As the director of marketing for Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, Kurt Conover is constantly spreading the word about ways to prevent heart disease and keeping people informed about the medical center’s health care services.
(Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)
But the Land O’ Lakes man knows that despite his efforts, not everyone gets the message — or, even if they do, they don’t always listen.
That’s even true for family members, said Conover, who lost his brother, Gerrit Conover, to a heart attack on Aug. 25, 2011.
Conover said he became aware that his brother — who was being seen by a cardiologist — wasn’t keeping his appointments or filling his prescriptions on a regular basis.
Conover decided to use a gentle approach to get his 59-year-old brother to get back on track. Instead of confronting him, he encouraged Gerrit to swing by to see him, next time he went in to see the doctor.
But that never happened.
Instead, Gerrit, a retired military officer, collapsed and died of a heart attack shortly after returning home from a motorcycle ride with a friend.
In retrospect, Conover said he thinks he should have been more insistent with his brother — should have demanded that he go to see his doctor.
While they were growing up, he and Gerrit always had each other’s back, Conover said.
“We were real tight. My sisters used to always tease because whenever there was a fight taking place, it would always be us two against whoever it was. We’d be like a tag team.”
But when it came to life’s biggest battle, Gerrit didn’t tell his brother about the symptoms he was experiencing.
As it turns out, Gerrit was logging his symptoms, but no one saw the log until after he had died.
Gerrit was a Vietnam veteran and a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. His survivors include daughters, Michelle and Kristen; brothers Wolf, Donald and Kurt; sisters, Mary Anne and Peggy; and other relatives.
He’s one of an estimated 460,000 who suffer a fatal heart attack each year, according to statistics reported by MedicineNet.com.
Most of the deaths from heart attacks are caused by ventricular fibrillation of the heart that occurs before the victim of the heart attack can reach an emergency room, the website adds.
The American Heart Association reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, one in every four deaths is caused by heart disease, according to the association’s statistics.
The numbers portray an even grimmer situation for women.
Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. And, fewer women than men survive their first heart attack, the association reports.
Part of the reason for the higher rate of fatalities among women is that the symptoms of heart attack can be different in women than men, and are often misunderstood even by physicians, the association adds.
That’s why it’s so important to become educated, Conover said.
Even though his brother died more than three years ago, the pain of his loss remains fresh, said Conover, who hopes he can transform his loss into something good.
Those who think either they or a loved one are experiencing a heart attack need to call 9-1-1, Conover said.
Time is of the essence, he said. When emergency personnel arrive they can begin communicating a patient’s vital signs to the hospital, and the hospital can begin to assemble its cardiac team, Conover said.
The faster the treatment, the better the chance for saving heart muscle and having better medical outcomes, he explained.
The American Heart Association helps to raise awareness about these important issues by declaring February as American Heart Month.
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has arranged a series of Tuesday Tutorials over the course of several Tuesdays, covering various heart health issues.
One recent tutorial, “Intimacy and the Heart,” attracted 115 people, Conover said.
The hospital also celebrated National Wear Red Day on Feb. 7, with scores of employees and volunteers observing the day.
Symptoms of heart attack in men
Chest feel pain feels like “an elephant is sitting on your chest; the squeezing sensation may come and go, or may be constant and intense
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Shortness of breath, you feel like you can’t get enough air, even when you’re resting
- Dizziness, or feeling like you’re going to pass out
- Breaking out in a cold sweat
- Stomach discomfort, like indigestion
Remember, each heart attack is different, so your symptoms may not fit the cookie-cutter description.
Source: American Heart Association
Symptoms of heart attack in women
In a multicenter study of 515 women who had a heart attack, published in the journal Circulation, the most frequently reported symptoms did not include chest pain. Instead, women reported unusual fatigue, sleep disturbances and anxiety, with nearly 80 percent reporting at least one symptom for more than a month before the heart attack. Other symptoms more common in women include:
- Unusual fatigue for several days; or a sudden, severe fatigue
- Anxiety and sleep disturbances
- Lightheadedness and/or shortness of breath
- Indigestion or gas-like pain
- Upper back or shoulder pain; possibly throat pain
- Jaw pain or pain that spreads up to the jaw
- Pressure or pain in the center of the chest that may spread to the arm
Stroke Warning Signs
Spot a stroke F.A.S.T, by looking for these signs:
- Face drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
- Arm weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- Speech difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “the sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
- Time to call 9-1-1: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.
Source: The American Heart Association
Published February 25, 2015
