What do You Do When You Have a Horrible Neighbor?? My Neighbor ATTACKED Me, in Broad Daylight, and walks away Scott-Free...where is the justice in that???

Seriously, this is our gorgeous view!  We just need to get rid of the lunatic next door and we're all set! lol!

So, here we are in ultra-safe Canada, with the craaaziest, most low-life neighbor I've ever had.  How the hell did that happen, in such a serene little town???  A female, too.... sort of.... yuuuck!! A monster, is more accurate... storming up and down the stairs, screaming obscenities all the time, threatening us through the door... who the hell needs this sort of life??  And the kicker is that we looove our little apartment - it couldn't be any prettier.  The view is incredible, the owners are lovely... the location couldn't be better, so great that we can literally leave the car parked for days, and just walk everywhere we need to go.... how great is that?  And then the lunatic comes home, and we can't leave the house for fear of this disgusting thing next door... and in Canada, of course, the dregs of society (and I say this because this thing next door really IS the dregs of society... ugh, how the hell did that happen in Canada, too???  How on earth, when Canada has a fantastic social program, so no one is ever supposed to fall between the cracks??  This maniac, I can hear her pounding up and down the stairs, slamming her doors every time.... idiot freak.  And the other night, we had some truly lovely people over for a visit, and when they left, this disgusting freak starts hammering the walls and shouting more obscenities to scare us... ugh.  People like that should get a Go Straight To Jail, and Never Get Out card, no collecting $200, neither.... keep society safe from hideous cretins like that.  And what is so horrifying about the whole situation is that there is virtually nothing we can do about it... the law favours crazies in Canada, maybe everywhere, who knows... all the crazies I've ever had to deal with in my life have never, ever, been held to task for their horrible behaviour... man.

Okay, that's my rant for the day!! lol!  Do you have a nutcase neighbor??  I hope not, but if you've ever had one, how did you cope with it?  I'm hoping to God this one will move out, this month (fingers crossed!), then we can stay here, because moving is a giant hassle if you love the place (moving is super-easy when you can hardly wait to get away from wherever you are before you make the move, or if you are moving to a phenomenal place..... like my old house that I built in Calgary, Alberta! hahahaha!  This afternoon, I was in my room thinking that my old Master Bedroom was larger than this whole apartment... man, how my life has changed over the years! lol!  I'm not ready to build another house, here, just yet... I need to see just how many lunatics live here, and how much contact will I have to have with Crazies... I'm willing to have ZERO contact with crazies... nobody needs that in their life, it's stooooopid. No more Crazies in my life... there, that seems like an excellent New Years Resolution (that, and more gym time! lol!)

I hope you are having a MUCH better start to the New Year than I am, right now! lol!  And there's a fair bit of irony that we lived in Los Angeles, California, with no danger, for sooo long, and here we have to move back to Canada, land of the free and safe, and have to deal with more actual danger here than anywhere else... I'm gettin' a map out, right now, see where else we can live... somewhere sunny.... and SAFE, with no crraazzzies! lol!

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Well, it's 2 days later... night time, actually, and this f'ing lunatic is shouting at friends of mine (a mom with 2 young girls), who just stopped by to drop off my son's scarf he forgot in their car, and this horrid creep of a monster is in the hall yelling 'SHUT UP at them.... aaargh.  Scared the hell outta my young son -- this has got to stop.  I've already spoken to the owners, and they seem to be trying their best, but I just looked  it up online, what is the landlord's responsibility when a tenant is aggressive?  I need to know.  I was reluctant to go to the police, but now I think I'll have to -- this monster has to be stopped.  I am soooo sick of the horrible people in the world getting away with all their horrible behaviour. Disgusting bastards. Here, I'm supposed to be calm, watch my blood pressure, and it feels like we're living next to a criminal. It's terrible, and no way to live. Not in the lovely land of Canada! It's supposed to be serene up here! Too cold to bother being a criminal.  It's sooo gross.  Can't believe we're dealing with this grossness. How do you deal with a monster?? They have no limits, no boundaries, so how do you make them comply with the law??

There was a good article that said the landlord could evict the aggressive tenant based on a nuisance charge... that would be accurate, to say the least. I wonder if you can email the police?  Would be a great way to just let them know what's going on without taking too much of their time... will go Google that, right now.... wish me luck!  I hope you're havng a waaay better night than I am!!

