will find out if I made the cut in May) and my yoga instructor and I set up a Go Red class session where I shared my story and information on women and heart disease. Today, on the last day of the month, I volunteered with the AHA-Minnesota at Whole Foods, which is donating 5 percent of that day's sales to the fight against heart disease.

This blog featured guest posts by my friend/best-running-coach-ever Breanne about how to get moving, and my husband shared his story. I'm thinking of turning over my blog to him; his post has the second-highest views of all time! 

Last weekend, I had a red wine-themed party and celebrated life, fun, and wine (though some also celebrated beer). But my favorite part of the month was receiving all the photos of friends and family and readers wearing red on February 3; never have I felt less lonely while being all alone. 

So, yeah, Heart Month is a big deal to me. Thank you for all you did to make it great!

YOGA POWER

I heart yoga.

I started about 18 months ago, shortly after leaving my full-time job. It had been on my I-really-should-but-don't-have-time list for years, and I finally screwed up my courage and took a beginner's class at a studio down the street from me. I had the best teacher who seemed to read my mind (she could always tell if I stopped focusing on my breathing and let my frantic thoughts take over) and who taught us very slowly and carefully. In that stressful transition period between ending my career and starting my new life as an at-home mom, yoga was the perfect partner. Where had it been all my life?

After a few beginners sessions and then continuing classes, I started heading out on my own to different drop-in classes, like the one on Wednesdays at a community center close to our house. The instructor is very good and has a devout following at the various classes she teaches around the city.

So I asked her one day (again, screwing up my courage) if she would consider having a Go Red for Women day at her classes. Her response was an enthusiastic "I love this idea!" I told her about my heart attack (I had just stopped coming to class and then appeared again weeks later with no explanation, and she didn't ask) and suggested we could wear red and I'd get some materials from the American Heart Association. She included my story and an article I wrote about women and heart disease in her email newsletter for three weeks, reaching 275 women.

Our Go Red for Women Yoga class was today and it was so empowering. I got a little choked up seeing all the people in red, and I shared a bit of my story. What struck me, though, watching everyone's reactions, was how little people know about women's risk of heart disease and heart attacks. They really don't know that it is the number one killer of women.

I said what I really wanted them to take away was knowledge of the risk factors for heart disease, and the knowledge that 80 percent of cardiac events were preventable through healthy choices. But I also wanted them to know that if they did everything right and still had a heart attack, then they needed to know the symptoms and to toss aside women's typical "don't be a bother" behavior and get themselves to the hospital, pronto.

The only man at class that day raised his hand. He is a paramedic, he said, and he wanted to tell us more about the signs and symptoms. Don't smoke, he reminded (I'd forgotten that one), and told us that for women, unexplained shortness of breath can mean a heart attack. I confessed I drove myself instead of calling 911 and he covered his face with his hands with frustration. I'm so glad he was there; I think his message really made an impact.

Yoga always makes me feel calm and strong and powerful, and it was even more so today. There's power in knowledge, power in community, and power in women. I felt it today and it felt amazing.

Namaste.

Yoga in my backyard with my nieces.

AFTER MY OWN HEART

My sons' school participates in Jump Rope for Heart every year. The children learn about heart health, jump rope for as long as they can (in our school it is a gym class unit), and raise money for the American Heart Association.

This year, Jump Rope for Heart is a big deal to my 10-year-old, "because, you know, you had a heart attack Mom."

Owen figured he had a pretty persuasive fundraising argument and could raise a lot of money, so he set his goal at $1,000. With five days left to go, he's at $850. My husband and I have decided to match whatever he raises.

Here is the text that Owen wrote on his fundraising webpage, of which he is extraordinarily proud: 

Hello again! I would like to introduce myself. I'm Owen.  I want to tell you a little about me. First of all I am doing my homework so I have to get this done fast:

• I'm 10 yrs. old
• I have a little brother[Noah]
• My Mom had a heart attack last summer!

I hope you will donate to support the American Heart Association. My fundraising goal is $1000. The money is used to help other people keep their hearts healthy.

I have donated $71 of my own money already. My mom and dad are going to match any donations I get.

P.S. "Please donate!"

Who can say no to that? It was so rewarding and humbling to work with Owen on his fundraising goal, an email to family, and his web page. He was so mature, so generous, so idealistic, so young. He smiled and hugged and wanted to check over and over to see if any donations came in. He couldn't wait to tell his gym teacher.

Of him I am extraordinarily proud.

If you'd like to donate, check out Owen's personal fundraising page or support a child you know doing Jump Rope for Heart.

NOW YOU KNOW

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in this country. Number. One. It kills more women than the next four diseases combined, including all forms of cancer.

But it didn’t kill me. At age 37 and in training for a marathon, I had a heart attack. With no risk factors save a family history of high cholesterol, I thought I knew enough to stay safe. I didn’t, but you should.

February is American Heart Month and I really want you to take it seriously. Not for me, because I survived and I’m healthy and thriving. But for the 500,000 other mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, wives, lovers, and friends who will have a heart attack this year, and the 300,000 who will die from it.

Did you know that:

• 8 million American women are living with heart disease; 35,000 are under 65.
• The biggest risk factors are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking, and family history.
• Women’s hearts respond better than men’s to healthy lifestyle changes.
• 80 percent of cardiac events could have been prevented through healthier choices.

And if you knew the dangers and knew your risks, would you make the changes necessary to protect your heart? Would you:

• Talk to your doctor and get a lipid profile to check your cholesterol levels.
• Know your Body Mass Index and lose weight if you need to.
• Know if your blood pressure is high and take steps to improve it.
• Stop smoking.
• Make sure your doctor knows if you have a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol.

I knew that I had a family history of heart disease. I knew I had high cholesterol. I knew that women often explain away their symptoms: "I must have lifted something funny, hurt myself in yoga, maybe its heartburn," all excuses I used for days as the pain steadily grew worse for two days beforeI went to the hospital. And I knew that women's heart attacks present differently than men’s and seem somehow, inexplicably, hard for doctors to spot. I knew all that and I still never imagined this could happen to me.

But it can, it could, and it did, and it could happen to you or someone you love. And now you know.

FIND OUT MORE

The Heart Truth is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s women’s awareness campaign, and the original Red Dress campaign. Check it out for videos, prevention tips, warning signs, and information about how you can participate in and promote national Wear Red Day in February. www.hearttruth.gov.

Check out Go Red for Women, a program of the American Heart Association, for its great nutritional center, free risk assessment tool, and a social tool “Tell 5 to Save Lives.” Go Red for Women also produced the Elizabeth Banks short video “Just a Little Heart Attack.” www.goredforwomen.org

Sources: American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, Women’s Heart Foundation.

ARE YOU GOING RED?

My family and I, wearing red!

I'm very excited about my "very first" National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 3 - first post heart attack, that is. It's a simple way to show women that raising awareness about women's risk is important.

But, having left my job last year to stay at home with my boys, I'm without a natural group to Go Red with. I will wear red that day - but I'll mostly be at home, dropping kids off at school, or at the gym. My boys will wear red, and maybe my husband will finally wear that tie I bought him with the red dress symbol on it. (I promise, it's not girly.) But I won't have a group photo to post or submit to the American Heart Association just for the fun of it.

So I wonder if you will help me. Will you wear red on Friday, February 3, and get your family, colleagues, or classmates to join you? Snap a photo on your phone and email it to me? (jen (at) mylifeinred (dot) net). I'll put the photos I get on this blog and we'll have a virtual Go Red community.

I am working on some extra posts and features to commemorate American Heart Month in February, and I look forward to sharing what I've learned. Heart disease is number one killer of American women, taking more mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, and friends than all forms of cancer, combined.

Find out more about the Go Red For Women campaign and plan to wear red February 3!

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

This is the best news I've heard in a long time. And by long time, I mean since August 14, the day of my heart attack. It turns out that your body will, if you treat it properly, mount its own defense against heart disease and future heart attacks. It grows extra, natural bypass vessels where your heart needs them most.

It's hard to say what I love best about this diagram.

It might be the circled "best" and "worst."

This is truly life-changing. At my very first cardiologist appointment, almost two months ago now, my doctor drew me this diagram while he narrated my four potential futures.

Future 1: Nothing ever happens again and I live with a 30%-40% blocked LAD and minor deposits in my other arteries for the rest of my life. (The LAD is the one they call the "widowmaker" even though more women than men die each year from heart attacks. Oops, that's another subject.)

Future 2: My arteries continue to slowly clog up with cholesterol plaque until I become symptomatic (pain, pressure, fatigue etc.) and go in to be checked out. They do another angio, probably another stent, and I'm on my way back to rehab.

Future 3: Have another surprise heart attack due to a plaque deposit rupturing and my platelets trying like crazy to fix it and causing a clot to form. These kinds of heart attacks have no warning. I make it to the hospital, they intervene, and I live to repeat this whole experience.

Future 4: Have another heart attack and die.

At this point my eyes widened and he said, "well, you've already been through all this, we really don't need to sugar coat it" or something like that.

Well, maybe we could have. At least a spoonful.

It took me a few weeks and some antidepressants to pick myself off the floor from that pep talk, informative though it was. And then I started to see these headlines:

• "Back up system reduces heart disease deaths" University College London
• "Natural bypasses can save lives" American Heart Association
• "Do-it-yourself cardiac bypass surgery: All you need is walking shoes" Harvard Health Letter

I read and bookmarked them and tried to believe it was true. Really? There's something I can do about this? Some way I can affect my future and not just wait for one of Dr. Murad's four futures to play out? Be still my heart.

Here's how it works: Your heart is served by arteries that branch out into ever-smaller capillaries. Connecting this network are vessels called "collaterals" that are are essentially invisible until activated. When blood flow is increased, the inner layer of vessel cells sense the need for more blood and begin growing from capillaries into collateral vessels, creating an elegant back-up system, a natural bypass.

Hmm, when blood flow is increased. I wonder how you make that happen?

Let's see what Steffen Gloekler, MD and Christian Seiler, MD, who authored a study on coronary collateral arteries have discovered:

In response to endurance exercise training (such as running, bicycling, swimming, and hiking), blood flow is increased, which leads to a conversion from capillaries into collaterals.

And the Harvard Health Letter?

As . . . collateral vessels grow more muscular and interconnected, they begin to reroute some of the blood flow around the blockage. Scientists have been trying for years to nudge collateral blood vessels to develop and prosper, but without great success. However, you can do it at home without anything more high-tech than a comfortable pair of shoes.

It's really that simple, that easy, that obvious? Just exercise? Sign me up.

The heart on the left has lots of natural

bypasses, and less damage, than the right.

However, the oft-repeated and comforting recommendation that any little bit of exercise helps is not true in this case. You need to work out hard, for at least 30 minutes, almost every day. It needs to be aerobic and at a high enough intensity that your blood is moving fast.

Moving blood = more collateral vessels. Easy 11-minute mile jogs are not going to cut it.

But really, being lazy is not an option. Not only do individuals who have lots of natural bypass vessels have a 36 percent greater chance of living, they also sustain less damage to their heart muscle when they do have a heart attack.

So, the best news I've heard in a long time is this: Exercise will likely save my life. Running a fast 10K is hard, but heart attacks are harder.

If you're looking for me, I'm at the gym. 

P.S. I actually really love Dr. Murad. After he drew that diagram, he flipped it over and wrote down his cell phone. You will likely not be surprised that I wept with relief on the spot.

START TODAY

Did you know today is National Start Eating Healthy Day? I didn't either, but thankfully not too much of the day has passed and I didn't eat unhealthy yet. Phew.

But seriously, in honor of today - a campaign of the American Heart Association - here are some eating healthy resources I like.

• "25 Ridiculously Healthy Foods" - featuring lots of my favorites and some I've never had before, like guava. Was sad not to see pumpkin on this list, but maybe it's time for a new obsession.
•  "Superfoods Everyone Needs" - from another favorite site, WebMD. (WebMD has also helped me when I freak out about drug interactions and the dozen pills I take a day.)
• Allrecipes.com - this is not a diet/health focused site, but it is my go-to site when I have an ingredient I know I should use, like kale, tofu, or salmon, and I'm looking for inspiration. Read the reviews for modification suggestions and then use the recipe as a guide. I've found many favorites, new and old, here.
• "The World's Healthiest Foods" - a website with exhaustive information about the nutritional benefits of foods, down to the most obscure micronutrient you've never heard of. Just search "Nutritional benefits of . . . "

I hope you are inspired to start eat healthy today and keep it that way. Eating right is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease, and take it from me, you really do want to prevent it. Once you have it, you always will.

PARTY HEART-Y

I don't think I'll ever get tired of heart-related puns. If you continue to read this blog, consider yourself warned.

Last weekend my family and I had a ton of fun while running. To fuel those workouts, we had a pasta party at our house Saturday night. Pasta is a safe bet: crowd pleasing, healthy, easy. But crowd-appealing sauces that are also low in fat and saturated fat? A little bit harder. Foodie-worthy too? Bring it on.

I scoured my cookbooks and websites and came up with several options, four of which I tested on my husband and his parents. Three made the cut: Turkey Meatballs with Spicy Marinara, Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce, and a light and healthy Spinach Pesto. There were many compliments Saturday night (my high school senior cousin liked the mushroom sauce best - impressive!) and I waited until people commented before revealing how good it was for them too.

Before you doubt that turkey meatballs are good (because I did, owing to a turkey meatloaf disaster a couple years ago), trust me that these are tender, juicy, tasty, and heart-y. (Hee hee.) One of my uncles was three-quarters done with his plate when someone told him they were turkey; he didn't believe them.

I found the recipe in Ellie Krieger's book, The Food You Crave, which I highly recommend. You can also find her recipes on Food Network. I barely modified the recipe, but I couldn't help making a couple changes. It takes some time, so save it for a weekend or make a double batch and freeze some meatballs and sauce (but freeze them separately, after the baking step but before simmering in the sauce).

RECIPE: TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH SPICY MARINARA

Pesto purists might turn up their noses at a pesto with so little cheese and oil, but I liked it alot. Spinach provides nutrients and makes up for that grassy flavor that a lot of good olive oil would impart. The small amount of cheese means it doesn't get sticky when heated and actually holds and reheats - something you just can't do with regular pesto. I served it in a crock pot on warm and it was ladle-able (is that a word?) on top of the noodle of choice. Again, not your typical pesto behavior.

This pesto has a light flavor and sharp garlic bite (add as much or as little fresh garlic as you want). It balanced the other two sauces perfectly. You could also add cooked chicken or shrimp to make it a complete dinner, or top with some diced fresh tomatoes. I like red pepper flakes on it too.

This recipe came from the American Heart Association Cookbook. I had been thinking of going all Julie & Julia on that book and cooking everything in it, but the first thing I tried bombed so I nixed that idea. But, this recipe has redeemed the book and I will try more recipes.

RECIPE: LIGHT AND TASTY PESTO

Last but not least, a delicious sauce for mushroom lovers. (If you hate them, stop reading now and make pesto instead.) I found this one in Joy of Cooking, and modified just a bit, as in I left out the pancetta.

This one is easy, but it takes patience. You just slice some porcinis, baby portobellos, and button mushrooms and cook them a long time with lemon, sage, garlic, and red wine until they take on a dark, rich glaze. Sauce up with a little stock, toss with some papparadelle, grate the best parmigiano reggiano you can get over the top, and marvel at how good fungi can taste. Earthy, meaty, rich, and only 1 gram of saturated fat.

RECIPE: MUSHROOM AND RED WINE SAUCE

If you try these please let me know what you think, or share your favorite sauce recipe. Happy, healthy carb-loading!

COMFORT FOOD

First day of 5th grade!

It might be the cold, rainy fall days, the start of school for my boys, or the fact that I just could use a little comforting these days, but I've been making some serious comfort food this week - mac and cheese, tomato soup, chicken fingers, pumpkin bread. And before you start worrying, I used heart-appropriate recipes or safe substitutions for these comfort faves and came up with a few winners I deem good enough to share with you.

Bundle up and enjoy!

RECIPE: LIGHTER MAC & CHEESE

Sounds weird, is good. Trust me. The sweet nuttiness of the squash combines with the salty, tangy cheeses to create a great approximation of cheddar Bechamel, but with only 6 grams of saturated fat for a really generous serving (vs. 36 grams for the real stuff). I've had other squash mac-and-cheese dishes and this one is the best one I've tasted so far.

First day of Pre-K!

RECIPE: PUMPKIN BREAD

Ooo this one is so good! It has a great, silky texture and is spicy and pumpkin-y and delicious. It is not sweet, so I served it with maple butter (to my brunch guests), though I loved it plain or, gulp, with my Smart Balance margarine (I really can't believe I'm saying that). Total fat per slice: 3.75 grams, 0.25 saturated.

RECIPE: ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP
The way your house smells when the veggies are roasting is the best part of this soup, but it tastes only slightly less amazing. Super easy and super healthy -- did you know tomatoes are a heart-health super food? If you use fat-free Greek yogurt you're looking at about 2 grams of fat per serving, 0 saturated.

RECIPE: CHICKEN FINGERS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE
I bought this little American Heart Association kids cookbook because Owen likes to cook with me. We made the chicken fingers and I probably loved them more than either Owen or Noah did. I guess they are just one of those kid foods I never outgrew. But, Scott liked them too, so you can confidently embrace your inner child and enjoy, for only 3 grams (and 1 gram of saturated fat) per serving.

A TOTALLY NORMAL DAY

I hope everyone has seen this funny and really, far too realistic video, produced by Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association's women's heart health campaign.

The day of my heart attack started as a totally normal day, and I expected normalcy to resume at any moment (hmm, still waiting). I called Scott from the ER to make sure Owen's rain gear was packed for camp. I called again from the ICU to give instructions on what to pack for Noah's trip to my brother's house while I was in the hospital. I emailed work colleagues after surgery. At the time it didn't seem real. My head seemed to be the last thing to catch on.

Please watch and share this video, then check out the warning signs of a heart attack. It's not always what you think.