Heart Attack Symptoms in Women-
Every Heart Attack is Different.
-        Readers Share Their True Heart Attack Experiences


The "classic" symptoms of a heart attack (myocardial infarction) are

1. Sudden pain or pressure in the chest
2. Shortness of Breath
3. Pain in the arms, especially the left arm.

But many women do not experience the classic symptoms. Women can
experience

1. Pain in the upper back between the shoulder blades
2. Extreme fatigue
3. Nausea
4. Indigestion
4. Any or none of the classic symptoms.

In other words, real women having real heart attacks have vastly
different symptoms than the symptoms taught in medical text books.

Heart attacks are under-diagnosed in women.
One of the reasons these pages were started at CollectiveWizdom was to
dispel and debunk the common misconceptions about what a heart
attack really feels like.  A lot of women have died after ignoring the
real-life symptoms they were feeling because --and this is the saddest
part--their actual symptoms did not match the "classic" symptoms of a
heart attack.

The only advice you need to hear is from your own body. Believe your
body. As a woman, it is your best protection against mis-diagnosis.

Believe your body, even though

-The doctor, who knows best, tells you it's only indigestion

Believe your body, even though,

-You know it's just indigestion, and it'll go away if you can just get to
sleep

Believe your body, even though

-You know that pain in your jaw is because you ate too much popcorn

You should not guess at whether you are having a heart attack. If you
are at all unsure, if you think "maybe", if it even crosses your mind,  go
to the Emergency Room. Go. Now.

If you are having a myocardial infarction, they can administer a
potentially life-saving clot-busting drug.

At CollectiveWizdom, we are on a quest to collect the real life experiences
of women and men who have had heart attacks. Join the quest.

If you have had a heart attack, make it a purposeful event by sharing
with other women and men. E-mail us at pages@ collectivewizdom.com.
You may make your submission anonymous but please include your first
name and the initial of your last name.

Make another woman or man Believe Their Body. Save a life.

Here is an Index of Real Life Heart Attack stories.  We hope that
somewhere out there a woman or man will recognize their symptoms or
the symptoms of a loved one, and a life will be saved.




Index of Personal Heart Attack Stories

My Heart Attack --"I Had Just Had The Best Day"

My Heart Attack--"I Thought I Had Asthma"

"They Gave My Husband Indigestion Medicine But He Was Having a Heart Attack"

"I Thought It Was Just Nausea But I Was Having Heart Attack"

"My Job Drove Me to Have A Heart Attack at Age 37"

My Heart Attack--"I Had a Silent Heart Attack" (read this story below)


"I Had a Silent Heart Attack"
By Elizabeth Garrett


You know how in life, there is a saying that the squeaky wheel gets all
the oil.  That was what I thought. That the loud people in the room, the
loud sounds are the ones that matter. The loud voices are the ones to
listen to.  Now, after what happened to me, I no longer just hear the
loud voices. Now I hear also listen to those who whisper.

'I was a nurse at a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. I had always been
overweight. All my life, people would say of me, "Liz is so pretty " but
their eyes would share a rebuke "too bad she is so fat".

Still, I usually had a big smile and a laugh for everyone I met. When the
floor nurse needed someone to work with a difficult patient, she always
sent me.  I never said no. I liked being the one who could be relied
upon.  

So, one day, when the floor nurse needed someone to talk to a man
named Mr. Carter, she called for me. He was in recovery for prostate
surgery, and he wouldn't eat.  She called for me.  It was nothing
unusual. Nothing I had not done a thousand times before.  

But as I hurried  down the white linoleum hallways, I remember
thinking, "I feel tired today".

When I got to Mr. Carter, I talked to him. People are always telling me
my voice is musical. I guess I do know how to talk to people. After about
10 minutes of talking about his life and how he was feeling, Mr.Carter
decided he would try his dinner.  I felt good about doing my job.  

I turned away from Mr. Carter to go back to tell the floor nurse when I
felt a little weak. That's all. I told myself, "Girl, you need to lose some
weight."  I  sat back down on the edge of Mr. Carter's bed.  I sat there
for what seemed like only a minute or two. But when I looked at my
watch, 15 minutes had passed.  

Mr. Carter asked me if something was wrong.  I told him no, but I was
just a little tired.  Then, after about 3 minutes more, I got up and left.  

I went on doing my job for the rest of the shift. I get off at 11 PM.  I
went to the garage level 3 where I always park. When I got in my car, I
felt suddenly tired again.  Like I hadn't slept in a while. But that was the
thing, I always sleep pretty well. I had not lost any sleep lately.

The next two days I felt myself again. On Saturday, when I was due to
work a late shift for a co-worker who had called off, I dressed around
10PM to get there by 11.  Then BAM! A horrible shooting pain in my back
in the middle. It was not in my chest.  But there was something different
about the pain that made me reach for the phone. Not to call 911. But to
call my daughter who lives in Texas.  I told her my back hurt and she
asked me what I had lifted. I couldn't remember lifting anything. My
daughter is detail-oriented. She has a habit of scribbling down as she
listens and I could tell she was taking notes.  I told her about feeling
tired 3 days before, about sitting down at the foot of Mr._Carter's be.
And that was the last thing I remember.

