Call 800-554-9550 for
print
page
— Marcia Farmer
Marcia Farmer waved off a feeling of tightness in her chest for almost a week. “If I was walking the dog, I could hardly get home,” the Fenton resident recalls. “But when I sat down, the feeling went away, so I thought I was fine and just out of shape.”
After taking a nuclear stress test on a treadmill and having her heart rhythm monitored, Farmer underwent a cardiac catheterization to clear her artery. Five weeks later, she was regularly walking and breathing easier.
“I quit smoking almost immediately,” she says. “I’m taking better care of myself and I like how I feel again. It was a close call. I’m glad I didn’t wait too long to see my doctor.”
Women's Health Services
Cardiac Health Program
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your fate. Although you lack the power to change some risk factors, you can control your lifestyle choices.
Risk Factors
Uncontrollable risk factors include:
- heredity
- race
- age
Major controllable risk factors include:
- smoking
- high blood pressure
- high blood cholesterol
- diabetes
- obesity
- physical inactivity
- stress and anger
- excessive alcohol consumption
Lifestyle choices for preventing heart disease include not smoking, exercising, eating a heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and getting regular health screenings for blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Heart Risk Assessment
The Women’s Cardiac Health Program at St. Anthony’s Women’s Specialty Center offers comprehensive risk assessment with a nurse practitioner. This assessment will include:
- a cholesterol and glucose test
- a discussion about family and personal medical history
- a review of healthy lifestyle choices
- height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference measurements
Following the assessment, a nurse practitioner will assist you with an individualized plan for developing a heart-healthy lifestyle.
To schedule an appointment with the nurse practitioner, call 314-525-1800.
For information or a physician referral, please call 800-554-9550 or visit our online physician referral.
At St. Anthony's, our vision is to be the area's premier health care organization — and your first choice for health care services.