Heart disease in women

Heart disease in women is often missed because women do not always experience the commonly associated symptoms of chest pain or discomfort, when they have heart disease.

Cheryl’s story:

Cheryl is 75, a fit and active woman and a keen golfer.

She noticed a sharp pain in her back, between her shoulder blades. At first she thought it was muscle pain but the pain got worse so she went to see her GP.

Her GP sent her for blood tests and other cardiac investigations and found she had heart disease and was at risk of having a heart attack. The pain was caused by the narrowing of one or more of the blood vessels that supplies her heart, which meant the heart muscle could not get enough oxygen.

Cheryl was referred to a heart specialist (cardiologist) and admitted for a day procedure to have a coronary angioplasty and stent implant. The procedure opened the blood vessels of her heart and reduced the chance of a heart attack.

Cheryl was referred for Cardiac Rehabilitation at Connect Health & Community.

She attended the eight-week program of exercise and information about improving her diet and lifestyle.

While in rehab, she met other people in a similar position to her who were diagnosed with heart disease and were recovering from their cardiac events. At first she was nervous about returning to her golf days and other activities, but the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program helped her regain her confidence and understand how to improve her heart health with the aim of preventing any further heart problems.

Cheryl is now playing golf again, and having regular checks with her GP and cardiologist to keep herself healthy.