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So today it's Saturday, so the owner isn't here at our apartment... dammit.  I feel safer when the owner is here... they run a respectable business, downstairs... and the lunatic next door has completely gone crazy, today, screaming outside our front door, and yelling horrible obscenities out side our back door... ugh, what a creep. A gross creep.  It feels so scary, living next to a raving lunatic, like living in a prison without the security of the prison guard... we're alone with the prisoner!!  It's ridiculous to live like this, afraid of a confrontation if we step foot outside our door -- how insane is that??  I told the owner that I wnated them to give the horrid neighbour a written order for her to have no contact with us... but when they're not here, who enforces that?? It's horrifying.

I looked at some property to buy in town, the other night, but I haven't sold my condo in Los Angeles, yet, and I really don't want to juggle two properties, right now... plus, I saw something I didn't mind, but when I buy a house, I have to LOVE it... like how I want to feel the next time I get married! lol!! If I don't love it, I don't want it... same thing for dating...!! hahaha!  Haven't found anything to love, here, either.... partly because it's too f'ing dangerous for us to even leave the house... so sucks.... gotta get this looojer next door the hell outta here, so we can go back to loving it, here... right now, and for the last horrible, terrifying week, we just hate it.  Now that's not a good way to live, and all because of one horrid monster who just skirts the law... and why are the laws so ineffective that one horrid thing can rule over a lot of other people, good, law-abiding, people??  That's not's right.  Something concrete needs to happen to sort this out, solve this ludicrous situation.  Now I'm looking for good luck wishes AND some prayers! lol!

                                                                    * * *

Okay, so it's Sunday, day of rest, right?  Not for us... our disgustingly gross neighbor starts the day screaming obscenities through our door right before we left for Church, then screams even more horrific obscenities at us when we're walking out the front door to Church, and had already gone outside to the parking lot to scream at other Church-Goers... man, what's the rule on how crazy someone has to be to be permanently removed from society???  I think this crazy, filthy lunatic has passed that limit.... will have to contact the police, no other choice... we have to have a safe place to live, and that's that. I'll let you know how that goes... wish me even more luck!! xox!

                                                                 * * *

Well, I just got back from the police station.  that's right, the POLICE STATION.  Because my filthy biiitch of a neighbour actually physically attacked me when I was walking to school to pick up my 12 year old son.  WTF?????  I hate it here!  And there were all sorts of people around, too, and no one came to help.  Thank God I had my cell phone, and had called 911, but this biiiitch-asss was screaming obscenities at me from her car (she had been waiting for me in the parking lot, and followed me to Aidan's school... this creep knows my schedule -- ugh, gross!!)  So this monster pulls her vehicle in front of me, is screaming like a lunatic, jumps out of her car and starts kicking me!  This is pure filth!!!!!  All along, I've been saying this sh*t would happen, that she seemed determined to physically hurt me, and this gross monster has been intimidating us, virtually holding us hostage in this apartment, for months.  Has been an absolute nightmare. So now, Thank God, the police are looking for that filth.  Isn't there some kind of far northern region where those kind of monsters can be left -- let them fight their way with the bears.... the bears would be calling 911, too!

                                                                    * * *

You know, we didn't move to beautiful Banff, Alberta, because we were afraid of the possible bear attacks -- it never occurred to us we'd moce to Belleville, Ontario, and have to watch out for NEIGHBOUR attacks!!  This sucks!!  And now we just had people come into our building who are very suspect... this does not feel safe, at all!!  FML!!

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Wow, so get this... my horrific monster of a neighbor, a female (barely), actually ATTACKS me, physically and verbally, screaming obscenities from her car, pulls in front of me at the Court House in Belleville, Ontario, yesterday, in broad daylight, kicks my leg sooo hard, with her idiotic steel-toed boots, and that biiiitch totally walks away scott-free.  I f'n HATE Canada and their idiotic love of the criminal.  The horrid filthy biiitch comes back to the apartment building, last night, just before midnight, we thought she had been picked up and arrested, but nope, no worries for the filthy criminal element in Belleville, or anywhere in Canada.  ALL the protection goes to the criminal.  So we called the police, they came over, I could hear her laughing and joking with the police, they take her away, we think, okay, it's getting a bit better, at least we're safe from that monster, and about 20 minutes later, who shows up but this biiitch-assss, to get more stuff from her place and take her car home.  Yep.  Free to go.  And this new officer comes in and says she seems so nice. Uh, yeah, she ATTACKED me at 2:33pm in the afternoon, in front of the COURT HOUSE.  OMG.  Filthy beast. So she is free to roam the streets, if she happens to drive in front of me and jump out of her vehicle, in seconds, and start to beat me, again, no problem.  Have at her, in Canada. This place sucks so royally.  Now we are forced to find a new place to live, because there is ZERO safety for us, here.  "Oh, just phone if she's attacking you, again".  Right.  And that takes valuable minutes to get to any crime scene, so in the mean-time, I'm beaten down.  Who the helll makes these rules????? This is a nightmare.

