Marylou Streznewski felt healthy for most
of her life. At the age of 72, she was
more than surprised to learn she had life-threatening
heart disease.
"I had always been active, never
smoked and didn't carry much extra
weight," she says, "but I was having
some symptoms that were puzzling."
Like many women, she didn't
experience the classic signs of heart
disease such as crushing chest pain.
Instead she felt unusually tired, short
of breath and anxious. She also had
throat pain and heart palpitations.
The symptoms of heart disease are often
so subtle in women that they don't recognize
them. "Women are so used to pushing
things aside when it comes to themselves," notes
Ms. Streznewski, MEd, a writer, teacher and grateful
patient of the Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital.
"Dr. [Renee] Sangrigioli referred me to
a surgeon immediately," says Ms. Streznewski.
Ms. Streznewski needed a complicated valve replacement
and triple bypass surgery, but she
considers herself lucky that state-of-the-art
procedures were available in her
community at the Heart Institute.
Today, Ms. Streznewski is
committed to a healthy lifestyle and
has nothing but high praise for the
cardiac rehabilitation programs at
Doylestown Hospital and the Health
and Wellness Center by Doylestown
Hospital at Warrington.
With a focus on exercise and
nutrition, these programs give patients
the strength and confidence they need
to bounce back from a cardiac event.
"I noticed that when people first came
to cardiac rehab, they were weak and frightened,
but after just two weeks in the program,
they were feeling good about themselves," concludes
Ms. Streznewski.
Marylou Streznewski is a member of the Friends of the
Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital with a special
interest in patient education and advocacy.
