Many people have heard of Mitral Valve Prolapse, but few people, who aren't involved in the medical field,  really know what it is. I was one of those people until last summer.

Last summer, I thought I was going to die. Really. I was having heart attack symptoms. I was sitting on my couch hugging my 1 & 2 year olds, waiting for my other 4 children to get home from school, and thinking "I'm dying." This went on for days before I told my husband. Extremely painful symptoms. I couldn't sleep. I broke down and went to the doctor.

I ended up in a cardiologists office a couple of weeks later (after dozens of tests and wearing a heart monitor for three days) and was told I had MVP. I nodded my head like I knew what he was talking about. He told me to try to eliviate my stress (yeah right. you heard me say I have six children, right???), to rest for a couple of days and to read this book. It was Confronting Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome by Lyn Frederickson. This book changed my life.

I recommend it to anyone who has someone in their family with MVP. Read My review of the book Confronting Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome. for more information.

Did you know there are thousands of people with MVP that will never know that they have it because they don't experience symptoms? Did you know that many people that have MVP will never know that they have it because their doctors misdiagnose them? One of the common misdiagonses is hypoglycemia. I was diagnosed with this about 15 years ago. But my symptoms were not consistant with hypoglycemia. I was misdiagnosed. MVP all along.

Another thing that I learned from Lyn Frederickson's book is that often times, the patients she worked with were sensitive to caffiene and sugar. Those were two things that caused symptoms to flare. So I made a decision. I wanted to feel better and I would try anything to get healthier. I cut out all caffiene and greatly limited my sugar intake.

That was over a year ago. I still am very deligent in these two areas. I have found when I slip and have a little too much sugar (I normally limit myself to around 13grams if I have a treat) or if the coffee girl slips and gives me regular instead of decaf (you have to watch very carefully when other's prepare your drinks) I have the painful symptoms all over again and feel absolutely terrible until it gets out of my system.

Not only do I feel healthier, I am healthier. I recently went to the doctor and had my cholesterol checked. For the first time in my life, my numbers weren't just good, they were great! And I have lost 35 pounds in the process. Just by reducing my sugar and avoiding caffiene (believe me, I don't have the time or desire to exercise and diet is a four letter word.)

Just some small habit/lifestyle can go a long way in helping you feel better and live healthier.