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Posts: 3,540I just received this email, and thought I would post it on here. So many of us are coming to realize that women do NOT have the same symptoms that men do when having a hearattack....but I have to admit, I don't recognize many of the warning symptoms! This woman's detailed account of what happened to her, helped me realize some of the possible warning signs, and how quickly its needed for a woman to react in the situation.
I hope that none of you ever need this material, but even if just one woman reads this, and can recognize the symptoms in herself, or another woman to save her life, then that's all that's ever needed :hug:
>> Fw: Female Heart Attacks
>>
>>
>>
>> I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this
is the
>> best
>> description I've ever read. You take care out there!
>>
>> Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction)
>> Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms
that
>> men
>> have when experiencing heart attack...you know, the sudden
stabbing
>> pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to
the
>> floor that we see in the
>> movies.
>>
>> Here is the story of one woman?s experience with a heart
attack.
>>
>> I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 pm
with NO
>> prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would
suspect
>> might've
>> brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold
evening,
>> with my
>> purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend
had
>> sent
>> me, and actually thinking,"A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy
and
>> warm
>> in
>> my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up." A moment
later, I
>> felt
>> that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a
hurry and
>> grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of
water,
>> and
>> that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf
ball
>> going
>> down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable.
You
>> realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to
chew
>> it
>> more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten
its
>> progress down to the stomach. This was my initial
sensation---the
>> only
>> trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about
5:00
>> p.m.
>>
>> After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like
little
>> squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE
>> (hind-sight,
>> it
>> was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they
continued
>> racing
>> up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses
rhythmically
>> when
>> adminstering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into
my
>> throat
>> and branched out into both jaws.
>>
>> AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening--we all
have
>> read
>> and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of
an
>> MI
>> happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat,
"Dear
>> God, I
>> think I'm having a heart attack !" I lowered the foot rest,
dumping
>> the
>> cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor
>> instead. I
>> thought to myself "If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be
walking
>> into
>> the next room where the phone is or anywhere else.......but, on
the
>> other
>> hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I
wait
>> any
>> longer I may not be able to get up in moment."
>>
>> I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly
into
>> the
>> next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I
was
>> having
>> a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum
and
>> radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid,
just
>> stating
>> the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over
immediately,
>> asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt
the
>> door
>> and
>> then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they
came
>> in.
>>
>> I then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost
consciousness,
>> as I
>> don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting
me
>> onto a
>> gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call
they
>> made
>> to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we
arrived
>> and
>> saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical
blues
>> and
>> cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance.
He
>> was
>> bending over me asking questions (probably something like "Have
you
>> taken
>> any medications?") but I couldn't make my mind interpret what
he was
>> saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up
until
>> the
>> Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny
angiogram
>> balloon
>> up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where
they
>> installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary
>> artery.
>>
>> I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must
have
>> taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics,
but
>> actually
>> it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire
>> station
>> and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my
Cardiologist
>> was
>> already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on
restarting my
>> heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the
>> procedure)
>> and installing the stents.
>>
>> Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail?
Because I
>> want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I
>> learned
>> first hand.?
>>
>> 1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your
body
>> not
>> the usual men's symptoms, but inexplicable things happening
(until
>> my
>> sternum and jaws got into the act ). It is said that many more
women
>> than
>> men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know
they
>> were
>> having one, and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some
Maalox
>> or
>> other anti-heartburn preparation, and go to bed, hoping they'll
feel
>> better in the morning when they wake up....which doesn't
happen. My
>> female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine,
so I
>> advise
>> you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly
happening
>> that
>> you've not felt before. It is better to have a "false alarm"
>> visitation
>> than to risk your life guessing what it might be!
>>
>> 2. Note that I said "Call the Paramedics". Ladies, TIME IS OF
THE
>> ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER--you're a
hazard to
>> others on the road, and so is your panicked husband who will be
>> speeding
>> and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of
the
>> road.
>> Do NOT call your doctor--he doesn't know where you live and if
it's
>> at
>> night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his
>> assistants
>> (or
>> answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He
doesn't
>> carry
>> the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The
Paramedics
>> do,
>> principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be
notified
>> later.
>>
>> 3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have
a
>> normal
>> cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol
>> elevated
>> reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably
>> high,and/or accompanied by high blood pressure.) MI's are
usually
>> caused
>> by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps
all
>> sorts
>> of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in
there.
>> Pain
>> in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful
and be
>> aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...
>>
>> A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it
to10
>> people,
>> you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.
>>
>> **Please be a true friend and send this article to all your
friends
>> you
>> care about**
Past Time BearsThanks a bunch, Debbie!
Bears by Jodi
BrisbaneThanks Debbie...my mother dies of a heart attack at 53 and I still didn't know any of this!!! 
Newcastle, OntarioThanks Debbie! Knowledge is certainly a powerful tool.
My mum died of a massive heart attack as well, Sarah, but was 81. It didn't make it any easier on us, but at least she had lived a full life. Losing your mum at 53 is just incredibly unfair. My mum only had increasing heartburn as symptoms, but we didn't know anything about female heart attack symptoms at the time. I am definitely passing this one on!
hugs,
Brenda
Posts: 8,574Awww Sarah -thats way too young to loose your mom.....but I'm betting your kids wont loose theirs.....
I can't tell any of you to do this, but i have trained my self to think of this as step one while calling the paramedics, and that would be simply taking a baby aspirine.....it helps thin the blood just a little to help cut down on the clotting....
It is step one because we are 30 minutes from paramedics and an hour and a half from a hospital....
For far too long at least in American Medicine women have been the overlooked sex.
Excepting reproductive issues there isn't the understanding of how a woman's body reacts that there is for a mans body...
And you know what? We really are different....on so many levels, and especially in our medical care needs.
And as difficult as men can be getting them to a doctor, we really are actually worse!
We have to clean the stove, make the beds and water the dog before we worry about what our body is telling us-
If we would learn to listen to the subtle changes we could frequently avoid the major catastorphies
Than you for posting this, Miss DebbieD, food for thought for all us gals
DoodlebearsThanks for this Debbie, very informative, I'll pass it on.
Sarah I'm sorry that you lost your mum at 53, I can relate to that as I lost my mum when she was only 51. Mum had a heart attack and died when she found out her so called treated cancer had spread throughout her darling body. 
Take care everyone!
Hugs Jane.
