The sooner you do something, the more likely you are to survive.
One of the scariest health-related things anyone can go through is having a heart attack.
The good news is that, if treated early, your chances of surviving improve dramatically.
Unfortunately, heart attack symptoms and their severity can differ from person to person.
“A heart attack for most women is much different than for men.
I had a heart attack at 36 years old and never knew it.
I’d been negotiating a contract with my union colleagues, and it was getting down to the wire.
I thought to myself,I need some sleep.
I went home and woke in the morning to find I couldn’t breathe.
I felt like I had bronchitis or pneumonia.”
Another week passed, and I wasn’t getting any better.
In fact, I was even worse; I couldn’t take two steps without gasping for air.
The enzyme test showed I did indeed have a heart attack three weeks prior.
It was that night I was standing outside and felt the jolt.
Because so much time had elapsed, I ended up with significant heart damage.
I now battle congestive heart failure on a daily basis.
What feels like a heart attack to men may be completely different if you are a woman."
Erika F., Quora
2.
“I thought I was growing old.
Hiking up the hill behind my home, a climb of 800 feet, was turning into drudgery.
Then, one afternoon, when walking 30 feet uphill to my house, I got very tired.
I slowly went up the rest of the way, sat in an easy chair, and rested.
I went to bed, but was very uncomfortable.
Finally, I got up and sat back in my easy chair.
I was still uncomfortable.
I read a book, and a few hours went by.
I got back into bed, but it made my shoulder feel even worse.”
“Finally, I googled ‘heart attack’ and read down the list.
Yes for that symptom; check.
After three checks, I dialed 911.
In the ambulance, I told the nurse I wasn’t sure I should have called.
She laughed and said I had waited too long.
‘I get two kinds of people,’ she said.
Richard M., Quora
3.
“My experience is fresh I had a heart attack on Friday.
I stopped mowing and thought about how out of shape I’d become.
I started the mower again, and in the next minute, my sweating and breathlessness increased even more.
An oppressive pain, like a huge rock on my chest, took over.
It was a steady, continuous pain.
I went inside, collapsed onto the floor, and let my wife know I was in trouble.”
They had a good idea of where my problem lay.
They ran a wire up and explored the suspected blood vessel in my heart.
All the likely ones were clear.
While they did this, I hazily followed along as they talked about rugby and a Hawaiian vacation.
Finally, the surgeon said, ‘It can’t be his left anterior, could it?’
They jiggled and wiggled and stopped.
They got really quiet.
It was 95% blocked.
Right at the junction.
They installed a hybrid stent.
My heart function immediately improved to almost normal.
As for what happens next?
With hindsight, it looks like I have been showing signs of stress for over six months at least.
Dave P., Quora
4.
“I had a heart attack 11 years ago.
It is extremely painful.
The only advice I could give to someone is DON’T PANIC.
It puts the already laboring heart under much more stress.
Recognize what is happening.
Sit or lay in the most comfortable position.
Get someone nearby to call immediately for an ambulance.
Most people freak out so be calm for them if you’re able to.
Calling an ambulance in itself is a traumatic thing for most people.
Even though you are the sufferer, they may panic.”
“My symptoms: pain in lower jaw, neck, and upper back.
Tingling in lips and fingers.
Pain radiating down left OR right arm.
Sudden cold, clammy (sweaty) skin.
Be aware that not all of these symptoms happen.
If there is any pain in the chest area or arms, don’t wait.
Lost minutes mean lost lives.
YOU are your best chance of survival.
So be your own rock.”
Charmaine J., Quora
5.
But it didn’t hurt nearly as much as I would have thought.
Less than when I broke my ankle.
About the same as a bad kidney stone.
There are shooting pains down the left arm.
The person suffering from it grabs his chest and gasps, staggering back.
The pain is intense.
It’s a trope.
It was different with me.
I felt a rather strong pain in my upper back, on the right side.
It left me gasping a little.
After a while, the pain faded.
“The next day I didn’t feel well.
I can’t really explain it.
I just felt generally crappy.
Sort of like you feel when you’ve eaten too much only I wasn’t full.
It felt…unhealthy.
After lunch, the pain I had felt came back.
Again, it was concentrated in my left shoulder blade.
One time, in elementary school, I ate lunch cooked by the cafeteria.
On the menu were mashed potatoes.
And those were the hottest mashed potatoes that I’ve ever eaten.
Like, they would have melted lead.
I took a bite.
Maybe you’ve experienced something like that?
That’s how it felt.”
Lance L., Quora
6.
“I’ve seen this from both sides.
A few years ago, I was working as a mailman and delivering in my mail truck.
I felt an increasing pressure directly under my breastbone.
