by Jill Crossland

there was a healthy 50Something women living in the land of busy entrepreneur with abundant private life.

The woman had no weight problems, no serious health issues, was careful about what she ate, managed her stress, didn't smoke and exercised when she could.

One day 50Something woman went into the hospital for a routine day procedure. Suddenly something went wrong and she found herself surrounded by doctors and nurses. One of the doctors asked a lot of questions and after she had answered them he proclaimed 'You see, some of the symptoms were there' and he was right.

Not to worry there is a happy ending to this tale but the moral of our story is to listen to your body. If you are experiencing something different, if something is not normal for you or just doesn't feel right, don't put it down to normal aging, stress or (peri-) menopause discuss it with your doctor.

Women with coronary heart disease tend to have the following symptoms:

• New episodes of fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Insomnia
• Indigestion
• An anxious feeling

I found excuses for the first three and just kept thinking that the nausea would go away.

It was hard for me to write about my experience because by nature I am a private person and my whimsical approach was to get your attention, not because I don't take it seriously. If my story encourages one of you to make an appointment with their doctor, then sharing it will have been well worthwhile.