BookRix

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS

I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best description I've ever read.

Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction). Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack.. you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.
'I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, 'A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation--the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR).

This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack!

I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else... but, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment.
I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.

I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery.

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stints.

Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men's symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up... which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And if you can take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road.

Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

I actually use coconut oil in my hair...as a treatment...but I had no idea that it was this versatile 0_o Which is kind of sad since I eat coconut a lot. Thank you so very much for posting this.

i also love coconut and i'm always looking for more ways to incorporate coconut flavoring into my food!

thanks Val - i will add coconut oil to my grocery list this week! :)

http://food.sndimg.com/img/recipes/37/29/29/large/picQNcBSc.jpg

Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/jamaican-jerk-spiced-tempeh-nuggets-372929?oc=linkback

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (8 ounce) package tempeh, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1
Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt, allspice, pepper, ginger, cayenne, and thyme in a small bowl and set aside.
2
Place the tempeh in a saucepan of boiling water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3
Drain the tempeh and pat it dry.
4
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh and cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the tempeh and toss until fragrant and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Serve hot.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/jamaican-jerk-spiced-tempeh-nuggets-372929?oc=linkback

http://www.chowvida.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/cinnamon-rolls-crop-470x260.jpg

http://www.chowvida.com/2012/09/18/soft-and-gooey-cinnamon-rolls/

Ingredients:

makes ~40, 2″ x 3″ cinnamon rolls

1 cup soy milk (hemp, almond, rice would all work fine)
2 packets yeast (about 4.5 teaspoons)
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup roasted sweet potato, mashed (about 1 medium/large sweet potato. I used a satsuma sweet potato, if you can’t find satsuma, another sweet white/yellow flesh variety should work)
1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt (soy yogurt if vegan)
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 egg (or egg replacer if vegan)
3 or 4 cups bread flour (you’ll have to feel this one out, as some sweet potatoes are moister than others)
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened but not melted (earth balance if vegan)
Optional frosting: 1 cup confectioners sugar + 1 tbsp soy milk (adjust as necessary to get the right consistency)
Process:

Heat your oven to 400 F, place the whole sweet potato (skin and all) on a baking tray and into the oven. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into it feels like it’s going through butter. If it’s not soft enough, keep roasting it longer – it needs to be soft! The time for this will vary depending on the shape of your sweet potato (round, fat, long, skinny..). Once cooked to perfection, remove from the oven and set aside to let it cool (note: you can cut it in half and poke it a couple times with the knife to help it cool faster).

Once the sweet potato is cool enough to handle, remove the peel and discard. It should be easy to peel with your hands. Place the sweet potato in a measuring cup and mash it thoroughly so there are no lumps. The 1 cup measurement doesn’t have to be super exact… it will just change the amount of flour you need to use later, so if you have a little under or over a cup, don’t worry! Set the mashed sweet potato aside.

Heat the soy milk to a warm luke-warm temperature (it shouldn’t be anywhere near scalding hot). Mix the warmed soy milk, yeast, and 1 tbsp of the maple syrup together in a small bowl. Set aside and allow the yeast to proof (it should get super bubbly/puffy after 5-10 minutes).

Meanwhile, place the mashed sweet potato in a large bowl, and add the remaining 2 tbsp maple syrup, the egg (or egg replacer), the melted coconut oil, the yogurt, and the salt. Mix together until well combined. Now add the yeast mixture, and mix together again until well combined.

1 cup at a time, add the flour, incorporating it thoroughly each time. After about 3 cups, you should start kneading the dough with your hands instead of a mixer. Keep adding flour gradually until the dough is still sticky but manageable… not so sticky that it refuses to come off your hands easily. Remember, less is more, so stop while you’re ahead and make sure you don’t add too much flour or your rolls will become too dry.

Once your dough is the right consistency, lightly oil another large bowl (make sure you get the sides too), and place your dough in the bowl. Cover with a cloth towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. (note: I like to set my oven to 100F and place the covered dough in there to rise, but a nice sunny spot in a window is fine too)

Meanwhile, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

After the dough has risen, divide it into two rounds. Sprinkle flour on the surface of your counter/cutting board, and roll one of the rounds into about a 12″x24″ rectangle. Spread half of the butter evenly all over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle half of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter. Roll the dough into a log, starting from the long end, and gently squeeze it with your hands as you go. Once you have a nice long log, cut it into 1.5″ thick rounds (you’ll probably get about 20), and place the rounds in a greased 9×14 baking pan, spaced about an inch or so apart.

Repeat with the other half of the dough (and use the other half of the butter, cinnamon, sugar, etc).

Again, cover the cinnamon rolls with a cloth towel, set in a warm place, and let them rise for another 45-60 minutes. (they’ll expand and end up touching each other, leave them this way!)

Once risen, heat your oven to 350F, and bake for 30 minutes, or until barely golden brown. Don’t overcook!

Remove from the oven, frost them if you wish, and enjoy the amazingness!

http://res.mindbodygreen.com/img/ftr/NNRecipes_LightGucamole.jpg

I LOVE CHIA SEEDS! This looks amazing!
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6002/How-to-Make-a-Lighter-Guacamole-with-Superfoods.html

*Chia seeds inherently go with many types of Mexican cuisine, from drinks to salsas to flatbreads. Tiny and flavorless, they’re so easy to use, boosting the nutrition of dishes with their Omega 3’s, antioxidants, minerals and fiber. However, they’re also excellent when used as a low calorie “filler.” Soak chia seeds in liquid, and within 15-30 minutes they’ll swell up with hydration, forming a gelatinous substance affectionately known as “chia gel.” And guess what - if you soak them in a flavored liquid, they retain much of the introduced flavor too.

This light guacamole cuts down on the avocado overload a bit, and uses the smooth, undetectable texture of low-calorie gelled chia seeds (soaked in pureed tomatoes) to “fill in” the rest of the bowl. Boasting tons of great Mexican flavor, amplifying nutrition, and reducing calories, this is one delicious guacamole adaptation.

Chia Guacamole

This incredible guacamole has all the flavor of the classic Mexican recipe, but about half the calories – thanks to the smart use of chia seeds.

Makes 6 servings
1 very large juicy tomato (heirloom varieties are great)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 large avocado
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ cup white onion, minced (plus extra for garnish)
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced (plus extra for garnish)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
sea salt, to taste (optional)
hot sauce, to taste (optional)
In a food processor or blender, blend the tomato into a chunky puree. Transfer to a small bowl, add the chia seeds, and stir well to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to swell and the mixture to thicken.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mash the avocado with the back of a fork into a paste. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, mixed onion, cilantro and lime juice, and mix well. Add the thickened tomato-chia mixture and stir. Add sea salt to taste, and spike with hot sauce, if desired, to preferred heat level. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with extra chopped onion and cilantro.

I'm hoping that if I eat enough berries, I'll remember how I got here.

because i like to keep a bag of them in the freezer for smoothies (that i have 4-5 times each week). berries are kinda expensive when they're fresh.

unfortunately, when you're landlocked, so is salmon :(