Published: January 27, 2009 04:24 pm      

A Thankful Heart

“That’s the catch. I thought you had to have bad pain with a heart attack,” says 88-year-old Opal Benge as she recalls that frightening day.

“I went to church service, ate some chili, skipped the desert to be healthy and was planning for a walk to Carnaby Square.”

Then she started feeling like something just wasn’t right.

“It’s hard to describe. I just didn’t feel like myself,” Benge explains from the living room of her London home.

She didn’t experience any of the typical symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath. But she felt bad enough to skip her usual walk.

“My daughter, Debbie, took me to see my family doctor,” Benge says.

An EKG was performed confirming something was wrong.

“My doctor looked at me and said, ‘Opal you have to go to the hospital. You are in the process of having a heart attack.’”

She had not imagined something could be wrong with her heart. She had no history of heart problems.

“I was shocked. It was hard for me to believe. He called for the ambulance and I was rushed to the hospital,” Benge remembers.

This scenario is not uncommon. When it comes to women and heart disease, there’s a definite a gender gap.

“Not infrequently, women limit their activity in ways that mask the presence of symptoms. They tend to have more atypical symptoms and delay seeking medical treatment,” says board-certified cardiologist Dr. Satyabrata Chatterjee, MD, FACC, who treats 5,000-6,000 heart patients yearly.

Heart disease is also under-recognized and under-treated in women and the consequences are deadly.

“Women have a higher number of fatal cardiac events than men,” adds Dr. Chatterjee.

Fortunately for Benge, she knew her body well enough to know that if she didn’t feel like doing her daily exercise, something was wrong.

Despite the fact that it’s been 14 years since her heart attack, some memories are still clear in Opal’s mind.

“I felt so blue. I thought, ‘Oh Lord, What am I going to do?’”

But then she received some hope.

“Dr. Chatterjee encouraged me. He told me I’d be back. I have a great love and respect for him.”

Opal pauses staring ahead as tears begin to trickle down her cheeks.

“When they were taking me out to the helicopter,” she pauses again as the tears begin to flow freely, “ I saw my brother, Warren Greer, and he was crying. Then I looked around and saw all those people, my family, my friends, people from my church — they were all there. And I just started crying, not because I was scared, because I was overwhelmed about how much people loved me.”

Benge believes the clot-buster medicine given to her during her heart attack helped to save her life. But one glance at her warm smiling face, and there’s no doubt that her thankful heart has also contributed to her longevity.

“I thank the good Lord every day. Every day is a gift for me. I’ve got a good attitude. I appreciate every little thing that I am able to do. My heart is filled with gratitude.”

Having a heart attack didn’t slow Opal. And that’s a good thing because she never learned to drive.

“I grew up in the country and I always worked hard and I always walked everywhere. When I first came home from the hospital, I was a little scared to start back walking all over town. So I just started walking in my driveway. I walked a little at a time at first.”

Before long, she was back walking all over town.

“Walking. I love to walk. It relieves stress. If I feel flushed, I walk. It helps me.”

According to Dr. Chatterjee, she’s right.

“I think her active lifestyle has definitely increased her quality of life,” adds Chatterjee.

THE POWER OF PRAYER
Benge prays this prayer daily. She has kept it in her purse for years.
“The light of God surrounds me.
The love of God enfolds me.
The power of God protects me.
The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am God is!!!

ASK THE EXPERT
with Satyabrata Chatterjee, MD, FACC
Board Certified Cardiologist, London, KY

1. Do you think that Opal’s lifestyle has helped her to do so well 14 years after her heart attack?
Yes. I have seen Ms. Benge out walking. I think her active lifestyle has definitely increased her quality of life. Her lipid levels have remained in check and her high blood pressure has been easier to control with medication because of her lifestyle. Additionally she has less osteoarthritis.

2. Opal said she had the blues and felt depressed when she learned she had suffered a heart attack. Is that common? What signs should someone look for?
“The blues” are very common after a heart attack. If not treated, it can progress to full blown Depression. It starts commonly as a desire to sleep more, eat less or not want to eat at appropriate times.

3. I want to avoid heart disease. What is the single most important thing I can do to accomplish that?
Since heredity or genetic predisposition cannot be changed, the single most important thing I would do is EAT RIGHT.

4. When should I start being concerned about my heart health?
I would be concerned about my “heart health” from the age of 25 if I had a family history of heart disease. If there is a history of a close family member dying or almost dying in their sleep, I would see a cardiologist. I would be concerned if I had a bad habit like smoking or if my parents had a history of diabetes.