To my patient and friend. . . a heartfelt message:
- I write this letter in hopes that I can make you understand some insight that I have derived after many years of working with heart attack patients. I have come away with the take home message, "heart attacks do not have to kill and that heart attacks do not have to destroy heart muscle. They do so only because you and I allow this to take place." It is important for you to understand this.... because once having done so the next step is to correct the problem.
I can tell you about cholesterol, hypertension, and cigarette smoking and how controlling these you can prevent the development of blockage within these vessels.... but what I would like to tell you even more so is that it is very important for you to understand that when something is going wrong in one of these vessels and is about ready to take your life and muscle, it is important that you act quickly. When that vessel becomes majorly blocked off, there is at times a disruption that brings about a clot fully closing the vessel. It does not do so immediately, but usually takes place over a period of time. It is this period of time (grace period) that you have to be cognizant about. It is this period of time that you have to listen to your body and act so that damage can be averted with cardioprotective medications. This can he followed by diagnostic tests to tell what the problem is.
It is possible to prevent damage when these signs and symptoms are acted upon. Prevention is a key word in medicine, but it also takes place when you act fast when symptoms are minimal for you to protect the muscular pump that allows for your full life activities.
So my patient and friend be aware what heart attacks are all about. Help prevent the enabling process that takes place. Be in contact with yourself and become an Early Heart Attack Care Giver to yourself and to your loved ones. It is with this thought in mind that I ask you to take this pledge that commits you to action when someone in your presence has the early warning signs of a heart attack. If you do it, you can teach others and together we can form a network which will one day reduce heart disease from being the number one health problem in our Nation.
Take care my patient and friend. You have a lot of life ahead of you. Just tune in for messages, because once in awhile your body is trying to tell you something.
Sincerely,
Raymond D. Bahr, M. D.
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