Category: Living with heart disease

posts here focus on the “new normal” you’ll discover once you get home from hospital and the reality starts to sink in

Best gifts to give a heart patient

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 12 Comments

gingerbread-man-3000526_1280 copyby Carolyn Thomas   ♥  Heart Sisters on Blue Sky

I came across a helpful list of gift ideas for those living with arthritis, and this made me wonder if you might need some inspiration if you happen to be shopping for a special heart patient on your gift list – at Christmastime or for any occasion.

Personally, I’m not hoping for more “stuff” this season (except maybe a a new electric heating pad from Santa), hint, hint. But I decided to turn to my always generous-of-spirit heart sisters to ask other heart disease folks:  “What’s on YOUR Christmas wish list this year?”  Here are some of their informed responses . . . Continue reading “Best gifts to give a heart patient” →

How to cope when your spouse is the heart patient

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥  @HeartSisters

I’ve heard it said, as bizarre as it may seem, that it may be easier in some ways to be widowed than to be the spouse of a recovering heart patient.

If your spouse has survived a cardiac event, you may even feel grief that seems entirely inappropriate to you, even as you also feel intense relief because he is still alive. You may also experience what’s known as hypervigilance – that sense of dread that yet another crisis is about to happen.

There are role models, as author Rhoda Levin explains, for widows’ behaviour, and appropriate ways to express difficult emotions:

“People respect the time it takes for the widowed to adjust to the changes in their lives. But cardiac spouses have no role models, teachers or mentors.  No one, professional or friend, can tell you what changes you will face as a cardiac spouse – and yet change is now your reality. The challenge of any cardiac crisis is facing this reality, letting go of what is lost, and developing new ways to live your new life together.”

If your spouse has recently had a cardiac event, you might find one of these three books helpful:   Continue reading “How to cope when your spouse is the heart patient” →

A post-heart attack checklist

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 6 Comments

You’ve just experienced a heart attack or other type of cardiac event.  You’re overwhelmed and frightened and wondering what happens next on this journey towards recovery. Knowledge is power – here’s when you need to take charge of that recovery by learning everything you possibly can about your heart health.

Complete this important checklist to make sure you are on the right road.  Continue reading “A post-heart attack checklist” →

Germ warfare for heart patients during flu season

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 2 Comments

hands soap-waterby Carolyn Thomas   ♥  @HeartSisters

Did you know that eating refined sweets puts your body into an acidic state, just the way all those nasty pathogens and flu bugs like it?  Sugar can apparently weaken your immunity by suppressing the immune system’s macrophage cells, which act as an important defense shield by helping to remove unwanted substances from your blood  – like harmful bacteria and viruses.

handshaking buttonAnd speaking of harmful bacteria and viruses, shaking hands is a good way to spread those bugs from person to person. Although it’s a cultural no-no to refuse to shake hands, you can’t tell if those you’re shaking hands with have washed their hands properly after sneezing or coughing into them – or at all. Try a big smile instead.

With seasonal flu season in full swing, I was glad to find more healthy tips for fighting off viral attacks and surviving flu season from Janelle Sorenson, a senior writer at Healthy Child, Healthy World.  Her advice is not only good for children, but also for those – like heart patients – at high risk for serious health complications as a result of influenza.  A sampling here of just one of her 10 tips, Declare Germ Warfare:    Continue reading “Germ warfare for heart patients during flu season” →