Women & Heart Attacks

> "Thought this was something that everyone would be interested in.
Even
>men as you probably have mothers, wives, sisters, etc. that you care
about.
> Please pass this on.
>
> 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 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 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
you
>care about**

Very Good information Zen. The past few months I have learned much about all this. Even though they found nothing wrong with my heart, I was dx'd with Stress Induced Angina. I too felt the squeezing feeling by my sternum. But then I also felt it in my arm and shoulder and neck. Much like a man does. Its best if you do get informed and listen to the signs your body is giving you. It might not be an MI ( miocardial infarction) but then again it might. Better to be safe than sorry.

Much love ~
Beth

amen sisters! having had a stress induced heart attack 8 yrs ago I cringe every time I get a pain in my chest and jaws. it is scarey stuff.

pain can also be in just chest area...from my own experience...

thank you for posting this article, i just posted it on my myspace too. it's good info to have

--Edna St. Vincent Millay