Scottish New Years Meal -- Steak Pie-- Yumm!! #HappyHogmanay!! #GroceryDelivery! #Chocolates! #Yum! #PuffPastry

Scottish Steak Pie (It's Meat, it's a Pie, it's Delicious!)

This is my own version of the Traditional Scottish Steak Pie, the meal Scottish people have at Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, but you can enjoy this delicious and healthy meat pie any time of year : ) In the Traditional Steak Pie (Steak and Kidney Pie), it's full of Steak and Kidneys, which I do not like -- not at all! But I love, love, love Steak Pie, so I adapted it to a more 'North American' taste.

Ingredients:

1 Pound Beef Cubes or Steak (Any nice piece of meat that a good price - it'll all be delicious - a roast, large steaks, Round Steak ... anything)

1 Pound Sausage (I like large English Sausage or Mild Italian Sausage)(I buy the Big Pack - surprise!)

Onion Soup Mix (1 to 2 Packages or 6 Tablespoons of the Onion Soup Mix from the Bulk Package -- from Costco!).... Go easy on the Onion Soup Mix - it can be pretty salty... maybe start with One package, you might add in half of the second package, if you have a lot of meat to cook : )

1 Package of Sliced Mushrooms (If Whole, just Quarter the Mushrooms)

1 Tablespoon Montreal Steak Spice (or Whatever Steak Spice you use -- 1 tsp if it's too salty)

4 Cups of Water

Bisto, Flour or Corn Starch for the Gravy.

Puff Pastry (Just buy the Package at your Local Grocers in the Frozen Pastry Section -- usually over by the Frozen Fruit.)

1 Egg (optional)(Brush it on the Pastry, make it all nice and Golden : )

Salt

Directions:

I use a Large Electric Wok to make the Meat, since it's huge and holds a nice steady heat. I've made it in a Crock Pot, before (pop the meat in before you go out to work...). You can use a Big Skillet, too.

Brown the Sausages. Remove from the Pan and slice. (If you have a George Foreman Grill, or the like, that's even better to remove the ft from the sausages... then brown the steak right after the sausages are done. Mnnn, lovely!)

In the same pan, brown the Meat.

Toss the Mushrooms in on top of the Meat. Cover and simmer a wee bit. (about 5-10 minutes)

Add the Sliced Sausages

Add the Water. Stir in the Onion Soup mix and the Spices.

Turn the Heat down to Simmer.

Cover and leave it for hours and hours. Literally. The longer this cooks, the tastier it is, so if you put it on in the mornign, the steak will be sooo tender by the evening. Yum. (Do I sound hungry??)

When the Steak is cooked nicely (it'll shred easily), remove all fat from the meat and pull apart with a fork. It's easy if you just remove it onto a separate plate. Return Shredded Steak If you have a wee dog, they will love you even more if you share a wee bit with them!

Using a Slotted Spoon, remove all the Meat and Mushrooms from the Pan and place in a Deep Pie Dish. I usually double the batch so I can make enough for Two Big Steak Pies, since that'll make it much easier the next time we have it -- I just put the extra Meat in another Pie Dish and freeze it -- no Pastry on the Frozen Pie.

Make the Gravy. The easiest way to make a nice smooth Gravy is to put a Couple of Tablespoons of Corn Stach and a pinch of Salt into a Tea Cup. Stir the Corn Starch and Salt to make it smooth. Then add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the Liquid (see in the picture?) to the Tea Cup. Stir into the Corn Starch until completely smooth. Add in a bit more at a time until you have about a half-cup of the 'Pre-Gravy' mix. Turn the heat up on the Liquid, then quickly stir in the 'Pre-Gravy' mix. The Gravy will thicken up and be delicious in no time. (Seconds, really...)

