By Annette Campbell
Leonie Fryar does not fit the description of your “typical” heart patient.
When we generalise about the most likely heart attack candidates, most of us think of overweight, unfit men.
But when Leonie had her heart attack three years ago, she was young, well within her healthy weight range, very fit … and, of course, female!
But she was a heavy smoker, and regular binge drinker.
“I was actually misdiagnosed at the time because not even the doctors thought my pain was heart-related,” she explains. “I was told it might be reflux or a virus.”
Leonie — a 42-year-old business development manager — lives near Brisbane with her bank manager husband, Gary.
She vividly remembers the night the pain started.
“It was on a Sunday night, after another weekend of heavy drinking and smoking,” she says. “Gary took me to a 24 hour medical clinic and I was diagnosed with reflux.
“Because I was a size eight, slim and fit girl, no-one considered I had a heart condition.”
During the next few days the pain escalated, so her G.P ordered an ECG. When he saw the result, he sent her straight to a cardiologist.
“Two of the main arteries were blocked — one by 90 percent, one by 99 percent,” she explains. “So he put me straight into hospital and operated the same day. I had an angioplasty — a balloon threaded through the artery, to push against the artery wall, to open and clear blockages, then a stent’s inserted into each, to keep them open.”
Leonie survived her heart attack … but has accepted there’s a high risk she’ll have another, as severe damage has already been done.
“Unfortunately, I also naturally have very high cholesterol levels,” she says. “So I’m on medication for that, and am exercising moderately, still eating well, but I haven’t had a cigarette since. And if I wasn’t doing all those positive things by now, I don’t think I’d be here.” Now Leonie is talking on behalf of the Heart Foundation to help educate us all about the dangers of heart attacks for women.
“It’s ironic, but it was actually the best thing that happened to me,” she says. “It’s made me take stock of what’s important … and that’s not working around the clock, trying to get ahead.”
Am I at risk?
The main risk factors for heart disease are:
— smoking
— high blood cholesterol
— physical inactivity
— diabetes
— high blood pressure
— being overweight
— depression, social isolation and lack of social support
Special warning for women
Smoking, diabetes and some blood cholesterol patterns are even more potent risk factors for heart disease in women than they are in men.
Where can I go for help?
Talk with your GP if you have any concerns about your heart’s health.
For more information, contact The Heart Foundation’s Heartline: 1300 36 27 87, or visit their website: www.heartfoundation.com.au
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