Sister to Sister

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Okay, so full disclosure: The first time I heard “get screened for heart disease,” I pictured going to a hospital and getting hooked up to an EKG machine and giving 12 pints of blood or something. My imagination ran wild!

Turns out, getting screened for heart disease is no big deal.

I got screened (for free!) at the Baltimore Convention Center during Sister to Sister’s annual Women’s Heart Health Fair this past February (during National Heart Health Month). I must’ve watched a few hundred women go ahead of me while I sold Sister to Sister T-shirts at a nearby booth and worked up my courage to get in line.

Here’s how it went down: First, the nurse measured my waist (no hiding my muffin top from her!), calculated my Body Mass Index (BMI) based on my weight and height, and took my blood pressure. Then, she pricked my finger to get a drop of blood—I swear it didn’t hurt—and processed it in some kind of machine to check my cholesterol and blood glucose (for diabetes).

Ping! After a few short minutes, the machine spit out a printout of my numbers. Then, I sat down with a medical counselor who explained each risk factor and what my numbers had to say about it.

I quickly realized that my doctor gave me these same tests at my annual physical and that my insurance covered them. I simply hadn’t been paying attention. (Can you relate?) How irresponsible of me not to have taken responsibility for my own health information sooner!

I wasn’t surprised to learn that my weight was the number-one thing putting me at risk for heart disease. Still, seeing my numbers in black and white and getting screened gave me the kick in the pants I needed to make some changes. So did getting screened together with my co-workers who care about me.

It’s a new day in Monica-land. My “ah ha” moment has put me firmly on the path to heart health. Want to come along for the ride?