My daughter says that I suddenly passed out. She called 911. They
routed her to 911 Kansas City. She gave them my address. The ER broke
down the front door, and because of my weight, they tell me that 3 men
had to lift me onto the gurney and into the ambulance.

When I awoke with IV's in my arm, the Doctor told me I had had a heart
attack.  In fact, he told me I had had 2 heart attacks. The first one, the
one I should have acted upon immediately had happened 3 days before
the one that finally knocked me out.

The first one was a Silent Heart Attack.  That is what they call it. A Silent
Heart Attack.

I am writing this because I was a nurse and I didn't know that people
could have heart attacks and not even know it. I know that if I didn't
know, a lot of people out there may not know either.  Heart attacks do
not always knock you out. But they are just as damaging to your heart.
Heart attacks always kill some tissue in your heart. The heart does not
get enough oxygen due to some blockage and part of it dies.

I just wish that I had taken better care of myself. That all those years I
was running around for other people, that I had just taken some time to
run around for me.

Please go see a doctor if you feel something is wrong. Don't
self-diagnose. I should have known that I was just not feeling tired. I
was 54 at the time. I had been tired of course at other times in my life.
But here was the CLUE. I had never, ever, ever been so tired that I had
to SIT DOWN AT THE FOOT OF A PATIENT'S BED.

Looking back on it, I feel stupid. I should have been more self-aware.  
So, please, you be more self-aware. You may only get one clue. One
small clue. One chance. If a pain is making you do something you have
never done before in your life--even something minor like sitting down
on a patient's bed--listen to your intuition. Go get yourself checked out.
We always think we know what something will feel like before it
happens. We think that if our body is having a heart attack, that it will
SCREAM it to us. But that's not true. The word my not come to us in a
SCREAM.  It may come in a whisper.   Listen to that clue. Listen to that
whisper.  It could be the last whisper you ignore.


Are you a heart attack survivor? Help others by sharing your story: Send
it to pages@collectivewizdom.com

Related Links

What is Angina?

Why Americans Read In Bathrooms-The Hidden Epidemic of Constipation

Bowels -3 Keys to Normal Bowels

Bowel Movements Indicate Your Overall Health

Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure

Waist Size Matters

Why We Go Soft In the Middle

My Heart Attack

How Long Will You Live--Life Expectancy Calculator

Fish Oil Health Benefits -Let Me Count The Ways

Quinoa-A New Superfood

Sugar-The Disease Connection

How Much Is Too Much Salt

Home > Conditions > Heart Attack  
>Here

What Are the "Classic Symptoms"
of a Heart Attack for Men and
Women?

Almost everyone has seen the
Hollywood version of a classic
heart attack. We expect to see
Fred Sanford (remember "Sanford
& Son?) grabbing his chest,
staggering with a wrenched look
on his face, yelling "It's the Big
One!"

But, it turns out, what a heart
attack looks like to others, and
feels like to you, may be very
different.

Here are the symptons the
American Heart Association says
you should look out for:

Heart Attack Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden
and intense — the "movie heart
attack," where no one doubts
what's happening. But most heart
attacks start slowly, with mild pain
or discomfort. Often people
affected aren't sure what's wrong
and wait too long before getting
help. Here are signs that can mean
a heart attack is happening:
•        Chest discomfort. Most heart
attacks involve discomfort in the
center of the chest that lasts more
than a few minutes, or that goes
away and comes back. It can feel
like uncomfortable pressure,
squeezing, fullness or pain.   
•        Discomfort in other areas of
the upper body. Symptoms can
include pain or discomfort in one
or both arms, the back, neck, jaw
or stomach.    
•        Shortness of breath with or
without chest discomfort.   
•        Other signs may include
breaking out in a cold sweat,
nausea or lightheadedness   

As with men, women's most
common heart attack symptom is
chest pain or discomfort. But
women are somewhat more likely
than men to experience some of
the other common symptoms,
particularly shortness of breath,
nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw
pain.
Learn the signs, but remember
this: Even if you're not sure it's a
heart attack, have it checked out.
Minutes matter! Fast action can
save lives — maybe your own. Don’
t wait more than five minutes to call
9-1-1.
Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the
fastest way to get lifesaving
treatment. Emergency medical
services staff can begin treatment
when they arrive — up to an hour
sooner than if someone gets to the
hospital by car. The staff are also
trained to revive someone whose
heart has stopped. Patients with
chest pain who arrive by
ambulance usually receive faster
treatment at the hospital, too.
If you can't access the emergency
medical services (EMS), have
someone drive you to the hospital
right away. If you're the one having
symptoms, don't drive yourself,
unless you have absolutely no
other option.
Source: American Heart
Association
Google
COLLECTIVE WIZDOM.COM
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Life