Pour the Gravy over the Meat in the Pie Dish.

Puff Pastry: Oh, I love Puff Pastry! Follow the Package Instructions and take it out of the Freezer well in advance. Remove one 'Square' of the Pastry and roll it out on some Parchment Paper (if you have it) with lots of Flour on the Rolling Surface so it won't stick. Put plenty of flour on the rolling pin, too. Roll it to fit the Pie Plate -- about 1/8th of an inch thick.

Place the Pastry on top of the Meat, and trim around the edges. Make little 'slot marks' in the center of the Steak Pie with a sharp knife. If you're feeling creative, shape the extra pieces of Pastry into Leaves and 'glue them' onto the Pie Crust with a wee bit of Egg.

Beat One Egg. Using a Pastry Brush, very lightly 'paint' the egg on the Pastry. (If you are allergic to Eggs, just skip this part and use milk.) Sprinkle a wee bit of Salt on the Pastry with a normal Salt Shaker.

Pop in the Oven for about 45 minutes, to cook the Puff Pastry. Check back at 20 minutes to see how it's doing, and to turn the Pie if you need to. The Finished Steak Pie should be a lovely Golden Brown.

Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Peas. (That's the Traditional Meal -- usually served at Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year.) I make it year-round, because it's delicious and everybody loves it. And now that I've just written all about it, I'm desperate for a wee bit of it, now, so I think I'll make it this week!

I must have some photos of the finished Product, so I'll go through my old Photos to see where it is!

Happy Eating! Ailsa!

The Scottish Diet * The Apple Crumble Diet * More Weight Loss Tips - Fitness at Home - Ailsa's Favorite Recipes

Look who's tried this Recipe:

Hi, Ailsa. I found your web site when looking for a recipe for Steak Pie. My husband loves to get it when we go to a little pub in Napanee. There it is Steak and Kidney, but like yourself, I am not a fan of Kidney. I tried your recipe today-I was afraid of the Puff pastry, as I had never used it before, but it all turned out very well, and my husband loved it.
Where were you born in Scotland? I am origionally from Dundee, but have been in Canada for 40 years.
I don't know where you get the time for all the STUFF for your web site. It is fun reading it.
Best Wishes ...........Helen

Hello, Helen! That's one of my favorite names! Oh, I love Napanee -- so pretty. I think I know the Pub... is it on the Main Street? I'm glad you liked the Steak Pie -- delicious, isn't it? Did you happen to make Apple or Cherry Turnovers with the extra Puff Pastry? I always do that, and everyone loves them. Good for your Figure, too, as far as I'm willing to understand how Puff Pastry fits into a Diet! ha,ha!

I was born in Glasgow, Scotland (Cumbernauld), and we all moved to Canada when I was 2 and a half, so I've been here for 40 years, too. Except for a few lucky years in my Twenties when I got to live in California... We have many friends from Dundee, so I have to assume that you have a great sense of humour, since I think that's a given if you're from Dundee or the surrounding area, am I right??

I love that you found my little website -- well, not so wee, anymore! I started it with a baby on my lap, and now he's in Grade One (and Cara was in Grade 8, and I had to wait for her to come home from school so she could turn the computer on for me, because I couldn't seem to remember how to do that, so it was quite a feat for me to become a successful website owner... and now Cara has finished High School and is heading to Scotland to visit my Mum & Dad this Spring -- lucky girl!), so it's a long, slow process... and a whole lot of fun. I don't know anyone who is only interested in one thing, so that's my theory behind adding in whatever happens to appeal to me on the site. Plus, who's gonna stop me? ha,ha,ha!

Thanks for Writing! I love to hear from my Readers! Ailsa : )

Hello, again!  Here's a wee update from me, Ailsa... now I have an even EASIER way to make the Steak Pie - we do love it, year round - why save something delicious for just one night a year - dat crazy!  You don't have to do that - do anything you want, right?  Right! lol!  

Soo, this is how I do the Puff Pastry, now - you don't have to make it look like a very pretty pie, although that's a lovely way to make your Steak Pie, but this is waaay easier, much faster, and I just serve the Puff Pastry along with the meat - then you can get as much as you'd like, in each serving...

