This is a letter by a woman who works in a medical clinic, describing her personal heart attack experience, the symptoms she noticed, and what she did when it happened. It shows what having a heart attack can be like for women.
If you have chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, or think you may be having a heart attack, call 911 or your local emergency number right away.
Heart Attacks and Women
I wanted to send this letter to my female friends, to tell them that women don’t always experience the same dramatic signs as men do when having a heart attack. I mean the well-known symptoms like cold sweat, sudden stabbing in the chest, grabbing the chest, and falling to the ground, as presented in the movies.
In April 2016, at about 10:30 p.m., I had a totally unexpected heart attack. I had rehearsed with my Note-a-Belles for about 2 hours, and then about 1 ½ hours later, with no prior emotional trauma or exertion, I had a heart attack.
It was a cold evening, and I was sitting all warm and snuggly with my cat in my lap while reading a great story. I remember thinking, “This is the life, all warm and cozy with my feet propped up.”
A few minutes later, I had a terrible feeling of indigestion. You know the feeling when you rush and grab a bite of a sandwich followed by a little water, and it feels like you have swallowed a golf ball that is slowly moving down your esophagus. A most unpleasant feeling.
You regret not chewing it more thoroughly and gulping it so fast, so you think a glass of water will speed up its path toward the stomach, but it doesn’t. It causes even more discomfort, as the throat muscles and esophagus are in spasm, so it hurts to swallow even water.
The Initial Sensations
This feeling of indigestion was my first sensation, but the problem was that I hadn’t eaten anything for about 5 hours, since 5 p.m. The discomfort appeared to subside, but then I had a second sensation. I felt squeezing motions racing up my spine, which I think were spasms in my aorta, speeding up while running up and down my breastbone (sternum). The sensation continued into my throat and then into both jaws.
At that moment I realized I was experiencing a heart attack, as I knew that pain in the jaws is one of the warning signs. I said, “I think I’m experiencing a heart attack.”
I moved the cat from my lap and lowered the footrest. I didn’t have much strength to take a step, so I fell to the floor. I thought that if I was having a heart attack, I shouldn’t be walking to the phone in the next room, but if I didn’t go, no one would know that I needed help. Waiting any longer might mean not being able to get up from the floor.
Calling For Help & Magnesium
I managed to stand up, supporting myself on the chair, slowly walked into the room where the phone was, and called the paramedics. The dispatcher started asking me about my symptoms.
Without being afraid or hysterical, I calmly explained that I thought I was having a heart attack, since I felt pressure building under my breastbone and continuing into both jaws. She told me to unbolt my front door if it was near me, and to lie down on the floor and wait for the paramedics, who were on their way.
I’m allergic to aspirin, so I didn’t take it. Instead, I took a 100 mg magnesium oxide capsule that I keep on the kitchen counter, my kitchen being on the way to the front door, with about ¾ of a glass of water. This was my own personal choice and not a medical recommendation. In an emergency, follow the instructions of the emergency dispatcher.
I lay down on the floor next to the door and lost consciousness. I don’t remember the paramedics coming, their examination, or being put into the ambulance. I remember I briefly woke up when we arrived and saw the medics, as well as the cardiologist in his surgical blues, pulling my stretcher out of the vehicle.
The cardiologist was asking me some questions, most likely whether I had taken any medication, but I couldn’t answer and lost consciousness once again. I woke up when the procedure was already done. The angiogram catheter had been threaded through my femoral artery, a balloon inserted, and 2 side-by-side stents installed to keep my right coronary artery open. I was in the coronary care unit, lying on the bed and looking up at the anxious faces of Wendy, Mark, and Karen.
The hospital had called my kids, as they had my emergency information from the last time I was a patient at St. Jude, in 2002, when I was treated for a TIA. I spent 2 days in the CCU and then 2 more in the general ward before being discharged.
You would think that all of my actions and thinking at home must have taken about half an hour before I called for help, but they took only 4–5 minutes, and my house is several minutes from St. Jude.
Be Aware of the Following Things
I work in Internal Medicine Clinics as a Certified Medical Back-Office Assistant, and I have written my story with so many details to share what I learned from my personal experience as a heart attack survivor. I believe these things helped me:
1. I was aware that something strange was happening in my body. I didn’t have the typical heart attack symptoms seen in men, but felt other strange things (until I felt that sensation in my sternum and jaws). Some women mistake the first signs of a heart attack for indigestion. They take a heartburn preparation and go to sleep, thinking they will wake up feeling much better.
I strongly advise my women friends to call the paramedics whenever they notice a sudden, unusual, and unpleasant change in their body, which doesn’t necessarily have to be indigestion. A false alarm is always better than guessing what the cause of the discomfort is.
2. I called the paramedics and didn’t try to drive myself to the ER. Driving in such a condition can put you and others on the road in additional danger. Even if a friend or family member is driving, he or she will probably be panicked and looking at you instead of the road. You might even be pulled over for speeding, which means more lost time. In an emergency, call the emergency number first rather than your own doctor’s office, because paramedics can come to your address and bring the necessary equipment, such as oxygen.
3. My normal cholesterol levels didn’t lead me to believe that I couldn’t have a heart attack. Increased cholesterol levels are only one of several risk factors, along with high blood pressure and others.
Long-term inflammation and stress are also considered risk factors for heart disease, and family genetics can play a part as well. As for myself, I can say I was under long-term stress in 2005 and 2006.
What Every Woman Should Know
- Not every heart attack symptom is a pain in the left arm. Pay attention to intense pain and pressure in the jawline and under the breastbone (sternum), and to signs of indigestion, especially if you haven’t eaten anything in the last couple of hours.
- During a heart attack, you may never have the typical chest pain, but rather pressure or heaviness under the sternum.
- Other common symptoms are intense sweating and nausea, but they don’t always appear in women.
- Intense jaw pain may even wake you from a sound sleep. Be aware of this. The more you know, the sooner you can ask for help.
One of my cardiologist friends told me that sharing this story may help someone recognize the symptoms and call for help in time.
Via American Mobile
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always talk to your doctor about any health concern.