12 heart attack symptoms you must never ignore
February is Heart Month! That’s a pretty good reason to remind yourself that women fare worse than men when experiencing a cardiac event. One possible reason is that it can be confusing to make sense of heart attack symptoms when they do hit. Instead of seeking immediate help for possible heart attack symptoms, we end up:
- toughing them out
- waiting to see if they go away
- blaming them on heartburn, muscle soreness, or other less serious non-cardiac causes
If the following 12 possible heart attack symptoms occur – alone or in combination, and especially if they are unusual for you – you must act immediately: (more…)
“Women’s Heart Attack Myth”? Revisiting the controversial Canadian study
Media coverage of a study presented at the annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress last month has left me and my fellow Heart Sisters gobsmacked. One heart attack survivor told me: “This news has set back women’s awareness of heart attack symptoms by a full decade!”
What could have inspired a reaction like this? First, there are the media headlines, “The Heart Attack Myth”. Second, there’s the research methodology (the way this study was designed). And finally there’s the reporting of the study’s conclusion: essentially, that there are no differences in heart attack symptoms between men and women.
This study looked at 305 patients undergoing routine, scheduled, non-emergency angioplasty* procedures in hospital. Based on cardiac symptoms that patients reported during the momentary full blockage while the angioplasty balloon expands inside the coronary artery (ostensibly imitating what happens during an actual heart attack) the study’s conclusion is that women experience the same chest pain symptoms that men do during a heart attack. Oddly enough, media coverage rarely touched on another of the study’s key findings: that women in this study suffered “significantly more throat, neck and jaw pain” than men. Tragically, this omission is a missed educational opportunity.
Scratch any heart attack survivor and you’ll likely uncover an amazing litany of weird symptoms – some so weird you’d never believe them to be remotely cardiac in nature. Lips turning numb, elbow pain, earache, heavy sensation in the hands, vomiting, fever – do these sound like heart attack warning signs to you? Yet these and many other relatively unfamiliar symptoms are reported every day during real-life heart attacks. These unusual symptoms are important to know because up to 40% of women report no chest symptoms at all during a heart attack.
Since I started doing public presentations about women and heart disease, it’s been an uphill battle to convince women of the need to recognize and respond immediately to heart attack symptoms – ALL symptoms. These may include the textbook sign of chest pain (as I experienced myself during my own heart attack) but also include many vague symptoms that women report. I have yet to meet any woman who is unaware that chest pain is linked with heart attack, but many are very surprised to learn about less common symptoms. If only media coverage of this study had featured women’s commonly experienced throat, neck, and jaw pain symptoms as the major headline, instead of the catchy but misleading “Heart Attack Myth”. (more…)
Mayo Clinic: “What are the symptoms of a heart attack for women?
It’s been in the news. It’s been presented at cardiology conferences this month. It has set cardiac circles and women heart attack survivors abuzz. It’s the question of whether women present with heart attack symptoms that are different than those of men. For answers, let’s visit the website of the world-famous Mayo Clinic:
“What are the symptoms of a heart attack for women?”
“The most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But it’s not always severe or even the most prominent symptom, particularly in women. Women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
- Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
“These signs and symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. (more…)
The Busy Woman’s Guide To Surviving a Cardiac Emergency
Eliz Greene is a woman who knows what she’s talking about when she describes surviving a heart attack. According to her website, The Busy Woman’s Guide, “… she was seven months pregnant with twins when she suffered a massive heart attack. Not only did she survive a ten-minute cardiac arrest, the caesarean delivery of her daughters and open heart surgery – all on the same day! – she gained new perspective and passion for life.
“Determined not to lose her new found passion and to regain her health, Eliz developed strategies to fit activity and healthy habits into her life. She lost the more than 80 pounds she had gained while pregnant and has since become a recreational triathlete.
“The Busy Woman’s Guide to Surviving a Cardiac Emergency cuts to the chase, giving you easy tips to recognize important symptoms and get the treatment you need. When dealing with heart attack or stroke, time is ticking – you need to get help right away. Reading this book before an emergency can help you be prepared to act.
“This Guide is designed in three parts:
- Know The Signs – provides essential information about symptoms you should never ignore.
- Be Prepared – helps you gather the information you will need in an emergency.
- Take Charge in the E.R. - gives tips on how to be sure you get the treatment you need.
“No one wants to think about having a heart attack or stroke. It is scary. However, taking the time to think about what you would do in an emergency, knowing the signs, having the information you will need can help you survive and recover well.”
Her Take Charge in the E.R. section is worth a look. Eliz calls this list, “Tips For Getting The Treatment You Deserve”: (more…)
Why wouldn’t you call 911 for heart attack symptoms?
The other day, I was out for a walk with my friend, Patty. She told me a dramatic story of a co-worker whose husband had just suffered a heart attack. Turns out that this co-worker had attended one of my workplace presentations about heart health at their office just a couple months ago, yet when her husband phoned her at work to tell her of his distressing cardiac symptoms, she did not call 911 for him (as I continually harp on to my audiences!) Instead, she left work and drove all the way home to pick him up, loaded him into her car, and then drove him all the way back into town to the hospital.
When Patty heard this story from her co-worker later, she wondered: “Why didn’t you call 911 for your hubby like Carolyn told us to do?” – but it seems that the co-worker, like many of us, had acted purely on impulse: just get home and get him to the E.R. Unfortunately, her decision to drive him to the E.R. instead of calling 911 for help is not at all uncommon. For example, an Irish study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that:
