Heart disease is the NUMBER ONE killer of women in the United States, yet very few of us really pay attention to this, especially if we're young, healthy, and have young children. What happened to me is sort of like a freak accident. I have none of the risk factors. However, a number of things saved my life. First was my DH recognizing that something wasn't right and calling 911. We've talked about these signals now so that we'll have a better idea when we really need to call 911 for each other. Anyone with kids probably knows that instinctive feeling that something isn't right and a trip to the emergency room or doctor is in order. I know I've even had the sense that I've needed to call daycare or school urgently and found that my child wasn't feeling well. Take a moment to review your "signs" with each other.
Second, the EMS (emergency medical system or services) worked seamlessly. We live in a rural area, 35 minutes from the nearest small town hospital, and 2 hours from the nearest larger hospital, we only have EMTs, and the paramedics had to "intercept" the ambulance, but a well-rehearsed EMS can usually respond in time. Know whether you're in a 911 system, make sure everyone in your family knows how to call in the event of an emergency. We've used the kids toy phones to rehearse. I've programmed Finn's voice into my cell phone. If he needs to, he knows he just has to hit one button and say "Help" and 911 will be dialed.
Third, know your own signs and be heart healthy. Even though what happened had nothing to do with my heart's condition, the cardiologist said that bc I was so healthy and my cholesterol and blood pressure were so low, that I am in much better shape now then I would have been had I not been in good shape to begin with.
iVillage has a Heart Health message board, which will soon be combined with the cholesterol and bp boards. Check it out! http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-bharrhythmia?ice=ivl,searchmb&redirCnt=1
