Cholesterol & Your Heart

I’ve really started thinking more about my heart in the last few years. I always thought that if I were afflicted with some horrible ailment in my middle years, it would be some type of cancer. I felt like there had been so many advances in heart care over the past few decades, that rarely did someone die from heart problems.

Well…maybe I just missed the obvious? It seems like I see more and more people having heart trouble. And I don’t mean minor problems…I mean drop dead with a heart attack problems! Now don’t get me wrong. I think the medical world is light years ahead of where it was 20 or 30 years ago with regards to heart care. I think that my sudden awakening was due to the fact that my doctor told me last year, that I had high cholesterol. Not a little high…a LOT high!

I tried dieting and exercise to get it back in line, but that didn’t help much. (I’m sure I didn’t diet as much or as well as I should have). Anyway…my doctor put me on a generic statin drug in an effort to get my cholesterol back under control, which it did. But it still made me wonder what kind of shape my heart is in? I exercise, but not as much or as intense as I probably should. I haven’t really noticed any problems that might lead me to believe I would have any further heart problems, but you can never be too sure. I have considered having a heart screening just to be on the safe side, but haven’t done that as of yet.

I’ve known people that felt great, exercised, ate all the right foods and then had a heart attack when they least expected it. That’s kinda scary!

So don’t forget about your heart. Get your cholesterol checked and be sure to tell your doctor if you notice any of the common signs of heart problems. Doctors are able to do some amazing things these days to repair your heart if you do have problems, but catching a problem early is key.