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February 22, 2008
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What women need to know about heart attacks Canyon Lake resident Kathy Blakemore, a science teacher at Elsinore Middle School, sends along this story from one of the health website “bulletin boards” to which she subscribes on the Internet. “I send this not to scare us all to death but to educate us on how to take care of ourselves,” Kathy notes. The fact that it is someone’s personal story may convey the message better than a simple health warning. It has been edited for space.
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 and 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 p.m. with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might’ve brought it on. I was sitting all snugly and warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me.
“A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, like 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 . . . This was my initial sensation – the only trouble was that I hadn’t taken a bite of anything since about 5 p.m.
“After that seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my spine (hindsight: it was probably my aorta having a spasm), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone). 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 a myocardial infraction (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 footrest, 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 a moment.’
“I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed 9-1-1. I told the operator 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, getting me into the ambulance or hearing the call they made to 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 . . .
“I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20 to 30 minutes before calling 9-1-1, but actually it took perhaps four to five minutes before the call, and both the fire station and hospital are only minutes away from my home. Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want you to know what I learned firsthand:
1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body . . . 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. They take an 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 9-1-1 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 9-1-1.” 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 9-1-1. He doesn’t carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! Paramedics do – principally oxygen that you need ASAP. Your doctor 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.) Myocardial infractions 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.
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