The Tenderflake Puff Pastry is the best one in North America - and Target has the best prices, usually $3 a box, and you get 2 'pieces' of Puff Pastry per box.  You'll just need to thaw it out, use a cutting board and some flour, roll it out 'til it'' pretty thin... don't worry about measuring it, or anything - it'll be delicious, one way or another, and once you've used it once, you'll be your own expert at how you like it - lol!

See the Puff Pastry dough all rolled out?  That's just the one piece - that's usually enough for one meal, but if you and your company looove Puff Pastry, go ahead and make both pieces of the dough.  

Oh, and here's a wee trick, in case you've forgotten to thaw out the Puff Pastry Dough - you can simply slice it down from the side - you'll see ridges on the side of the dough, just slice it thinly, like you would slice cheese, then put those in the oven - with the egg and lightly salt them - yum!  You can also pop the Puff Pastry in the microwave to thaw it - I'd say, maybe 30 seconds... do a wee bit at a time, so the dough is easily manageable : )

I always use Parchment Paper - I love it!  Is fantastic, and I didn't discover Parchment Paper until I was in my 30's - but it is fantastic for cookies - I always use it for my Shortbread, to - ooh, reminds me, I still have some rounds of Shortbread in my fridge from Christmas... will pop some in the oven for New Years, too - yum!  That's a lot of delicious food!  And all Scottish - well, my version of Scottish! lol! 

So, Do you see the wee bowl of 1 egg, mixed?  I do not like the 'beaten with a fork' - seems so mean, right? lol!  Anyway, give the egg a good mix with your fork (hopefully, you have more than one fork : ) then brush each piece of the pastry with a wee bit of egg (skip this, obviously, if you either don't like eggs, or are allergic to them, but, well, that seems like it goes without saying, right? haha!  But, you know, just for clarity sake - lol!).  Then I lightly salt each one - gives the puff pastry a savoury taste - soo good, you'll go crazy for it... we all love it, soo much!  I always make extra, since it's great to have with the leftover meat, that everyone loves to have the following day... 

Well, here it is with no veggies, on a regular night - none of us even wanted the veggies, so then I declared the potatoes to be the veggies - and now, I just do the whole thing in the oven - you put the steak or roast down on the bottom of a very big pan, then add the sausages (I use the Medium Spiced Italian Sausage from the butcher's section), the sliced mushrooms, then sprinkle on the Onion Soup Mix, then pour about 4 cups of boiling water over all of that, cover well with tin foil, pop in the oven for about 6 - 8 hours - is a great meal on a cold day, or a day you know you'll be staying in - we call these, lovingly, 'reading days', which we love : )  I still use my crock pot, but not as much - seems like a lot of work getting it out, and waiting for it to heat up, when I can just pop the whole thing in the oven... and then I 'pull the meat apart' - as in all 'pulled meat', which was also love (admittedly, we love a lot of things - lol!), and cut the sausages - no need to do any of that at the beginning - oh, and I just remembered my new thing - I place potatoes all around the outside edge of the pan, before the water goes on... these will be THE BEST smashed potatoes, ever - and if you have extra, you can turn them into these....

Just Olive Oil in the cookie tray, cut the potatoes - they don't already have to be cooked, but this is a great way to 'use up' your potatoes from the Steak Pie Dinner, the night before... and a wee bit of Seasoning Salt  -  move the potato slices about in the olive oil, so they're all coated lightly, bake for about 45 minutes, I think.. maybe a bit longer - we love them all crispy - yum! 

And here they are, all done!  Yum! Oven Roasted (and Toasted??) Potato Slices : ) 

Recipe Menu * Valentine's Recipes *Apple Crumble Diet Recipe - Ailsa's Scottish Diet - NEW Scottish Steak Pie! - Crab Legs - Fruit Puffs, Cinnamon Buns, Cherry Cheesecake , EasySchmeasy Pie Crust , Creamy Delicious Peach Pie , Blueberry Tart , Cookies 'n Cream Cake , Great BBQ Marinade , Salsa Chicken , Macaroni Salad , Taco Spaghetti, 'Pass da' Pasta , Rosemary Steak, Onion Barley (an Aphrodisiac!), Crab Legs , Apple Crumble for One , Barbequed Meatballs , Barbequed Veggies, Stuffed Peppers , Chicken Noodle Soup, Soft Tacos, Marshmallow Bunnies -Easy Recipes - Tips 

Here's my guess... if you love your Bacon (with a Capital 'B' - haha!), you might also like to give yourself a really super-extra-special treat, say, once a month....! Ha! Is my Dream Gift!! lol!

