Pampering4life Helpful Tips: Surviving A Storm

In light of the last couple of weeks. I was fortunate enough to survive storm sandy but I must say it was very difficult at times living without power, heat, and still trying to deal with the bitter cold. I was not prepared to adjust my life in such a way I felt like I was on the island of survivor, but needless to say this is life way of teaching you lessons. It was truly a lesson for me but thank God I'm BACK!! Enjoy the helpful tips to keep you informed regardless of the storm.

Analyze Your Risk and Make a Plan

Gather together with your family and discuss the possible disasters that could affect you and your home. For instance, flooding and high winds often go hand-in-hand with hurricanes.

 

Identify meeting points for your family. If the storm strikes while you're separated, everyone should know where to go. Also identify a contact person who lives far enough away that they likely wouldn't be affected by the same storm system as you.

 

Examine your insurance policies and make certain they cover you in the event of a storm-related emergency. According to NOAA, homeowners insurance generally does not cover flooding damage.

 

Create a Survival Kit

Stockpile water and nonperishable or packaged foods. NOAA recommends one gallon of water daily for each person for three to seven days as well as enough food to last that long. Have something on hand to use for cooking, such as a propane-powered camp stove.

Collect all your important documents -- birth certificates, car titles, property deeds -- and store them in a safe place, preferably with some emergency cash. Also, remember blankets, clothes, flashlights and other non-food items you think you might need.

 

Obtain a battery-powered radio to monitor weather updates. Radio broadcasts generally also provide information from local emergency management officials.

 

Secure Your Home

Bolt all doors and ensure they are secure as possible.

Close and lock all windows.

Use impact-resistant shutters or board up windows if you are afraid of flying debris from the storm.

Pampering4life Health Tips: Heart Attack

A heart attack occurs if the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked. If blood flow isn't restored quickly, the section of heart muscle begins to die.
Heart attacks are a leading killer of both men and women in the United States. The good news is that excellent treatments are available for heart attacks. These treatments can save lives and prevent disabilities.
Heart attack treatment works best when it's given right after symptoms occur. If you think you or someone else is having a heart attack, call 9–1–1 right away.

Overview

Heart attacks most often occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque (plak) builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.
When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis (ath-er-o-skler-O-sis). The buildup of plaque occurs over many years.
Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture (break open) inside of an artery. This causes a blood clot to form on the plaque's surface. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery.
If the blockage isn't treated quickly, the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery begins to die. Healthy heart tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This heart damage may not be obvious, or it may cause severe or long-lasting problems.

Heart With Muscle Damage and a Blocked Artery

Figure A shows a heart with dead heart muscle caused by a heart attack. Figure B is a cross-section of a coronary artery with plaque buildup and a blood clot.

A less common cause of heart attack is a severe spasm (tightening) of a coronary artery. The spasm cuts off blood flow through the artery. Spasms can occur in coronary arteries that aren't affected by atherosclerosis.
Heart attacks can be associated with or lead to severe health problems, such as heart failure and life-threatening arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs).
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Arrhythmias are irregular heartbeats. Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening arrhythmia that can cause death if not treated right away.

Get Help Quickly

Acting fast at the first sign of heart attack symptoms can save your life and limit damage to your heart. Treatment works best when it's given right after symptoms occur.
Heart attack symptoms include:

• Chest pain or discomfort. This involves uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center or left side of the chest that can be mild or strong. This discomfort or pain often lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back.
• Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach.
• Shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort.
• Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.

Symptoms also may include sleep problems, fatigue (tiredness), and lack of energy.
If you think you or someone else may be having a heart attack, call 9–1–1 right away. Quick treatment can save your life.
Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room. Take a nitroglycerin pill if your doctor has prescribed this type of treatment.

Outlook

Each year, about 1.2 million people in the United States have heart attacks, and many of them die. CHD, which often results in heart attacks, is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States.
Many more people could survive or recover better from heart attacks if they got help faster. Of the people who die from heart attacks, about half die within an hour of the first symptoms and before they reach the hospital.