Cardiovascular Disease and Women

Blog 10
Is heart disease common in your family? What are some of the environmental, physical, cultural, socioeconomic , and educational factors that impact the prevalence of this disease?
Heart disease is very common in my family; because my father has already had a heart attack my mother has hypertension, also my brother has hypertension too. We just found out my oldest son has high blood pressure and the company in which he was trying to get hired won’t hire him till he get it under control. The Grandfather on my mother side died of an aorta aneurism by age 65 and my grandmother on my father side died of congestive heart failure by the age of 82. So I can say definitely yes that my family is prone to heart disease.
On the prevalence of this disease in my families history were not aware any problems till they were much older and the medical society started finding out the causes of this leading cause of death, which was especially true for the set of grandparents. My mother blood pressure was diagnosis by the time she was forty and she is dealing with it at this time.
Our social economical factors are the job force is finally is starting to look at employee’s from a different aspect if they are hiring person who are not fit to do the job, as well as health insurance companies. The nice part is for my son since the American Heart Association has made society aware of these issues, at their physical health before hiring has health my son to be aware that he has hypertension. Colleges studies just announced today on the NBC channel 5 news station that if one has a heart attack and they drive themselves or another drives them, they will a longer wait in the Emergency Room rather if they had arrived by an ambulance. Culturally our American society is changing rabidly learning not to eat out at fast foods and advocating exercise. Hopefully one-day women will not be on the leading list of heart disease!

"Nutrition, Exercise,and Weight Management"

Blog #9

How was the issue of food and weight discussed in your home?
Dealing with major issues with eating disorders is still a huge topic even today in my own parent’s home. Now my mother did have some valid points nutrition. She felt everything should be cooked from scratch and no junk food. So when we at the movies we were allowed popcorn but no artificial butter. She felt if you were over on the thick side then you were healthy. On when it came to my father, he was a strict about us eating everything on our plates. Daddy felt you should also eat all the seconds and thirds you could stand. There was one problem this family did at the dinner table and that was argued while you were attempting to enjoy your food. So gaining weight with him didn’t bother him till he became a Diabetic and he still is a food alcoholic.
Was it ever a control issue or a point of conflict for you?
Yes, I had to eat everything or else I would get into big trouble at the dinner table. It created many eating problems latter in my teenage years. I learned to chew my food and wait for a moment to place the food in a napkin and then be excused to go the bathroom where I would flush my extra food down the drain. Later as my weight increased I learned to exercise in excess to burn those unwanted calories. I’m just grateful for my first husband who taught me that I did not have to live that way.
How much influence do you believe your family has on the way you feel about food and your body today?
Yes, my family dynamics did influence how I eat and looked at my body.
That is an endless subject but I’m grateful for the therapist I had during my last pregnancy. When I had gain over 40lbs from my last baby I was miserable over my bodies appearance. He made me stand in front of a mirror and say I was loved the way that I look now and I would have to say that I love my self out loud. I had to learn how to eat healthier food groups and exercise. I did have to loose weight this last year because Diabetes runs so high in my family tree; however, I did it in a slow fashion over a year’s time instead of staving myself into nothing Today I’m more at peace with the way I look and content. No more do I have to starve myself to look at and fit into today’s extreme skinny fashion world.

"Menopause and HRT"

Blog #8
Menopause and HRT
#3 Interview a woman who has or is going through menopause and has decided to take hormones. Allow her to share with you the reasons she has chosen to take them and how she feels it is beneficial for her health.

This is a Self Interview of my journey into Menopause:
As we deal with learning these issues in this class. I’m still not sure if I have this rehabilitating disease called Osteoporosis, because about a year and a half ago I did have a bone density test and showed no signs of it; however, within the last year I keep breaking my bones and not one of the doctors has even suggested the possibility of Osteoporosis. Early in my Pre Menopausal life when I really knew that I was in the downward phase of my life. The doctor prescribes the use of the pill for me because of the hot flashes and night sweats. The pill seemed to do okay for a few months then a horrible nightmare began. I started having massive headaches and then when my period arrived I passed blood clots for days. My doctor told me to quick talking the pill and I decided not to take anything for the systems of Menopause, but just rather to deal with the heat flashes as they came.
I guess over time I’m just one of those women with the attitude of hormone replacement didn’t work for me. I felt it was just better to deal with the issues at hand, than to deal with unknown side effects of how my body would react to HRT. I have talked to many women who have gone through this journey and I felt I would deal with it this manner.
I still have other issues that I dealing with. The doctors just don’t seem to want to listen to me when I come in the ER. The county hospital has it’s own system and I have to wait till they deal with one issue at a time.
Just trying to get a Primary Doctor has taken about a month now, hopefully this week when I get to meet my first assigned doctor here at the county maybe now I will get to address these other issues.