PH Awareness

You've probably heard of high blood pressure (hypertension), a common condition that affects the way your blood flows through the arteries in your body from the left side of your heart. A less common type of high blood pressure, called pulmonary hypertension, affects only the arteries in the lungs and the right side of your heart. It is a sneaky disease -- hard to diagnose and often misdiagnosed.

For several years now, November has been designated as Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month and that's where this PH community comes in. By making others aware of this dastardly disease. We need to contact our local newspapers, submit an article or write a letter to the editor. Something, just about anything will do to help the cause. Shout it from the roof tops -- well maybe you don't have to go to that extreme but I think you get the picture.

When you leave your home, do you have those PH brochures handy to pass out -- when someone asks how you are doing do you tell them about Pulmonary Hypertension. If they say "oh you are looking well" -- I come back with "I guess the medicine is working." Let them know it isn't something you get over -- it is something you have to live with.

Pulmonary hypertension is a serious illness that is classified as progressive and can be fatal. Although it isn't curable at this time, treatments are available for pulmonary hypertension that can help lessen symptoms and improve our quality of life. It's a doable disease and there is hope.

Hugs to you all -- and smile, it's contagious.

Merle