(NCR Sez: This was written by some lady & I have no clue who. Being me,I edited it a bit.)
Neil C. Reinhardt
--------------------------------------
WOMEN AND HEART ATTACKS
(Myocardial Infarction)
This to warn woman it's true women rarely have the same dramaticsymptoms men do when experiencing a heart attack. The sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing thechest and dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. I had acompletely 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 catin my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, andactually thinking, "A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in mysoft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up."
A moment later, I felt the awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry, grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water.
Then this hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ballwhich is going down into the esophagus in slow motion and is mostuncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast,you needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass ofwater to hasten it's progress down to the stomach.
While this was my initial sensation---thetrouble was I had not taken a bite of a thing since about 5:00 p.m.
After this unpleasent feeling had seemed to subside, the next sensationwas like little squeezing motions which seemed to be racing upmy SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasming), gainingspeed as they continued racing up and under my sternum where one pressesrhythmically when adminstering CPR).
This feeling continued on into my throat and then branched out into bothjaws. AHA!!
NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening as I had read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of a Myocardial infarction (MI) happening,
I said aloud to myself and the cat, "Dear God, I think I'm having aheart attack !"
I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat from my lap, started to take astep. I then promply fell on the floor instead. I then thought, "If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else... only, if I don't,nobody will know that Ineed help, an d if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in moment."
So I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed 911.
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'tfeel 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 & lost consciousness. I do not remember the medics coming in, their examination,lifting me onto a guerny or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way.
I did briefly awaken when we arrived, 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 and asking questions. (probably something like "Have you taken any medications?")
Only I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form ananswer,and I 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 stentsto hold open my right coronary artery.
I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must havetaken at least 10-15 minutes before calling the Paramedics. Actually it took perhaps 4 - 5 minutes before the call, (NCR Sez: Methinks her ability to judge time is poor. To have the thoughs she had, make it to the phone, place the call, unlock the door and lay on the floor could have all taken place in less than one or two minutes.) Both the fire station and St. Jude are only a few minutes away from myhome.
My Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs, 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 Iwant all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.
1. Be aware something very different is happening in your body andthey are not the usual men's symptoms, rather they are inexplicablethings happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act ).
Many more women than men die of theirfirst (and last) Myocardial infarction (MI) because they didn't knowthey were having one, and commonly mistake it as indigestion, takesome Maalox or other anti-heartburn" preparation, and go to bed, hopingthey'll feel better in the morning when they wake up....which doesn'thappen.
My female friends, your symptoms mightnot be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics ifANYTHING is unpleasantly happening you have not felt before. It isbetter to have a "false alarm" visitation than to risk your lifeguessing what it might be!
2. Note I said "Call 911". Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER! You're a hazard to yourself andothers on the road! So is your panicked driver who will be speedingand looking anxiously atwhat's happening with you instead of the road.Do NOT call your doctor--he doesn't know where you live and if it's atnight you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants(or answering service) will tell you to call 911.
And your doctor does not carry the equipment in his car you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN which you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.
3. Do NOT assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research proves a cholesterol elevated reading israrely the cause of an Myocardial Infarction. (MI) (That is, unless it's extreamly high, and/or accompanied by high blood pressure.) Myocardial Infarction'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 said: If everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10people, you can be sure we'll save at least one life.
