Fear is common for heart disease survivors, but for women diagnosed with atrial fibrillation the fear can be overwhelming. “You are scared, your family is scared, and you just don’t know if something else is going to happen,” explains Mellanie True Hills, founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and the atrial fibrillation patient…
Embrace Your Heart™ Champions stand up to the stigma of heart disease and use their stories of survival to make a difference. Meet EYH Champion Mellanie True Hills of Texas “Heart disease is forever; once you have it, you’re at risk for more heart disease. Just prevent it.” “Surprisingly, having blood clots and a near-stroke…
Understanding what triggers your atrial fibrillation episodes can help keep them under control. “We are in our infancy in learning what causes and what triggers afib,” explains Mellanie True Hills, founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and the atrial fibrillation patient resource StopAfib.org. But paying attention to your body can help shed light…
The first course of treatment for most people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation is management through medication. Patients are usually prescribed a combination of three types of drugs to control the heart rate and/or rhythm and to manage the risk of blood clots and stroke. Medication cannot cure afib, and must be taken consistently over your…
Medication cannot cure atrial fibrillation. For those looking for a cure, Mellanie True Hills, Founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and the patient’s resource StopAfib.org, suggest discussing the following options with your doctor. (Information courtesy of StopAfib.org) Catheter Ablation is done by an electrophysiologist (a cardiologist specializing in heart rhythms) in the electrophysiology…
So you’ve scheduled a surgical ablation to cure your atrial fibrillation, but do you know how to best prepare for the procedure? Make time to do the following things before your surgery: Go Buy A New Bra. In fact, go buy a few. You will want to wash them often to be sure you are…
Welcome to the Patient’s Perspective! The Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative presents teleconferences addressing a specific challenge faced by women living with heart disease. The result: a wealth of information to share and a publication. “Having the opportunity to share our experiences and challenges is empowering. Providing the information to other patients and to healthcare…
Knowing she was at risk for stroke made Patty Borkowski’s daily headaches worrisome. How do you tell a headache brought on by eye strain or an afternoon drop in blood sugar and from a medical emergency? “At approximately 3:15 every afternoon, I thought I was suffering a stroke. I’d be at the computer pounding away…
Bruising is a fact of life for women living on blood thinners. Embarrassment about your bruises doesn’t have to be. Women living on blood thinners are no strangers to bruising. A tight shoe, a light bump against a chair or an over zealous thigh slap while laughing can cause a nasty-looking mark that can be…
Your personal story combined with recommendations for realistic lifestyle changes was very powerful.
Eye-opening and Inspirational.
Enlightening information attendees will share with colleagues
I thought, If Eliz can do it, so can I.
Stunning insights into why work-life balance isn’t working.
My favorite part was all of the stats you had to show what increased your odd of heart disease and how you could decrease your odds. It worked out I was actually going grocery shopping yesterday so it helped to have that in the front of my mind to make sure to get some “grow foods” when I was there too.
Really practical, easy to apply tips. And they almost always fit into my busy life.