With all of my experience, I still mistook this early symptom.
These are both very common symptoms as the heart attack progresses.
I immediately pulled over and called 911.”
That is very serious.
I lost numerous patients who ‘denied’ anything was wrong.
Talking to spouses later, I heard the same story.
Partner suddenly woke up from pain and then started popping antacids…until it was too late.
The ER personnel will NEVER criticize you or laugh at you for overreacting.
David B., Quora
7.
“I (37F) was at work when it happened.
We had lunch delivered, and shortly after, I started feeling unwell…dizzy and nauseous.
I assumed it was related to what I had eaten.
The feelings didn’t go away no matter what I tried antacids, aspirin, Saltine crackers, etc.
My coworker/friend suggested I go to the hospital.
“At the ER, waiting to be called back, the pain became a lot worse.
I had tears streaming down my face.
It was a horrible feeling.
My parents live in a different state, and my dad called as soon as he heard the news.
I told him how I was feeling and what was happening.
He told me to demand to be seen.
He said it wasn’t normal to be in as much pain as I was in.
I walked up to the nurse’s desk and told her how much I hurt.
A few minutes later, she took me to one of the beds in the ER.
They ran an EKG on me, but it didn’t show a heart attack.
The ER doctor said, ‘You’re just having a major panic attack.
(How I didn’t punch him right then and there, I have no idea.)
They kept giving me IVs of drugs that would normally ‘calm down’ someone with anxiety.
I was crying constantly.
The ER doctor said, ‘I can’t believe these drugs aren’t working on you.
You’re easily the most nervous patient I’ve ever seen!’
(Again, the urge to punch was strong.)
They decided on the echocardiogram first.
My arteries (three of them) were blocked more than 70%.
A cardiologist performed an angioplasty and opened them up with balloons.
After recovering for five nights and four days in the hospital, I was allowed to go home.
A month of recovery after that, plus cardiac rehab, and I was back to work.
Nikki P., Quora
8.
“I had one 17 years ago.
I also had a strange feeling of what I can only describe as ‘dread.’
I knew something was wrong but not what, so I called an ambulance.
When it turned up, the paramedics said they thought I was having a heart attack.
They did an ECG in the ambulance and sent the result to a doctor who confirmed it.”
I was back cycling 10km to work in a month.”
Peter G., Quora
9.
“It feels like the end of the fucking world.
It began like persistent heartburn.
Then, my skin turned clammy, and I was running with sweat.
“‘I am having a heart attack.
Call an ambulance.’
I slid to the floor and got out my keys and wallet.
‘Call the number in blue ink (my sister-in-law is in Canada).
Tell her what has happened.’
The paramedics turned up and wrestled my fat ass onto a gurney and put me in the ambulance.
Their radio was on, and a rap song was screeching out.
‘I might be dying and don’t want that shit to be the last thing I hear.’
Obligingly, there was silence.
The hospital pit crew were amazing, and the spear was finally withdrawn.
This Sunday, I will be 74.
The ambulance crew, A&E, cardiology, and ICU all received pizzas and doughnuts.
Three dozen amazing people worked hard to give this miserable old bastard some extra time.”
George P., Quora
10.At the time of my heart attack, I was a well-trained firefighter/EMT.
I was…26 years old.”
I felt flu-ish and sweaty.
I had trouble understanding speech, and my speech was slurred.
I felt nauseated like I was hungover, without having imbibed.
The right side of my face was numb, and I couldn’t see out of my right eye.
I felt a sense of impending doom.
I thought I was experiencing a stroke.
Insatiable nausea and vomiting:As in, the more I could vomit, the better I would feel.
Shortness of breath:An invisible elephant was most definitely sitting on my chest.
By the time they finished, I’d gone a total of 20 hours between onset and adequate intervention.
I will always be a heart patient.
Remember, time=permanent damage.
And know your numbers.
Know your risk factors for stroke and heart attack.
I’d rather be slightly embarrassed than dead.
Wouldn’t you?”
JP B., Quora
11.
“I believe it is different depending on whether you’re male or female.
I am a female, and I was surprised at how little it actually hurt.
My heart attack symptoms started with a very bad headache.
In about an hour, the pain moved to my jaw.
After that, I began sweating.
I sweated so much it looked like I had been walking in the rain.
However, my nose was ice cold.
I started to feel pressure in the middle of my chest, but still not a lot of pain.
The EMTs did an EKG on me, and the left side of my heart was not working.
I was rushed to the ER, and the chaplain called my ‘next of kin.’
The doctor placed three stents in my heart, and the pressure abated.
I stayed in the CCU for six days and was released in a week.”
“I want to make others aware that a major heart attack does not have to hurt badly.
Jill J.,Quora
Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.
