Lessons of the Heart

By Jennifer Snead Chavez

I suffered a heart attack three years ago. Well, suffered is the word people seem to use most often, but it doesn’t really describe my experience. While it was unpleasant, a tad scary, inconvenient and eye-opening, there was very little suffering on my part. In fact, I think there was a considerably larger amount of suffering for my husband, who was on the outside looking in. My heart goes out to him.

Lately, I have been reflecting on what I’ve learned from this unwanted episode that I now see as a blessing. (Really, I do.) I thought I’d jot a few insights down:

If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. That may be cliché, but it’s very true.
When your intuition says something is wrong, it probably is. Listen to the messages your body and mind are sending you.
Get your cholesterol checked.
Nurses are the BEST. They can make or break your hospital experience, and the numerous nurses I had treating me were wonderfully kind and compassionate.
Ambulance rides are not nearly as fun as you think they’re going to be.
A good EMT is crucial. I didn’t have a good one, and by the time we reached the hospital, my blood had sprayed everywhere, I had faulty information from the tests done enroute to the hospital, my blood pressure was higher than when we started, because the EMT screamed, “Hurry. It’s an emergency!” over my head, and my husband almost lost his mind giving the driver directions to the hospital.
Naps are my friend.
Every moment with my kids is precious. I think I knew this before my “little incident,” but it’s crystal clear now. Enjoy every moment, even the small ones. That’s the key to a happy life. Also, tell them and the rest of your family you love them. Say it every day. Even if they roll their eyes, say it. It’s important.
Nothing tests a relationship like a major crisis. My husband was a rock star during the whole experience. People keep asking me what he did that was so amazing, and the best way I can describe it is to say that he went through everything with me. I was never alone and never afraid, because he was right there with me.
God does exist. I am not a particularly religious person, but I do believe in God, and I felt him there with me. There really wasn’t a time I thought this was it for me. I probably should have, but I think God gave me the peace I needed to make it through.
When you come out of a major heart procedure, don’t tell them you feel pain in your heart. That will only panic everyone, and they’ll do the whole procedure again. I’m glad they did it, because it’s better to be safe than sorry, but YIKES… it’s no fun! That mistake leads me to another lesson. A good spouse will sit there and hold the vomit bag for you all night, if necessary. Mine did.
It’s times like this that you find out who your friends are. It takes a village, and my village was there for me. I am so grateful for each and every one of them.
Elderly people are fun. I now have five 70-something “boyfriends” I work out with three days a week at cardiac rehab. I have been privileged to get to know them while we walk next to each other on treadmills. Without this incident, I would have never met these folks, and I’m so glad to know them.