MINISTRY MEMOS:
Altar Guild: The annual meeting for the Altar Guild committee will be March 1st at 11:30 in the library.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS:
Craft Day: In the parish hall today from 10-12, you can learn how to make a quilt top using one jelly roll. You just need to know how to sew a straight line. Bring your sewing machine with a 1/4 inch foot. If you don’t have one we will provide one. Anita will have a box of jelly rolls ready for you to pick. Most can accomplish it in an hour but will reserve two hours. So come and join the fun! Let Anita know if interested and also if you need a sewing machine.
Monthly Food Truck: March 2nd at 5:30 P.M., Julie will be here to sort and hand out food that has been donated by Albertson’s & Whole Foods – she’d be grateful for your company & help!
Free Community Meal: Friday, March 6th, from 5 – 6 – check in with MaryEllen & Rita to let them know your availability for purchasing ingredients, cooking, serving, or cleaning up!
BOISE BENCH & BEYOND:
Monroe Elementary: They are holding a Reading Fundraiser in March to fund student enrichment programs, celebrations, field trips, classroom supplies, & technology upgrades. If you’d like to donate, please see them at 3615 W. Cassia Street!
COMMITTEE COMMENTARY:
Compassionate Care: Women and Heart Disease
In the past, we had a heart healthy brunch around Valentine’s Day introducing lower fat and salt brunch items and recipes. This article is about women and heart disease. The number one cause of death among men over the age of fifty is cancer. It is not until 65 that the number one killer of men is heart disease. The number one killer of women over the age of fifty is heart disease. One out of three deaths in women the root is heart disease. I image many of you would think “no men die of heart disease and women die of cancer (especially breast cancer). How commercials influence us. The question is why this perception is so prevalent. Until the mid-1980s and the Framingham Study, the medical studies were done on men. This was assuming the male physiology and disease was the same for women. Still, it wasn’t until the last decade that there is a plentitude of studies on heart disease using women subjects. Women do have different symptoms than men.
Why are women misdiagnosed when having cardiac issues?
- Women’s symptoms can be different than those of men.
- Male-centric studies are what most symptoms are based on until recently.
- Medical bias
- Misattributed symptoms: stress, anxiety, panic attack, GI issues
- Self-dismissal
- Prioritizing others
What are the presenting symptoms of heart attack in women?
- Extreme fatigue: sometimes lasting days
- Nausea/Vomiting: feeling sick to your stomach.
- Shortness of breath: difficulty catching your breath, with or without chest pain
- Upper body pain: discomfort in the arms (often left), back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Lightheadedness/dizziness: feeling faint or unsteady.
- Indigestion/heartburn: symptoms that feel like heartburn or burping.
- Anxiety: a sense of impending doom or intense anxiety
- Chest discomfort: pressure, squeezing, or fullness in the chest that may last minutes or come and go.
Why they’re missed.
- Symptoms are often mild, temporary, or mistaken for other issues like the flu, indigestion, or muscle strain.
- Women, older adults, and people with diabetes may experience shortness of breath, fatigue, or general illness more often than chest pain.
What to do
- Call 911: if you or someone else experiences these signs.
- Don’t drive yourself to the hospital: emergency responders can start treatment immediately.
- Don’t ignore suspicious symptoms, especially if they last more than a few minutes.
A mini heart attack (silent heart attack) has symptoms similar to a full one but might be milder or mistaken for indigestion, including chest pain/pressure, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, sweating, jaw/back/neck pain, and lightheadedness, often with discomfort lasting minutes or coming and going. Call 911 immediately for any suspected heart attack, as even mild episodes need urgent care.
Anita Wallinger
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, Henry Ford Health, Framingham Study, Houston Medical Center, CDC
INTERACTION INFO:
Fr. Joseph’s contact: For urgent situations outside of office hours, please call or text him at 208-917-2270. Please leave a message with your name, a call-back number, and a detailed message and he will get back to you as soon as he can. Emails are generally answered when he is in the office.
Our Sunday bulletin can be found here. If you can’t be here in person, we stream our services on YouTube and Facebook. Wondering what’s happening around the church? Click here to find our on-line calendar! If you open the event, it will tell you the time, location, and who’s putting it on. Send an email to Nicole if you’d like something added!