I'm doomed

~photo brazenly swiped from www.webmd.com~

Ask Justin and he will tell you how "bad" I am at doctor's offices. Particularly in filling out forms. These forms ask you if you've ever had the following _x_ many symptoms, which include things like: headache, back ache, anxiety, sprained ankle, cold. Things which we've all had. So, when I go back to see the doc and they look at my chart, with all the things I've checked off, I tend to look like a very sick person even though I'm not. It's likely a good thing I go to an acupuncturist more frequently than a Western doc.

Today though I got an email that had info on "How to Make Sure a Heart Attack Doesn't Kill You." ~ Well, that is a good thing, right? I certainly don't want to die from a heart attack. Currently, whenever I have a freak-out moment and am sure I am having a heart attack (admit it, we all have those moments) I take my "heart attack pills" -- 2 aspirin and at least 1 Valium. This way if it is a heart attack the aspirin will hopefully keep me alive till 911 gets here and can save my ass (heart?) OR, if it isn't a heart attack (usually the case), the Valium will calm me down till I feel groovy once again.

According to this article though, I am apparently doomed to die soon as I seem to be having heart attacks a couple of times a week. Check it out:

Here are the typical symptoms women experience just before or during a heart attack:
• Fatigue
• Sleeplessness or insomnia
• Anxiety and stress, sometimes described as a feeling of “impending doom”
• Indigestion, nausea or heartburn
• Shortness of breath
• Flu-like symptoms
• Jaw, ear, neck, or shoulder pain
Interestingly, numbness and chest pain are typical male symptoms of heart attack that women may not experience.

You can read the entire article for yourself by clicking here: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-make-sure-a-heart-attack-doesnt-kill-you.html

For the record, I have actually been in the ER within the last 2 years (I'm really not good with time-lines) to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack. I didn't think I was, but I was having chest pains. I thought it was a reaction to medicine that the doc had just given me. I was right. The ER staff wouldn't listen, the doc on call was a jerk, and a lot of our $$ was wasted to make sure my ticker was healthy. -- Ok, knowing my ticker was in good shape was a nice relief, just because you need to have a healthy heart if you want to live. Still though.

I do think it is imperative that we be aware of our bodies and our health. But given that list above, I am seriously doomed to die pretty damn soon. The top 3 symptoms I have almost daily, the 4th regularly lately with the stress of this whole refinancing/remodeling stuff. Shortness of breath? Well, I have mild asthma and really need to get back in shape cardiovascularly speaking. Plus, heat is horrible for me. Neck Pain? Got that. It is related to my migraines. The only one I don't have is flu-like symptoms.

I'm curious to see how many other women out there have several of these symptoms on a regular basis.