Just a quick post...(actually, I doubt if anyone will actually read this...)
I have been sick thoughout January and so far into February. It turns out that my "cold" turned into pneumonia, which then turned into cardiomyopathy. That's right--"CARDIO", as in the heart. Me, not yet fifty, with no previous risk factors, came very close to having a major heart problem. (Not that what I have is not major)
I started retaining fluids, and that is what landed me in the hospital for 10 days. I weighed between 150 and 160 pounds when I went into the hospital (and I'm only 4'11") and ten days later I was back down to 130! That is a lot of fluid retention! I have to restict my fluids, and cut back on salt, stay out of work for a few weeks more, and for right now, I'm wearing a thing called a "Life Vest" which monitors my heart.
Ironically, the day I left the hospital was "America goes Red" day, a day on which people were incouraged to wear red in support of women's heart health.
I would like to encourage and urge anyone who is interested to check out the various web sites devoted to women's heart health, and if you can, check out your local hospital's cardio unit to see what you can do to help.
An excellent site is http://www.goredforwomen.org/
