5 women share exactly what it feels like in case of heart attack



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You totally know if you
had a heart attack, right? You squeeze your left arm with pain,
fall immediately to the ground and go immediately to the hospital.

Atypical symptoms

Hey, not so much. Heart attacks are very different
women. While, yes, many women feel pain in the chest and arms,
possible to have a heart attack without these symptoms, says Dr.
Jennifer Haythe
, cardiologist and co-director of Women & # 39; s's
Cardiovascular Health Center of Columbia University.

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

"Too many women do not realize that heart disease is the biggest disease.
risk to their health, "says Dr. Haythe. "Women need to be even more educated
because they are more likely to have atypical symptoms. "

If it was not complicated enough, each individual can
experience different symptoms Here, five survivors of a heart attack reveal exactly
what did their heart attack look like?

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

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

"In retrospect, I realized that I had heart symptoms, such as
numbness in the left arm and stiffness in the neck since November 2013.
During my actual heart attacks, my chest was as if something was stuck, as I
swallowed a big pill and she would not pbad. I also had nausea, hot
hot flashes, sweating, softness and extreme tiredness. But if I had to summarize,
I would say that my body looks like a lot of failed circuits at the same time.

"After the surgery to put a stent, my cardiologist told me that I needed to
rethink all my lifestyle, mentally and physically. I took his advice and
today, I am happy to say that I exercise five days a week with a combination of
yoga, cardio and weightlifting. I admit that I have a slight advantage over
more than my husband is a physical trainer; it helps me stay on course! We all need
support and encouragement for this trip. "

-Tara Robinson, 45, volunteer
for the American Heart Association's Red Red For Women Program
Women "

Read more: 5 risk factors for heart disease that every woman needs to know

"I felt like I had terrible stomach burns".

"I had just finished teaching three high intensity courses and I
felt a pain in my chest, but I brushed it like a stomach burn. Then, as I was
going up the stairs in 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.

"Seconds later, I felt hot and sweat started to flow from me,
as I had just come out of a sauna. I could not suddenly catch my
the breath, I felt nauseous, I had cramps in my hands, and my chest pain was
gets worse and worse

"I did not stop saying that I was fine, but my colleague knew it better than anyone else.
called the 911. The paramedics did an ECG and immediately threw me in the ambulance and
m & # 39; s led to the hospital.

"In less than an hour, I had an angiogram to remove a clot that had
blocked my left anterior descending artery 100%. The second he was out,
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
blood to clot I found out later that the majority of people with the same problem
blocking die.

"I feel so lucky to be able to lead a healthy life
today, but it's still in the back of my mind. Now I have regular checkups for
my arteries and I'm careful not to overdo it with intense exercise. the
the experience has made me so grateful for each day that I have! "

-Shannon Schleicher, 39, has
personal trainer and fitness trainer for Life Time Athletic

"I had the impression of hiking on Mount Everest – on flat ground"

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

"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 I had recently
checked by my doctor for a slight chest pain – but he did not believe me and
I rushed to the doctor.

"When I got there, the doctors found that the main left artery
my heart was 98% blocked and the blockage was very close to my heart – a
condition called "the widower manufacturer" because it is so often fatal. j & # 39; was
just 33 years old and in great shape, but it turns out that I 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 had three surgeries and five stents posed
I must also follow a strict vegan and low cholesterol diet. But today I am
do a good job and get back to the activities I like, including starting my own
fitness company. "

-Mika Leah, 41, founder
from Goomi and volunteer for the program Go
Red Women's "True Women" Campaign

Read more: "I did not realize I had a heart attack"

"I thought I had bad cancer"

"In early 2008, I started having strange symptoms – my left
hurt at the shoulder for no reason, I had trouble answering questions
because my brain was fogged up, and I felt an electric shock
my left side. But none of them felt severe enough to be examined, so I
brushed them for nine months.

"Then, almost all night, the electric shocks intensified on my
left chest and I started having chest pains. Breast cancer was the first
thing that came to mind, but before I could make an appointment for
my health has deteriorated rapidly.

"I woke up one morning, I felt very bad – very tired, had back pain,
and I was nauseous – but I went to work anyway. Once there, I told my colleague
how I felt, adding that my chest was as if it was crushed. he
immediately said, "It sounds like a heart attack."

"I thought he was crazy, I was only 37 years old, I was not overweight, I
I did not have clogged arteries and I was very fit. Yet he insisted on taking
me in the hospital. Once there, I had a full-blown heart attack in the
ER waiting room.

"Throughout this ordeal, I never thought" That's it, I have
a heart attack. I felt just miserable and I knew something was not going at all.
Looking back, I realize that I neglected a huge risk factor: my family history of
cardiac disease. After having my heart attack, I discovered that almost everyone on
my mother's side had an early heart disease. My grandfather also had a heart attack
at 37 years old.

"The whole experience was terrifying and I still feel traumatized
in remembrance. But in a sense, it was a very good awakening. Now that I
know my risks, I can be better prepared. I take medicine for the heart and a baby
aspirin every day, and I get tested regularly. I'm back to my favorite
sport – climbing – but I'm sure to tell everyone to ask their parents
their history of heart disease. "

-Lilly Rocha, 47, volunteer
for the American Heart Association's Red Red For Women Program
Women "

"I thought I had a panic attack"

"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, getting ready to go to
the practice of football when I started having what I thought was anxiety. My mother had
just died six weeks earlier (from heart disease!), and I was still a lot
in mourning for his loss.

"Every time I breathed, my chest ached when I exhaled.
After a few minutes, the pain in my chest increased until I felt as if someone
was both squeezing and stabbing my heart. It was not the worst pain of my life,
but it was extremely uncomfortable. I felt weak and dizzy. I was cold,
but I was sweating and nauseous too.

"But the strangest thing is that my wrists were numb – almost as if I
the arms were asleep, but the sensation was concentrated around my wrists. He does not have
No matter how I sat, slept or stood, the pain and the weird feelings
a way. It was there that I knew something was really wrong.

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

"Today, I am doing very well and I have only two restrictions: I am not
more allowed to participate in contact sports (such as football) to prevent coagulation
movement or injury training, and I'm supposed to keep my heart rate below
170 beats per minute as a precaution not to tire my heart.

"My mother had just turned 58 when she died and I still miss her every day.
His memory reminds me why heart health is so important, even among young people,
apparently healthy women. "

-Molly Schroeder, 28,
for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women "Real Women" Campaign

This article was originally
posted on
www.womenshealthmag.com

Image credit: iStock

Charlotte Hilton Andersen



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