5 women told about their heart attack

You would know totally if you had a heart attack, right? You would squeeze your left arm in pain, fall immediately to the ground and head straight for the hospital.

Hey, not so much. Heart attacks look way different in women. While, yes, many women feel pain in their chest and arms, it's quite possible to have a heart attack without these symptoms, she says. Jennifer Haythe, MD, Cardiologist and Co-Director of the Women's Center for Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University.

Other sneaky symptoms of heart attack you need to know include jaw pain, shortness of breath, extreme tiredness, dizziness, back pain, nausea, hot flashes, indigestion and even something that looks like a stroke. ;anxiety.

In the United States, heart disease is the number one killer of women (and men too!). It is responsible for one in three deaths among women, according to the report. American Heart Association. But "too many women do not realize that heart disease is the biggest risk to their health," said Dr. Haythe. "Women need to be even more educated as they are more likely to have atypical symptoms."

If that were not enough, everyone individual may experience different symptoms. Here, five survivors of a heart attack reveal exactly what their heart attack was felt.

"I had the impression of having a big pill stuck in my throat"

Courtesy of Tara Robinson

"In fact, I had three heart attacks in three days.I had my first heart attack on April 10, 2014, a second on April 11 and a third on the 12th, just hours after my outing from the hospital.The last I was considered dead for a few minutes and it is a miracle that the doctors could bring me back.

"Looking back, I realized that I had heart symptoms, such as left arm numbness and stiff neck, since November 2013. During my current heart attack, I had chest like if anything was stuck, as if I had swallowed a j, I also had nausea, hot flashes, sweating, wetness and extreme tiredness, but if I had to summarize, I would say that my body looks like a lot of circuits that go wrong at the same time.

"After surgery to put a stent, my cardiologist told me that I had to rethink my entire lifestyle, both mentally and physically." I followed his advice and today, I'm happy to say that I exercise five days a week with a combination of yoga, cardio and weightlifting.I recognize that I have a slight advantage over most people, my husband being a physical trainer; helps us stay the course! We all need support and encouragement for this trip. "

–Tara Robinson, 45, volunteer for the Go Red For Women from the American Heart Association "Real women " campaign

"I felt like I had terrible stomach burns."

Courtesy of Shannon Schleicher

"I had just finished teaching three high intensity clbades and I was feeling chest pain, but I treated it like a stomach burn." Then, as I climbed the stairs from my gym for a meeting, I suddenly felt extremely tired-so much so that I did not think I could do the rest of the way.

"A few seconds later, I felt very hot and the sweat started to flow, as if I had just come out of a sauna.I also failed to catch my breath, I was feeling nauseous, had cramps in the hands and chest pain was getting worse and worse.

"I did not stop saying that I was fine, but my colleague knew better, so she called 911. The paramedics did an ECG and immediately threw me into the room. 39, ambulance and m took me to the hospital.

"In less than an hour, I had an angiogram to remove a clot that blocked 100% of my left anterior descending artery. As soon as I was retired, I felt immediate relief. The best hypothesis of my cardiologist was that stress or exercise, or a combination of both, caused a tear in my artery, which forced the blood to coagulate.

"I feel so lucky to be able to lead my healthy lifestyle today, but I always keep it in mind.Now, I have regular checkups for my arteries and I'm watching Do not overdo it with intense exercises – so thankful for each day that I have! "

–Shannon Schleicher, age 39, personal trainer and fitness trainer for Life Time Athletic

"I had the impression of hiking on Mount Everest on flat terrain."

Courtesy of Mika Leah

"I was on what was supposed to be an easy hike with my friend, when all of a sudden I felt very out of breath (we were not even out of sight of the parking lot yet), and I had very bad left arm.

"I sat on a rock and told my friend that I felt good – the hike should have been easy, I had just finished a half marathon and my doctor recently examined me for a chest pain – but he did not believe me – and rushed me to the doctor.

"When I got there, the doctors found that the main left artery of my heart was 98% blocked and the blockage was touching me a lot – a condition called" the widow's maker "because She is so often mortal, 33 years old and in great shape, but I happen to carry a gene that greatly increases my risk of heart disease (my father had his first heart attack at 32 years old! ).

"Since that fateful day, I've had three surgeries and five stents.I also need to follow a strictly vegan and cholesterol-lowering diet.But today, I'm fine and I'm going back to activities that I like, including starting my own fitness business. "

–Mika Leah, 41, founder of Goomi and volunteer for the Go Red For Women from the American Heart Association "Real women " campaign

"I thought I had bad cancer."

Courtesy of Lilly Rocha

"At the beginning of 2008, I started to have strange symptoms: my left shoulder was hurting me for no reason, I had trouble answering questions because my brain was fogged up and I was feeling discharges. all along my left side, they felt severe enough to be examined, so I swept them out for nine months.

"Then, most of the night, the electric shocks intensified on my left chest and I started to have chest pain.Breast cancer was the first thing that came to me at the time. mind, but before I can make an appointment to have it checked, my health has deteriorated rapidly.

"I woke up on a frightening morning – very tired, had back pain and was nauseous – but I went to work anyway." Once on site, I told my colleague how I felt, adding that I had the chest crushed.He immediately said, "It looks like a heart attack."

"I thought he was crazy, I was only 37 years old, I was not overweight, I did not have clogged arteries and I was He still wanted to take me to the hospital, and once there I had a heart attack in the emergency room.

"Throughout this ordeal, I never thought," That's it, I'm having a heart attack. "I felt miserable and knew that something was wrong.In hindsight, I realized that I had neglected a huge risk factor: my family history of having my heart attack, I was I discovered that almost all of my mother's members had early heart disease.My grandfather also had a heart attack at 37 years old.

"This whole experience was terrifying and I always feel traumatized by the memory, but in a way, it was a very good awakening, now that I know my risks, I can be better prepared. I take heart medicine and baby aspirin every day. " day, and I have regular tests. I'm back for my favorite sport, climbing, but I'm trying to tell everyone to ask their parents what they've already had with heart disease. "

–Lilly Rocha, 47, volunteer for the Go Red For Women from the American Heart Association "Real women " campaign

"I thought I was having a panic attack."

Courtesy of Molly Schroeder

"I was just 21 years old and I was a college student when I had a heart attack.I was at home with my roommates and getting ready for football practice when I was I started to have what I thought was anxiety.My mother had just died six weeks earlier (from heart disease!), And I was still crying a lot about her loss.

"Every time I took a breath, my chest ached when I exhaled.After a few minutes, the pain in my chest increased until someone was both tight and stabbed It was not the worst pain of my life, but it was extremely uncomfortable I felt weak and light, I was cold, but I was sweating and I was also nauseated.

"But the strangest part was that my wrists were numb – almost as if my arms were asleep, but the sensation was concentrated around my wrists, no matter how I sat, slept or stood, the pain and the Odd feelings would not matter. " It was there that I knew something was really not going well.

"I went to the hospital where the doctors found a blood clot partially blocking one of my arteries, which caused a heart attack. They managed to break the clot with drugs. I did not need surgery.

"Today, I am doing very well and I have only two restrictions: I am no longer allowed to participate in contact sports (such as football) to prevent clot movements or injury formation. , and I'm supposed to keep my heart rate under 170 beats per minute, as a precaution, so as not to tire my heart.

"My mother was 58 years old when she pbaded away and I still miss her every day, and her memory reminds me why heart health is so important, even in young, seemingly healthy women."

–Molly Schroeder, 28, volunteer for the Go Red For Women from the American Heart Association "Real women " campaign