by Krystle R. on Friday, September 14, 2012
Paula Stanley Georgia
I started working at my local hospital in 1975, at the age of 15, as a nurse aide. I have worked as a nurse for 30 years and I started running at age 17, which was 36 years ago. In June 2009, I had a heart attack while at work. A heart catheterization revealed that I have intramyocardial mid lad, which means that my left anterior descending artery is imbedded into my heart, as opposed to laying on the surface. By squeezing the heart, it caused me to have a heart attack, by cutting off the oxygen flow to my heart. Lucky I was at work in vascular surgery when this happened. Stress test was good; the only way to really detect for sure is a heart cath.
This diagnosis surprised me because of my good physical condition. But come to find out, I have been experiencing symptoms since childhood, such as dizziness, chest pain, fainting, nausea and sweating. I can’t believe I went undiagnosed all those years! I really think my gender and physical shape played a role in me not being diagnosed sooner. Fortunately, I have a wonderful cardiologist and nurse practioner who have been holding my hand through the entire experience. I know not everyone is lucky to have such excellent medical support. That’s why I want to educate the public and medical field about this condition. After all, heart disease is the number one killer of women.
Even after all this, I believe everything happens for a reason. Today, my 20 year-old daughter is experiencing the same symptoms I once did. This time, I knew what to look for. My daughter had a ct scan of the arteries of the heart and everything looks good, but she started an aspirin regimen and is doing great. I went through many years thinking I was crazy having the symptoms I did. I am grateful I was able to run all those years, but this should have been diagnosed much sooner. Because my life was saved, I just might be able to save hers.