My fight against heart disease September 9,  2016  11:44am EST

My fight with heart disease began early one evening in January, 2000. I was sitting around watching tv when my left hand began hurting. I had just attended a class bout women's heart disease symptoms. I felt uneasy, so I chewed an aspriin, waited 5 minutes with no relief, chewed another aspirin, and called 911. When the paramedics arrived, they were unsure if I was having an attack, but took me to a hospital. Tests showed that it was an attack,  and 3 arteries were over 90% blocked. The next morning I had a double bypass done. I attended cardiac rehab, lost weight, controlled diabetes, etc., and did well for 12 years. Then the nurses at catdiac rehab found another problem-atrial and ventricular fibrillation. I saw my doctor, and was told not to put any stress on my heart. After 9 months of not stressing my heart, I opted to have a pacemaker and defibrillator implanted. That was 4 years ago, and so far I'm doing well. I returned to the cardiac rehab program, and I really love it there. The staff and other patients there give me the support I need, and I try to help other patients thee in return. I think we all need to help each other fight heart and stroke problems.