By Mary Ann Carson
For The Independent

Aug. 14, 2000, was my husband's 51st birthday and the day of the county 4-H livestock sale. My husband is a large-animal veterinarian, and we always participate in the sale, so he was planning to come home early.

He never reached home that afternoon. The neighbors came to tell me he had been seriously hurt in a truck accident and was on his way to the hospital by ambulance. I immediately headed for the hospital.

While I was driving, I began to experience pressure across my left shoulder and down my left arm.

By the time I got to the hospital, the pressure had escalated to a crushing tightness down my left arm, and I was sweating so profusely my clothes were soaked.

As I was ushered into the ER, I could hear my husband at the other end of the room. I called to him that I was there but couldn't be with him because I, too, was having problems. The emergency room doctor and nurses started immediate treatment and, in all probability, saved my life.

Within 24 hours, a local cardiologist placed a stent in my artery that had approximately 90 percent blockage. Our family physician asked if my husband and I would like to be in an ICU room together, and even in the midst of trauma, humor helps. I said, "If I don't have to get up and wait on him, it'll be great."

My husband was nursing four broken ribs, internal bleeding and bruising and was in much more pain than I was. My discomfort throughout the heart attack and recovery was minimal. Once home from the hospital, our daughter and my mom cared for us 24 hours a day. Our family, friends and clients helped us recover physically, financially and emotionally, for which we're forever grateful.

In my case, I recovered physically fairly rapidly, but emotionally I was a wreck. Having a heart attack was always my worst fear. My dad died at 41 with a sudden heart attack, and his dad died at 42 of an apparent heart attack. We had an autopsy done on Dad in hopes of saving his two living brothers and sister. Cardiovascular disease was the cause, but it was too late to save his younger brother, who died just a few years later of heart problems.

I then lost nearly 40 pounds and lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol but continued to have depression and anxiety. Coming to terms with my own mortality both emotionally and spiritually was very hard, as it is with many people who've lived through a life-threatening illness or accident. I also thought I could control my cardiovascular disease with just healthy eating and exercise. I went off my medications and didn't go for my scheduled stress tests because of anxiety.

I was wrong, almost dead wrong.

On Aug. 11, 2003, I had my second heart attack, almost three years to the day after my first one. This time, my symptoms were a little different severe heartburn and nausea. I again experienced profuse sweating.

The hospital again administered lifesaving procedures, and two stents were placed in arteries in the lower chamber of my heart by a local cardiologist. The first time I saw our family physician in the hospital after my second heart attack, he gave me great advice. He said, "You've had one strike. You've had two strikes. Three strikes, you're out."

I've never forgotten his words. It's the best advice I've ever had.

Most of my life, I maintained a healthy weight for my height and bone structure, but before each heart attack, I had gained nearly 40 pounds. Also, my total cholesterol usually ran between 160 and 170. At the time of my heart attacks, it jumped up to 210, with the LDL (bad cholesterol) level being above the normal guidelines. In addition, my blood pressure was always a little high when it was taken in the doctor's office, but at home the pressure would be in the normal range.

Now I had not only been given a second chance but a third chance as well, and I knew I had to take responsibility for my life and make good this time. I had to reshape my whole life. Food, I realized, had become a socially accepted addiction. I ate when I was sad. I ate when I was mad, and I really ate when I wanted to celebrate anything.

Joining an organized weight loss program with a motivational leader and group support helped me stop my feeding frenzies and control my destructive eating addictions. It also helped me eat a balanced diet and control portion sizes. Like the old saying, I'm now "eating to live instead of living to eat."

Exercise has become part of my daily routine. I use a variety of exercises to keep fit, such as walking, jogging, bicycling, treadmill and aerobic tapes. Yoga has also become a must in my life. With the help of a great teacher, yoga taught me I can relax my mind and body and I can control my reaction to stress.

The combination of great modern medicines and medical care, faith, family and friends, a healthy diet and daily exercise saved my life. It can save yours, too. Don't wait until you have an emergency, like I did, to care for your heart and cardiovascular system.

My journey back has at times been an uphill battle, but it was worth the climb. The view from the top is breathtaking.

Call your doctor for a checkup today. Your heart is worth it. Every minute of life is a precious gift. Don't waste it.