Regional Medical Center | Thrive for Life | Winter 2018

HEARTFELT ADVICE BLOOD PRESSURE High blood pressure makes your heart and blood vessels work harder. CHOLESTEROL Unhealthy levels can raise your risk of a heart attack. BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) BMI is an estimate of your body fat based on your weight and height. BLOOD SUGAR When your blood sugar is high, it can lead to diabetes, which is a major risk factor for heart attack. GET YOUR HEART HEALTHY. Visit rmccares.org to find a primary care physician or cardiologist or to learn more about RMC’s cardiac services and cardiac rehab program. You and your family are also invited to join us for RMC Heart Day on Thursday, Feb. 22, at RMC Anniston and RMC Jacksonville. Visit rmccares.org/heartday or see page 15 for more info. Sources: American Heart Association; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Talk with your doctor about your personal risk of heart disease. Here are four types of numbers to know—and to keep an eye on: Know your numbers LIFE CAN CHANGE in a heartbeat. Just ask 69-year-old Joanna Jones. Without warning, Jones had a heart attack while at work on Jan. 25, 2017. Sitting at her desk where she has worked as a billing clerk for 22 years in the office of internist Wilfredo Grana, MD, Jones thought the lemonade at lunch had given her indigestion. A co- worker took her blood pressure: 220/140. Her EKG was abnormal as well. On Jan. 31, she had coronary artery bypass surgery at RMC Anniston. “I was not a nice patient,” recalls Jones. “I didn’t feel bad and I’d had no pain. Looking back, though, I recognize now how short of breath I was.” A mother of three daughters and grandmother to five, Jones is also a wife and caregiver for her husband, Henry, who is living with a colostomy. After meeting in college at Auburn University, they moved to Anniston in 1969 and will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in March 2018. ‘It’s like one big family’ “RMC is so fortunate to have Dr. Yamamuro,” says Jones. “I felt confident and trusted in his skills and experience, with high praise from Dr. Grana.” Masumi Yamamuro, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at RMC Anniston. “And the rehab girls are so good, so patient and encouraging...it’s like one big family!” she continues. “If I had to have this experience, I was glad to be here.” Today, her heart still beats for her loved ones and her office family. Jones has lost 35 pounds...so far! She loves to read and enjoys piano and sewing when she’s not spending time with her husband, daughters or grandkids. “Now I have a ‘new’ heart and a second chance to make a difference in other people’s lives.” In a heartbeat 7 rmccares.org