FEMALE HEART ATTACKS
I was aware that female heart attacks are different,
But this is the best description I've ever read.
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 administering 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 co ronary 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). MIs 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 to 10 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 (male & female) you care about!
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