Omg, can you imagine getting a fancy gift, every month?? Best Gift, Evah'!! 
Get $10 off any 12 month prepaid order for any of our six gourmet clubs! Code: GMC$10

AND.... in case you're Canadian, too - do all Canadians love Bacon?  and Beer? hahahaha!

We Ship to Canada: Summer Sale: Get $15 off at The Premier Cigar of the Month Club

Grocery Delivery!! 

This is so cool - let's say you've now been binge watching your fave shows, and you STILL have 4 more seasons left of your brand new-to-you show, soo you don't want to get up off the couch, but, also, you know you should probably get you' some groceries?

Problem - Solution! lol! 

Check and see if your area is covered by either VONS or Safeway... they cover some of the same areas, and some different areas - does that make sense? lol!

I loove this Delivery Service for Groceries and whatever you might need, right to your door, just in general, but what a great idea in bad weather, no more stooopid traffic, or if you're not feeling up to going out to the store, or you just don't feeeel like going out to the store...or if you're like me, and get so caught up in whatever you're working on, and don't want to stop just 'for food' - haha! And no need for Taxis, if you need to take a cab to the grocery store...that's a huge savings, right there, right?

Wow, Grocery Delivery Service - that's fantastico!! Yippee!!  Hello, Future - you look great! : )

I think this is such an amazing new service for your groceries - and anything you ever need from the grocery store - if you've ever had a time when you had a tiny baby, or you're super-busy (same thing - hahaha! All the New Moms will be laughing, now - lol!)..but if you're busy at work, or busy at home, or traffic, or you're busy binge-watching your favorite shows - hahahahaha! This might be the new wave of the future, right? Ordering your groceries online?

And I would imagine you would save a lot of money, since you would just buy what you actually need... might really work for dieting, too, since, well, if we're in the store, and be 'we', I mean 'me'...anyway, let's say I've got my grocery list, then I'm at the store, and I think, you know what, I'll just nick down the Candy Aisle, see if Chocolate is on sale (see how much I like Sale Chocolate - hahaha! Is it tastier, or just less expensive?? We'll never know! It's all gone, now - hahaha!)

Not that you couldn't just 'browse' for that, anyway... right? Me thinkin', now, o' course, where is the Sale Chocolate, online?? hahaha! But let's say you're you, and not me, and you have a LOT more self control than maybe ME do... so you order all the things you really wanted, and not just a whole cart full o' Wunderbars, on sale... hahahaha! Wouldn't THAT be fun - just a cartful of Sale Chocolate?? haha! Okay, clearly, me needs a treat! lol! : ) #SaleChocolate! Ha!

Shop Gifts Under $10 from See's Candies!Create your own Custom Chocolate Mix at See's Candies!  Okay, this is MY kind o' Luxury Reward - me always 'reward' mah'self wit' da delicious chocolates! hahaha!  I loove Sees Candies - soo deeelish! The Walnut Squares (#43 - is it bad for me to know the number?? hahahahaha!) (I've got your number..oooh, is it #43??  I hope so! lol!) Ooh, and I see that Sees has a sale, right now, Take $4 off of $20? Yahoo! Sale Chocolate - yes, please! haha! Yum! Don't mind if ah' do...lol! : )

How to Recognize a Female Heart Attack -- A Nurse's Story

Helloo!! I just got this from my Mum, and this is very good information for women, and anyone who lives with a woman.... or knows a woman (okay, it;s good information for everyone...!)  There are quite a few medical situations where there is a lot of information for men, and how men react or show signs of certain medical conditions, but sometimes not so much info about some medical situations for women. Please pass this along, too, so we can all share this information, which may save the lives of many, many women.  (I didn't write this, but I looove nurses, and they're a great source of information :)

Long Live The Ladies!! 

NURSE'S HEART ATTACK EXPERIENCE

I am an ER nurse and this is the best description of this event that I have ever heard. Please read, pay attention, and send it on!

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS

I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best description I've ever read.

Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction). Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack.. you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.

'I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, 'A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation--the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR).

This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack!

I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else... but, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment.

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.


I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery.

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stints.
Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men's symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up... which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And if you can take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road.

Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

*Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends (male & female) who you care about!*