How would you know if you were having a heart attack?

[Eileen]

I'm serious. I've been reading all this stuff about how the symptoms for heart attack in women are less obvious than in men, and reading about apparently young healthy women who think there might be something wrong, and then find out they've already had a couple of heart attacks.

I was cycling into town yesterday thinking "This is way harder than it should be". My pulse was hitting 95% of max, and that was when I was stopped at red lights. I was sweating and my chest hurt.

Of course, I'd done chest and tris the day before, so I was pretty sure it wasn't a heart attack. And in the end, it turned out I had a brake jammed, which is why it was so hard.

But it did get me thinking. Since we so often have the classic symptoms of heart attacks in our normal day, how do we know if it's the real thing?

[emmie]

By being exquisitely in tune with your own body...

I have been taught that the most common symptom of a heart attack in women is...nausea. Gee, do you think that there are more than a *few* things that may cause a person to feel nauseous???! But by being tuned in to the other symptoms - inordinate fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations, edema, and yes, chest pain - a person might be able to able to say "Le's see, I'm feeling a little out of breath, I'm really tired, and now I'm feeling nauseous...I'd better see my doc".

But you're right: most women don't have that classic symptom of crushing chest pain that males experience...

[LeilaM]

My friend's mother just had a heart attack two days ago, and yep, women's symptoms aren't always the same as mens. She felt nausea, complained that she couldn't feel her hands and couldn't breathe. Since she has other health problems, they didn't think anything about it. She threw up, and passed out- so the EMTs came and there you go. She's lucky she's made it through ok, and didn't have to have her procedure done open chest.

If you *do* feel something amiss in the general area, it's best to go to the Dr and just get a physical. I found out I have a heart problem about a year ago, and I wouldn't have known otherwise if I hadn't been having palpations (which have nothing to do with the heart problem, ironically enough). Most Internal Medicine Drs have portable EKGs and that right there should tell them if you have a potential problem.

FYI- panic attacks and gallbladdar attacks often feel like heart attacks, too.

[Eileen]

You know, I was hoping for something like "Unless there's a stabbing pain under the third left rib, you're fine". Now I've got two reasons to dread leg day.

Trouble is, I'm not sure I am that in tune with my body. I've certainly ignored broken and dislocated bones in the not-so-recent past.

Leila, what was your heart problem, what were the symptoms?

[TurbulentFluid]

Well, my grandfather walked for 4 days around asfter having one...

[Cgirl]

Jaw Pain...that seems to be a common symptom in women that is not seen in men.

[Eileen]

Well, my grandfather walked for 4 days around after having one...

So how did they know he'd had one?

[LeilaM]

You know, I was hoping for something like "Unless there's a stabbing pain under the third left rib, you're fine". Now I've got two reasons to dread leg day.

Trouble is, I'm not sure I am that in tune with my body. I've certainly ignored broken and dislocated bones in the not-so-recent past.

Leila, what was your heart problem, what were the symptoms?

Just a genetic thing- can't break down amyloid, so it deposits on the heart- fossilizes it and usually karks out in the 70s age range (some younger, some older). One of those orphan diseases, nothing to be done about it (more interesting than dying of diabetes, hence my weight loss! Gotta go interestingly at LEAST!). Runs in the family- dominant thing. Had I feeling I had inhereted it, but EKG confirmed it. My palpations were actually just from being really, really fat and prone to panic, though. Go figure, LOLS!

Anyway, better safe than sorry. I doubt you were having a heart attack, but have you ever had an EKG or your cholestrol checked? Also, sometimes panic attacks can feel like a heart attack- a heavy, pressing feeling on the chest or solar plexus area. If it happens again, go get checked out for sure, may be nothing at all, but if it is, early detection is key

Same goes for the ladies here due for the boob squeeze test. And everyone else- time for the self-exams!

[bluescorpion]

I have had chest pains for years and when I saw a doctor about it we did the treadmill and EKG... nothing of note, thankfully. Apparently, it's just muscle tension.

But I do think about this question sometimes -- let's keep adding to the list of possible symptoms!

[TurbulentFluid]

So how did they know he'd had one?

In the evening of the 4th day he got much worse, felt completely exhausted, started hyperventilating, and way quickly losing strength. But they didn't pinpoint it as a heart attack until they did an EKG test. It was that mild...

[Eileen]

I had a cholesterol test recently (normal, except an unusually high ratio of HDL to LDL, which is good), and have low blood pressure. I normally have to drink a couple of litres of water to bring it up to the 100/60 which is the minimun for giving blood. My resting pulse is 50. There's no family history of heart disease. Really, it's just paranoia, and the fact that people my age are suddenly getting serious things.

What do they do if they find somone's had a heart attack days before?

[Luvdogs]

I get parnoid sometimes too. One thing about chest pain and working out. If the pain is touchable (you press on your pecs) most likely it isn't the heart attack kind of chest pain which I think is more like cramping in the center of the chest. I've also heard for women centralized back pain can be an indication (learned from Red Cross CPR class).

[dcerbi]

i had a heart attack a few months ago, at the age of 20...and believe me, you know when its happening

and btw, what happened was not bodybuilding related

[Eileen]

At 20???? Why? How? What happened?

[dcerbi]

At 20???? Why? How? What happened?

i had a spasm on a vein caused by an alergic reaction to penicillin...
the damage to the heart was minimal, but i cant workout during 3 months

[LeilaM]

oooo, not fun, dcerbi! Hope everything is ok now. Rx reactions are no fun

Eileen- if you are worried, you could take a lo-dose aspirin a day, but your test results look pretty good. I bet it was just fatigue or something related to that... If it happens again, you know what to do!

[myk7]

Jaw Pain...that seems to be a common symptom in women that is not seen in men.

who ARE you. excellent main photo. wow

[Roger999]

you could probly tell between a heart attack or something else

[rhbrand]

Just don't be like my father.

His first sign of a heart attack, was he slumped over dead. His first, was his last.

[LiftingIsLife]

Just don't be like my father.

His first sign of a heart attack, was he slumped over dead. His first, was his last.

ya, much like my uncle. he stood up from his chair, groaned loudly, and then
went down in a heap.... it was over that second for him..

cant worry about everything in this world, or you will certainly exhaust
yourself....

best,
~Lifer