Tis The Season

As I was returning from a shopping trip yesterday I turned on to my street and saw an ambulance and a fire truck three houses up from mine. In our county a fire truck accompanies every ambulance call for some reason. If there is a firefighter reading this blog perhaps you could share the reasoning of this. It seems to be overkill to me.

Anyway…

The presence of the ambulance on my street recalled to mind an Associated Press story that my colleague, Tom Whelan forwarded to me last week. Apparently the holiday season is also heart attack season. In addition to the rich meals, alcohol, and extra stress that the holidays bring on, there is an added denial dimension. No one wants to be a buzz killer by complaining of chest pains at a holiday gathering. Many folks ignore will ignore the warning signs of an impending heart attack by writing it off as bad indigestion.

That’s a big mistake. Time matters when dealing with a heart attack. The longer the delay, the more damage to the heart and the longer your ass will be in recovery.

Take heart. If you experience any of the warning signs of a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Besides, the arrival of an ambulance and fire truck on your street could add some excitement to an otherwise dull holiday party. It will give your friends and family something to talk about for years to come and just might insure that you will be around to share in them.

Just The Facts

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.
• A woman always has the final say in an argument. Anything said after that is a new argument.
• Worldwide coronary heart disease kills seven million people each year.
• You can’t fight genetics.
• Heart disease is a term that includes several more specific heart conditions. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack.
• Given the choice between doing the dishes and taking out the garbage I’ll always go for trash duty.
• It is estimated that about 47% of cardiac deaths occur before emergency services or transport to a hospital.
• I was pretty stupid in that regard.
• The heart is basically a big muscle.
• I tried not to let college interfere with my education.
• The proper name for a heart attack is acute myocardial infarction.
• I don’t think there is anything cute about a heart attack so I’ll just stick with calling it a heart attack.
• There is such a thing as a small heart attack (minimal muscle damage).
• I had one.