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Read all the way through:

She said she didn't feel well and had a back ache and was going to lay down on the bed with the heating pad. Awhile later her husband went to check on her and she was not breathing. They were not able to revive her.

This is something we women should definitely take seriously.

Please pass this on to those you love.

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 me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.

When I had my symptoms of a heartattack , I didn't even have much symptoms either! I already have a numbness and pain from having had to have neck surgery, and it effects my left arm and upper back and neck.
Anyway over a period of time I felt more pain in my upper back and had more trouble with being out of breath, so for the third time in a month I drove myself to the Emergency Room and they finally seen something on the ekg and kept me. I had to stay 2 weeks in the hospital. Turned out I had a near complete blockage in a vein on my heart, luckily no damage to the muscle
. So yes womens symptoms are so much milder and the doctors said all you can do is remember those minor symptoms and if you feel them again, be safe and get your butt back to the hospital.

Good thread

Whooaaaa




Good thread Anne!


I read something in an email once too about if you thought you were having a heart attack..


It was to to cough as MUCH as you could.. long hard reeeeeeally from the stomach DEEP coughs.

Almost as though you were trying to cough something UP.



(to keep jogging at your heart and try to get it back on track)..

Worth remembering.. and worth a try.

I have heard this also about the coughing!! It may be just enough to save your life.
Anytime there is also shortness of breath, people should seek medical attention, it is always a bad sign of something serious going on.

Fortunately, I got suspicious of some vague symptoms going on so I asked my Dr about them. An EKG did show a slight abnormality, but nothing dramatic. He sent me for a stress test, but still no alarming warning signs. He sent me to a Cardiologist and the heart Dr left it up to me as to whether or not I wanted to have a heart catherization. I went for the catherization and they found 4 blocked arteries!!! I had not had a heart attack and there was no heart damage. I just had a feeling that there was something wrong so I investigated it....boy!! am I glad I did. I had quadruple bypass the next week and now I have a new lease on life. So it is true women do have different symptoms and they should investigate before it is too late.

My mom recently went through this - basically a feeling of indigestion that grew steadily stronger and was accompanied by physical weakness. Fortunately, she just happened to have recently read an article about these symptoms relating to heart attacks, and so had my dad call 911.

They found a 95% blocked artery to the heart, and one that was around 70% blocked. SHe came through fine after a stint was placed in the blocked artery, with very minor heart damage. They're attempting to address the partly blocked artery with meds.

My cousin-in-law recently felt numbness in his right arm while working out. He just happened to be in the gym working out side by side with his private physician! He suggested that my in-law make haste to the nearest hospital - which he did, discovering complete blockage in one artery.

This blockage business is extremely insidious. You can be in great shape - my cousin-in-law was! - and still have blocked vessels due to genetics or diet or Zeus knows what.

Thanks for this public service thread, Lass. My mom has given a couple of talks to neighborhood meetings with the same idea in mind - to warn women of their unique heart attack symptoms..

WOWW!!!... I cant believe they left it up to you to decide.. Sheeeeet.. what if you had said no.

Scary stuff!

There ought to be a way that people can easily determine blockages in their blood vessels. It would save or improve the lives of countless millions. A lot of people don't seem to know that heart attacks are almost invariably the result of impeded blood flow rather than some inherent weakness in the heart.

If some smart person could invent a machine equivalent to blood pressure machines in terms of expense and ease of operation for this purpose, he could be an instant billionaire, methinks.

Although women usually have the mild symptoms and their problem can be overlooked, my dad also had the mild symptoms. Finally after a couple years of going to emergency room and doctors not finding anything , they finally found reason to keep him and he had to have a quaddruple bypass. But two weeks after getting out of the hospital later he drove his self back to the hospital with mild symptoms, and died.

SOrry to hear that, Mylife.

Thankyou, but I look at it as a lesson for me that saved my life, cause I learned doctors aren't always right, and if you have feelings somthing is wrong with your health or having any scarey symtoms , be persistant with the doctors, make them prove nothing is wrong.

Hi!!

Oh - not to be annoying - but smoking is strongly associated with blocked arteries/vessels. My mom was a lifetime smoker (she quit a few years ago).

True, and smoking narrows the veins and can cause a small blockage to be worse.
My blockage was due to cholestrol an inherited type that my body produces it even if I am on meds for it and on strict diet. They are still trying to correct it, maybe soon.
Type 2 diabetes showed up about the same time as the blockage, and had some to do with it all.
Being in menopause( or women who had to have histerectomy's puts women into the high risk category, and is the beginning of all of my problems. And the smoking!!

Arghh Aaawww

Thankyou!

That's what I thought!!! But according to the cardiologist, none of the tests were conclusive. He gave me a choice of meds or the heart cath. Fortunately, I chose the heart cath and he told me while I was on the table, that I had made a very wise decision. It just proves that women can have very non alarming symptoms and be in serious trouble..

We thought my moms heart attack was a stomach virus. And according to the doctor womens heart attacks often show up as stomach problems.