The story of a woman in Michigan emphasizes serious risks to women’s heart health

TROY, Mich. – Friday in February is National Wear Red Day – an annual effort by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of cardiac risks.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in both men and women. It is estimated that one in three women lives with some type of cardiovascular disease.

READ: #GoRedForWomen: National Wear Red Day raises awareness of heart health

Kristy Sidlar, a resident of Troy, was young and athletic when her first symptom appeared.

“Many people who have the same condition as I have, their first sign or symptom is sudden death,” said Sidlar. “I was a very fit and very active young woman teaching aerobics when I was 26. I literally passed out in front of my class. “

She said people said it was probably dehydration or low blood sugar.

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When it happened again, she went to the doctor, received medication and was told to listen to her body when it came to exercise.

On her 31st birthday, she went on a bike ride as part of training for an oncoming triathlon.

“I felt like my heart rate was going at an abnormal pace and it was annoying at first, but then it got really bad,” said Sidlar. “To the point where I was actually lying on the side of the road alone. Nobody around. That was when I didn’t have a cell phone with me. “

She said she lay on the floor for 45 minutes, losing consciousness and losing consciousness, until another cyclist found her and called 911.

The paramedics made her heart go back to normal. It was beating more than five times the normal heart rate.

“I have arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy of the right ventricle, which essentially means that the right side of my heart – instead of looking like a healthy cardiac muscle – basically looks like a sponge,” said Sidlar. “The more this disease progresses, the more enlarged my heart becomes, which allows my heart not to beat effectively”.

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Sidlar now has a defibrillator implanted. She can’t exercise like she used to, but she has a taste for life, loves to travel and has a sense of adventure.

“I have had heart failure for probably about five years,” said Sidlar. “Unfortunately, the disease I have is progressive. Therefore, I will be on the heart transplant list. “

READ: Full coverage of the heart month

Sidlar wants women of all ages to understand that heart disease is also their problem.

“It is a great passion to be able to help women to understand that this is not a disease of men. We have different symptoms, we have to take care of ourselves differently ”, said Sidlar. “Know your family’s history and numbers – these two things are critical.”

This includes your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body mass index. It also encourages everyone to learn CPR by hand

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READ: 2 steps to save a life – CPR only with your hands

If you have any symptoms of heart disease, seek help.

“We really need to be defenders of ourselves and our bodies to make sure that if we know something is wrong, we are pushing for it,” said Sidlar.

Although many women with heart problems experience chest pain or discomfort, there are also many who do not.

Some other warning signs are shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, back or jaw pain, dizziness or fainting and unusual fatigue.

If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, don’t ignore them. Seek help.

READ: Detroit metropolitan doctor encourages people to pay more attention to heart health

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The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement encourages people to act throughout February wearing red on February 5, making a donation to the American Heart Association and using #WearRedDay, #HeartMonth and #GoRedForWomen on social media.

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