New Skirts, Heart Attack Symptoms

Don't be alarmed by the post title--while I did buy new skirts, I did not have a heart attack!  But I did recently learn something about heart attack symptoms (described later).

Going back to work after the Independence Day holiday was tough, am I right?  I had taken off two days because Tam came to visit!  But at least it was a short week...

Lightening Teal--Wednesday, 7/5/17

A white/cream lightweight short-sleeved cardigan is a real wardrobe workhorse for summer, when it's pleasant to wear a sleeveless top but you want to a bit of coverage in the office.  I could have worn this outfit with my black short-sleeved cardigan, but it's nice to wear a lighter shade in the summer, I think, at least some of the time.  I also liked how the darker purple necklace popped against this pale background.

Outfit cost per wear (OCPW): $17.17

Chambray Grenadine--Thursday, 7/6/17

I had been calling this skirt "coral red" but after reading this blog post from the Vivienne Files about the fall 2017 Pantone colors, I think "grenadine" is a good description, too.  For its debut, I wore it with this rather oversized peplum top that has a bit of that "is she or is she not pregnant?" look about it (I am not pregnant) but that is nice and airy for a 94 F summer day. 

I was in a hurry to wear it, so I didn't wash it first, which turned out to be a HUGE mistake because the fabric was purposely over-dyed such that as you wash it over and over, the color fades from this dark denim-like hue to a lighter, heather-y color.  Well, that over-dying process meant that by the end of the day, my beige bra and parts of my arms/chest were dyed blue.  Robert scrubbed my skin until it was red instead of blue, and I let the bra soak in soapy water for a few days until we got some OxiClean to wash it with.  After washing, the blue on the bra had mostly faded except for a slight hint around the area that fits under the arms.  OK, lesson learned.  When I did end up washing the shirt for the first time, I did so in a load of all blue items in case it wanted to share its dye with others.

*Coral red skirt (JCP), $11.89
*Chambray blue peplum top (Kohls), $17.49

OCPW: $35.75

From theviviennefiles.com

Peplum Butterflies--Friday, 7/7/17

I hadn't planned to purchase two stretchy pencil skirts in such similar colors, but I really liked both of them, so one coral red skirt and one salmon pink skirt it is.  This salmon pink one is a bit longer--definitely below the knee--and has an interesting ribbed texture to it.  None of the pinks in the scarf or ballet flats really matched it, but what the hell. 

And again with the loose cotton knit not-really-maternity top because my office was ridiculously warm.  My office mate and I found out from the custodian--when he walked into our office and was like "ugh, this is uncomfortable"--that this was partially due to the air conditioning in the building not working right.  He unlocked this inconspicuous little box on the wall that I'd never noticed, which apparently contains the thermostat, and set it down a few degrees, but said that we probably wouldn't get much relief until the A/C was back in action 100%. 

*Salmon pink skirt (JCP), $16.79

OCPW: $25.19

For your photo of the day, here is a set of mallard chicks from a nearby nature preserve in May.

In other news...A couple days ago I read a blog post about a 32 year old healthy postpartum woman who had a heart attack.  Weird, right?  From her post, I learned that women do not always have the classic "sudden pain in chest and arm" heart attack experience, but instead can have a wide array of symptoms that can actually be difficult to diagnose as a heart attack. 

So here is a short list of heart attack symptoms in women from the American Heart Association:

–Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
–Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
–Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
–Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
–As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort.  But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

According to the Women's Heart Association, "71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu - often with no chest pain at all."

Here are a few other links to check out on this topic:
3 subtle heart attack symptoms (Cleveland Clinic)
Women's heart attack symptoms (WebMD)
Another woman's heart attack story in the NYT

It's scary to learn that you can have a heart attack and it's not totally obvious.  Yikes!

This article about the heart attack gender gap reports that women have lower heart attack survival rates than men, and makes a couple of important points:
(1) "Women may overlook even the classic heart attack symptoms, like chest pain and pressure...[and] tend to minimize their symptoms and delay seeking treatment."  So don't ignore the symptoms!
(2) "A recent study of nearly 50,000 people ages 65 or older who were hospitalized for heart disease (often a heart attack)...found that compared with men, women were less likely to receive potentially beneficial medications such as aspirin and cholesterol-lowering drugs, or to receive advice about quitting smoking."

They also offer this handy guide to heart attack symptoms:
 

Is it a heart attack? Know the typical—and atypical—signs. Pain or pressure in the center of the chest that may radiate to the neck, jaw, or left arm is the most common symptom of a heart attack. But it doesn't always occur. Some people experience nonclassic symptoms, and these may be slightly more frequent in women than men, as well as in older people.
Classic Symptoms	Nonclassic Symptoms
Pressure, aching, or tightness in the center of the chest Pain or discomfort that radiates to the upper body, especially shoulders or neck and arms Sweating	Shortness of breath Weakness Nausea or vomiting Dizziness Back pain Unexplained fatigue