Happy March! Our teams are competing, our classes are thriving, and the BSM Fitness Club is continuing to support our members and our community. Last month I spoke about women’s heart health, this month we focus on men’s heart health. We have an anonymous member telling her story. I want to thank her for her honesty and willingness to share.
Before we get to that, here are our court sport updates:
• The Pickleball Welcome Back Party drew over 100 members! They enjoyed an afternoon of pickleball, cornhole and delicious food prepared by Steve Hocker and his crew!
• BSM Tennis players had lots of fun at their January Tennis Tourney and Social, on a chilly, breezy day. The social event was hosted by the BSM Men’s Gold tennis team and the BSM Tennis Subcommittee. The Gold team grilled delicious burgers and hot dogs, and the tennis subcommittee organized the tournament and provided the side dishes and dessert. The winners received gift cards for Wrigley’s Tennis in Punta Gorda. The tournament was divided into two championship divisions and two consolation divisions. Winners of the two divisions were Tom Siebert & Linda Rousseau and Jerry Kopp & Jane Sitzes. Winners of the consolation divisions were Bill Bailey & Annette Norris and Judy Johnson & Dorothy Schroeder. Kelly Millar is shown by the dry-erase board with the line-up.
THE HEART OF THE MATTER – IN PARTICULAR, MEN’S HEART HEALTH
At 65, my husband felt a tightness in his chest that would change both of our lives. Both my family and my husband have a history of heart disease. When asked if I would write something on the importance of understanding Men’s Heart Health, I felt compelled to contribute my thoughts. While our personal story is woven in, much of the data provided was corroborated through Google search, based on research data from the CDC. Don’t wait for your wife to nag you. Men’s health is sometimes a topic wives and mothers like to bring up, but one that husbands/sons would rather not hear about. We were both 48 when my wonderful husband came into my life. At age 55, after much nagging by me, his mom, and his sister, he finally went for a complete physical. The physical included a full panel of blood tests, along with a referral for a colonoscopy. Lo and behold, the colonoscopy found some scary stuff. Thankfully, the pathology report declared everything benign. It was a huge relief, and a LOUD wake-up call. What if he had waited longer?
Back to the topic of men’s heart health. The colonoscopy story is context for what came next, a new health routine including an annual physical with blood tests.
If you’re a man over 40, consider this…
• Heart disease is the number one killer of men ─ also true for women; however, our symptoms present differently.
• Listen to your body.
○ For men, a heart attack’s symptoms may present with chest pain or discomfort, upper back or neck pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
○ Arrhythmia symptoms include fluttering feelings in the chest as the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way.
• 66 is the average age for a man to receive bypass surgery ─ seems young, right? As is his way, my husband arrived promptly at that data point, having surgery the day before his 66th birthday.
What Men Should Actually Do…
If you’re a man over 40, consider this your baseline:
• Get an annual physical with blood work.
• Know your LDL cholesterol number. (Prior to his surgery, my husband was 100. His doctor wanted it to be 70, so a more aggressive statin drug was prescribed. It’s working.)
• Don’t ignore chest tightness, fatigue or shortness of breath. As we all know, doctor appointments aren’t always easy to get. So, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t wait to seek medical attention.
• Ask your doctor if additional testing makes sense for you.
• Track your results over time (portals like MyChart help).
If sharing our story prompts even one man to make an appointment sooner rather than later, then it’s worth it. Your heart has more years of work to do.
