Problem: Article: You must have your primary care physician or cardiologist prescribe you this test. They will arrange a scan at a hospital or radiology center for you. Scans can cost around $400 USD. Make sure that the facility and radiologist you use are covered by your insurance. In some cases, this procedure may not be covered. These factors can distort the results of your heart scan. You can resume these activities immediately after your appointment. A coronary calcium scan is currently the only way to check your coronary calcium score. The radiologist will scan your heart using a CT scanner. Remove your shirt and put on a medical gown. The doctor will attach electrodes to your chest. Lie down on the table when directed. The table will move slowly into the CT scanner. The scan will expose you to a small but safe amount of radiation to create an image of your heart. This image will display any calcium build-up on your heart. The score indicates the likelihood that you will have a heart attack or other heart problem in the next 3-5 years. Based on the results of your scan, your doctor may adjust or change your medication. If you have a low score, you may not need further treatment.  A score of 0-100 means that a heart attack or stroke is unlikely in the next 3-5 years. You do not need to take any precautions. A score between 100-300 means that you have a high risk of developing heart disease in the next 3-5 years. Your doctor may prescribe you medication or put you on a special diet. Scores over 300 indicate an extremely high risk of heart disease. In most cases, your doctor will prescribe medication like statins or recommend further treatment. If your score is over 100, your doctor may decide to do additional tests. They may do a blood test to check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. They may also perform a stress test. These tests will determine the cause (or causes) of your risk.  For example, if you have high cholesterol, your doctor may put you on medication called statins and a low-cholesterol diet. There are many types of stress tests. You may undergo an echocardiogram, walk on a treadmill, or take substances like dobutamine or adenosine to check your heart's health. Coronary calcium scores can't be lowered, but you can prevent further calcium build-up and start preventative treatment. Based on your health, lifestyle, and family history, your doctor will work with you to help create a personalized treatment plan.  Your doctor will assess your weight, current medications, family history, diet, activity levels, stress, and smoking habits. They may advise you to switch to a heart healthy diet, lose weight, exercise more, or take medication. If they haven't already, your doctor may refer you to a cardiologist. If you need to lose weight, your doctor may refer you to a registered dietitian. Because you are exposed to a small amount of radiation, doctors do not perform coronary calcium heart scans often. While there is no official recommendation for how often you need this, in most cases, you will not need to be retested for another 3-5 years. In some extreme cases, however, the doctor may recommend retesting within 1 year.
Summary: Get a referral for a coronary calcium scan from your doctor. Avoid smoking or drinking caffeine for 4 hours before the test. Undergo a heart scan to check your coronary calcium levels. Discuss the results with your doctor. Undergo further testing if you have a moderate to high score. Create a treatment plan with your doctor if you have a high score. Get retested within 3-5 years or as recommended by your doctor.

Problem: Article: A good mother-cat will lick the newborn to remove the birth membranes – this helps dry the kitten and stimulate her to breathe, which is important for premature kittens. If the mother is not able to perform this task, gently dry each kitten in turn in a soft, warm, dry towel. Rub her with small circular movements so as to mimic licking, and continue until her coat is dry.  Keep all the kittens together because their mutual body heat will help protect against chilling. A premature kitten has a large surface area to volume ratio and is therefore prone to rapid cooling. This is disastrous because a kitten cannot control her own body temperature and a cold kitten with quickly stop feeding, become moribund and die. Your premature kittens are going to want to snuggle up to each other to keep warm. Get a box that is big enough for all of them and line it with towels and a heating pad or hot pack. Make sure the heating pad doesn't come into direct contact with the kittens or else their delicate skin may get burnt. Place it under a layer of towels so the kittens can still feel the warmth, but don't risk hurting themselves. There is no need to cut the umbilical cord on a kitten or to remove the remnants of placenta dangling from each kitten's umbilicus. Leave the umbilical cord and the placenta. They will dry out, shrivel up, and fall off within the first 7-10 days of life. Cutting the placenta can lead to hemorrhage, hernias, or even introduce infection into the navel, which could prove fatal to the kitten. A premature kitten cannot move away from, or towards, heat. Therefore it is of vital importance that you provide the correct temperature. For the first three weeks of life the newborn should have a body temperature of 96-100°F (35-37°C). To achieve this temperature, keep the ambient room temperature between 85-90°F (29-32°C).  Lower the temperature to 80°F (27°C) in the second to third week of life. By this time the kittens will have more control over their body temperature.  Rather than heating your entire house to this temperature, heat 1 room of your house and designate it as the kittens' room. Provide additional warmth in the nest, too. This can take the form of a heating pad or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. Fill the hot water bottle with boiling water but make sure the kitten cannot have direct contact with the hot water bottle since she may be burnt by it.   It is possible to overheat a kitten. If this happens, her ears will appear flushed red and she will feel hotter than normal to the touch. Hot kittens appear distressed and may vocalize it. If she is able to move, she will not stay still because she will want to move to a cooler spot.
Summary: Dry the kittens with a warm, dry towel. Place the kittens into a makeshift nest that is warm and dry. Leave the kittens’ umbilical cords intact. Keep the room temperature between 85-90°F (29-32°C).

Problem: Article: If you can take a metro, train, or bus to your destination, this will usually be cheaper than taking a toll. Use Google Maps or a similar application to see how your route would look taking public transportation.  You usually have to get some kind of pass to take public transportation, so look into rates. Even if passes are expensive, they're usually cheaper than paying a toll every day. Make sure to account for time. Public transportation usually takes longer than driving, so make sure to leave earlier than normal. Give yourself extra time in case you miss a train or a bus. It may be dangerous to bike to your destination. However, if you can bike through side streets and residential areas, this can be a great alternative to driving. In addition to saving you money, biking is eco friendly and can give you some exercise. There's a good chance you're driving more than you need to. Look into ways you can avoid driving every day, as this will result in you paying less tolls.  Try ordering more online. Use sites like Amazon to order items instead of driving out to a store. Ask your work about telecommuting. In many jobs, you don't necessarily need to be present in the office every day. If you can telecommute some days, this will cut down on money spent on tolls.
Summary:
Consider public transportation. Try biking, if possible. Limit your need for driving.