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View Full Version : Important - Female Heart Attacks - No Joke


Longwell
03-16-2007, 09:25 AM
I receivied this email. Somewhat lengthy, but very important.

Subject: To Women - Heart Attacks.

This is pretty scary. Even though you have probably already read this
it cannot hurt to remind you - with some of the stresses we are under
these days.
This is another woman's experience:

I want to send this to my women friends to warn them that it's true that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing a 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. 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 is the 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 spasaming), 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 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 all ready 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? It’s because I want all of you 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 the chance we could survive.

Larry

Parrothead
03-16-2007, 02:44 PM
Larry
Thanks for posting this. I could have written this last year when I had my heart attack (s) as the symptoms were exactly the same and I have 2 stents side by side. It is so hard to distinguish what is happening. I just had another little episode that turned out to be nothing but all of the doctors and nurses said never hesitate to call and get in there and let them decide it is nothing. I had a nice restful 2 day vacation!
Happy trails.....................

refocused
03-17-2007, 02:20 AM
Good information - thanks for taking the time to post!

campbud
03-17-2007, 03:20 AM
Thanks Larry for posting this. My mom survived 2 major heart attacks. Her doctors were wonderful as we did not think she would survive the first. It is a horrible experience for anyone to go through. Truly amazing what technology we have for this today.

vickir
03-17-2007, 03:56 AM
Larry ... thanks for posting this very important information. Most, if not all, of us here on the forum are of an age that would make us would-be candidates. With that in mind, when I recently found lists of the symptoms for heart attack and strokes in a Readers Digest, I cut them out and taped them to the inside of the vanity mirror ... right where we can easily see them should we ever need it.

txkrumm
03-17-2007, 06:11 PM
Heart disease is the number one killer of women, not cancer as many think. Not only do women have atypical symptoms of heart attack, but diabetics do also. Diabetic patients also are more likely to suffer a "silent" attack. Pain in the back is common in both these patient populations. Absolutely do not attempt to drive yourself or let a loved one drive you. Call 911 ASAP. If your heart does not get the oxygen it needs because there is a blockage and no blood to carry the oxygen, it will begin beating irregularly and go into what is called ventricular fibrillation. This is what is fatal. Basically the heart is just quivering, not pumping blood to the body. The best treatment for this is immediate delivery of a shock of electricity with a cardiac defibrillator. This is the reason to call the paramedics. Only they can provide this en route to the ER. The sooner the shock is delivered, the better your chances of survival. They are also trained in advanced cardiac life support techniques.
Keep aspirin on hand. At the first sign of a possible attack, take one. This helps "thin" the blood so to speak and will be one of the first things they give you in the ER. Lots of times, MI's are caused by plaque that breaks off a vessel wall and travels to lodge in a coronary artery. The aspirin interferes with the normal coagulation process to allow the blood to "get around" the blockage.
Time is of the essence. The quicker you receive treatment, the more heart muscle and tissue you will save thus the better chance of survival. One should go from the ER to the cath lab in less than 30 minutes; some places have times of less than 15 minutes. The sooner the better.
I told my daddy all this. He woke up with chest pain, went downstairs and sat in his chair. Got up and took two tylenol instead of aspirin (tylenol does nothing to thin the blood). Felt some mild relief so decided to smoke a cigarette, bad idea. The nicotine causes huge vasoconstriction of the coronary arteries so now he's really feeling bad! Wakes up my stepmom, and says he needs her to drive him to the hospital. Got to the ER, had "tombstone T waves" on his EKG (not good!) and they give him retivase, the clot buster. That was three years ago and that little rural hospital in Welch, WV saved his life. Had he waited 30 minutes more, he wouldn't be here today. Moral of the story: Call 911! ASAP.
t