This post is something I’ve been wanting to share with you all for a couple months. Health and wellness is so important at all ages but even more so now in my life.
And yes, if you follow me for fashion, I will share what I’m wearing, because I like to look good and be comfortable while I exercise.
I also like to get the most wear out of my wardrobe, so when I make a purchase, I think about how many ways I can wear each item I’m wanting to get. This outfit is a wonderful example of how my mind works in my closet.
It also is one of my favorite type outfits to travel with.
And here’s why!
I wore this top and pants for an evening of cocktails and dinner with family and friends. I pair these two pieces with a black blazer and some strappy black heels for the fall season. When it gets cooler outside, I’d change out the blazer for a black leather biker jacket (faux leather, if you don’t care for the real kind) and black booties.
Then when I get up the next day to go workout, walk or do some yoga, I would wear these pieces like I’m wearing them here. I actually wore these when I was in Greenville, North Carolina a couple weeks ago. I then jumped in the car and drove home to go to dinner with the kids downtown in Atlanta. I just grabbed a denim jacket and left the rest of the outfit the same. (I get so cold in a lot of the restaurants, so I always try and carry something to wear when I get chilly.)
So there is the outfit, but what I want to talk to you about is way more important, because it’s information that can be life saving.
Back in April my husband had quadruple bypass surgery. They told us he was a walking time bomb. What is scary is that if it hadn’t been found with an Electron CT Scan, he most definitely would have had a heart attack. He had no symptoms or any issues. He felt the best he had in years, his blood work and labs came back the best they had in since he was in his early 30’s. We now understand why it is called the “silent killer”
Let’s back up here a bit. I’ve for the most part have lived an active lifestyle. My husband was very active when he was younger, but as he worked and traveled, it became less and less. It was a little over a year ago we had some extreme stress in our family. I was walking my stress out which gave me time to think and pray. My two sons and daughter decided to get my husband an Apple Watch. And so the competition began between my older and younger sons and my husband. Matt started walking with me, in fact he got even more obsessed with walking than I was. He felt really good mentally and physically and even lost a little weight. He went for his bi-annual check up at the Dr., and everything was perfect. That day as he was leaving the Dr’s, he was told he didn’t need any meds any more. YAY! The Dr gave Matt a Groupon for an Electron CT Scan that cost $25 and said he wanted a baseline for Matt’s heart health. Easy enough.
When Matt was in his 30’s he had marginal high blood pressure and cholesterol and took meds for them. The Dr. we had had at the time had marginal numbers like Matt and had a heart attack. He told Matt as preventative care he wanted him on these two medications. And that’s what he has taken, but now with the weight loss and physical activity they weren’t needed.
Matt came home and for about 2 weeks that Groupon sat on the table. We talked about him going and getting the scan, and finally the appointment was made. As he was making the appointment, he was asked, if I would be coming along with him. Matt told them yes, and they in turn told Matt, “we can scan your wife while she’s here as well”. Wow, what a deal! We would both get a heart scan, and it would only be $12.50 a piece.
A couple days later we were off to get our scans done. We walked in, and we were told how this type of scan works. I will tell you it’s quite interesting what these scans can see and what problems can be detected very early on. Then we were told the cost for the scans. Yes, we had to sit through a hard sell to get us to buy into these scans for the next 10 years. We politely declined but were respectful in hearing them out. We listened as they did tell us that a healthy heart score would range from 0-300. If it was anything over 300, we would receive a call from them. It was an hour later when we finally did get our scans. The scan literally took 5 minutes, and off we headed home.
That evening we sat home eating dinner, and laughed about sitting an hour for a 5 minute scan. And why we really shouldn’t have been surprised, because it was only $25 total. So during dinner Matt received an email from the scan, and although he was looking for zeros, he saw the number 1783. Right after that the research began and didn’t end until 8 hours later. It made for a very long night.
The next day Matt dropped in on our Family Practice Dr who said not to worry and to start taking a baby aspirin and to get back on the cholesterol medicine. The kids and I highly suggested he go to a cardiologist for a quick checkup and peace of mind. The appointment was made, a stress test was done, nothing major but at the very end the cardiologist said there were a couple of slight depressions on the test, and he couldn’t give Matt a passing score. Nothing major, but he wanted him to have a nuclear stress test. The next morning we were up and at the hospital at 5am for that nuclear stress test, and we were told we wouldn’t have the results until Monday. It had already been the craziest week! I will have to tell you we weren’t stressed, maybe a little unnerved wanting to know what the results were. All the while though, with each test Matt felt wonderful, no pain, no shortness of breath, no chest pain. Nothing to suggest there were any issues. We felt pretty sure all would be well. I mean, machines make mistakes just like people do. So the cardiologist called and said he had studied the nuclear stress test results, and that he wanted Matt to get a heart catheterization to see what was causing the abnormalities under stress in the test. To make this long story a little shorter, the heart catheterization shocked everyone and showed 6 blockages, (2) 95%, (2) 75% and (2) 50%. They wouldn’t even let Matt out of the hospital and did a quadruple bypass 4 days later.
Everything went very well, and now we’re back to a new normal, exercising each day. Exercising for us both is our new normal not only for our health, but our well being as a couple. We are learning to challenge each other and help one another do a better job in managing our day to day lives. We both work from home, and that can be hectic and frenzied. Part of heart disease is hereditary, but another factor that plays a huge role is stress. Learning how to manage stress through exercise and self-care is not only good for your heart, but it does wonders for your mind and soul.
As alway Thank you for following me and taking the time to be part of my life. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether this was helpful for you? And if you have had or would consider having an Electron CT Scan? Just leave your comments below.
XO
Photographer/Olga Mohr
Top/here
Sneakers/similar here
Earrings/similar here
