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 s tomach. 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 adminstering 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**

Sometimes it is numbness in a one the extremities, like the hand or leg.
Sometimes you have a pain between the shoulder blades. Sometimes a
tightness in the chest. There are many symptoms associated with a heart
attack. Most people don't realize that if you feel symptoms, a regular
aspirin may save your life.

Always call 911 advise them of the address if possible, in case you are
unable to give more information. Even a land-line hangup from your
location will send out police, medical, and fire depts. You may not pay
for home phone service, but plug in a phone anyway, you will still be
able to dial 911 from it for help.

Cell phones sometimes does not go directly to the 911 center that is in
the area you are in, please give your name, location, even if it is a
mile marker on a highway, a description of your vehicle. A cell phone
even with out service can dial 911, so please keep one that is charged
in the vehicle.

If you have a cell phone that you no longer want or need please donate
it you your local sheriff's office. It will go to a program to give cell
phones to the elderly, battered women, and numerous other programs. They
make it so the persons address shows up when they call 911. Example of
why: a elderly person, that can't afford any other type of service, who
has fallen and can't get to a regular phone can dial 911 for help.

For any elderly persons out there please notify your fire department so
that information of where a key can be located is entered on the
emergency service screen, in case you are incompasitated, this will help
emergency personnel can get in to help you.

I know this information because I used to be a 911 operator and train
others. Thank you for reading this.

.

Thank's Slammin and irislass, that was well worth reading.

sorry mis-spelled your naame irishlass