Women pack social centre to learn more about heart health

By Rob Vogt

It was an evening to share information on heart health for women.
Approximately 100 women turned out for the second annual Women and Heart Disease Information Night on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the Claresholm Social Centre.
Organizer Mary Holgate opened the evening by welcoming everyone and sharing her own personal story.
She discussed having a heart attack and how its effects remain long after.
“Life has had its challenges lately”, she noted. “Lots of things can happen to you because of a bad heart.”
Four months ago Holgate began experiencing headaches and bad vision, so she sought medical attention.
Because she is a heart patient, she said, the first thing she was told was that she was out of heart medication.
In September she was back in the emergency room, with a pain in her side. She was told she pulled a muscle.
Then, in October her doctor called, advising her that her kidneys were at a 19. Kidney dialysis starts when a 15 is reached.
Holgate began to make arrangements for her own celebration of life. She talked to the funeral home and the flower shop.
She still went to work though.
On Oct. 14, she left work at the auction market in Stavely because she was not feeling well.
She got to a nearby stop sign when her vision was gone.
“Everything was white,” she said.
At that point, Holgate almost hit a semi. She called the auction market asking they send two people.
They came, but not before calling 911.
An ambulance came and took Holgate to Claresholm General Hospital.
Her kidneys were now at a six.
Staff gave her two intravenous bags of fluid, and she ended up having three in total.
“My kidneys started to come back,” Holgate said.
She started to get better, and went for a lot of blood tests.
Ironically, the medication she now took for her kidneys was not good for her heart, while the medication for her heart was not good for her kidneys.
That meant if her kidneys were good, her heart wasn’t, and vice versa.
Holgate could still not eat, had pain in her stomach, and lost 50 pounds.
She went back to Claresholm General Hospital and received three more bags of intravenous fluid, and staff thought her pancreas may be the issue.
So she was given water pills.
Soon after, she went to the High River Hospital for an ultrasound.
About three or four days after that, Holgate was in so much pain she could not get off her couch.
She was taken back to High River Hospital, given more intravenous fluids, and saw a doctor who helped her out.
“So today I’m doing okay,” Holgate said. “Life is good.”
However, she has a different approach to her health.
“I no longer depend on someone else,” she said. “I’m my own advocate.
“We need to fight for our answers.”
Holgate was then greeted with a standing ovation.
(For full coverage please see pages two and three of this week’s Claresholm Local Press)