I received this and thought that it was worth passing on.
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 a 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.) 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
passes this on, you can be sure that
we'll save at least one life.
Please be a true friend and inform
about this article to all your friends
(male & female) you care about!
This is so important for all the women we know to become aware of this.
Will's sister, two year's ago had what she was thinking heartburn,treated it herself,nothing worked..She put up with it for a couple day's,one morning she was getting dressed for work.Something told her to get herself to the hospital,she did..Thank God.They took one look at her,rushed her in.Long story short she coded blue then and there..They saved her life. I think this was an Angel at work again..She could have gone to work and died on the way,maybe taking someone else with her while driving her car...
You cannot do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will
be too late...
4 comments on FEMALE HEART ATTACKS !!
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Thank you for adding to this post Angie..The same thing happened to Rosie, ( Will's sister) as what haqppened to your Dad..Jack,my husband who passed away,Woke up one morning,complained his mouth was dry,and he could'nt move his arm's.My son called hospital,told them I was on my way.My other son helped me,after I threw a blanket over Jack,we got Jack to running truck my son started up for me,pulled to door.Put Jack in warm truck,headed out to highway,put my blinker's on and headed to hospital.I knew there was no time to call for rescue,don't know how I knew this,but did..Nurse's met us at the emercry door's,ran to truck with the doctor.Jack was on table and boom he said"I'm slipping out of my body.Yup he coded then and there..Yike's nurse's and doctor's came from everywhere..They saved his life..
Yike's this was a long reply...I feel this post is so important for all of you.. Luv you all..xoxoxo
I know,but then again it might have been to late if she called 911..
Doctor's told me I did the right thing with Jack.If we had waited,well who know's...We also live in the boon-dock's don't forget..
Thing's have a way of working out as they do for a reason..Jack's Uncle drove himself to hospital and passed away because he had done just that..Look at Bigrichard here in this blog he drove himself to the hospital,he does'nt remember the last part of that ride,nothing but a great white light..Next he know he was being worked over..Intervention from above I bet..He has written a post about that,I believe..
I guess it's the call you make at the time,and pray it's the right one.. Thank You for the comment Donna..