Female Heart Attack Symptoms

[Someluck]

My daughter’s friend, Nicki, recently had a heart attack at 47 years old, and because she shared her symptoms, I was able to recognize them when I had a heart attack 12 days ago.

On the day of the event, I woke up and felt just fine. I checked the Dis boards, found a bracelet I loved on ebay, puttered around the house and then went out for an early dinner with my wife.

I had Kung Pao chicken about 4 PM which was kind of spicy so when I began to have heartburn at 6 PM I took some Tums and didn’t think much of it. Instead of clearing up, I began to feel a dull pain in the center of my back along with the heartburn. I decided to lay down and see if it cleared up. Within 20 minutes, I began experiencing tingling down both arms and I remembered what Nicki had described: heartburn, back pain, nausea, and pain in her arms. She too thought she would just get over it and waited nearly half a day before seeking medical help.

I told my wife I thought I should go to ER just to check, and began to gather my shoes and coat. As I was doing this, nausea set in and I began vomiting. My wife called 911 and off I went. At the ER they determined I was indeed having a heart attack. At no time was I ever in excruciating pain, pass out or feel a squeezing sensation in my chest. I was able to talk and walk.

I am sharing this in the hopes in might help another woman recognize the symptoms of a heart attack as I was helped by Nicki sharing her story with me. My story ends well, I am home and recovering and planning a November trip to WDW.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I’m glad you’re doing well and recovering. I wish it was more talked about that women most often experience different symptoms from men. It’s always amazing to me how many women I run across that don’t know the primary symptom for heart attacks in women is intense nausea and not chest pain.

Thanks for sharing for awareness! I can’t believe that so many health assumptions are discussed with typical symptoms without noting that those are only true for men and women have different typical symptoms.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I knew about the pain in the arms, but I had no idea about the nausea.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Thank you for sharing!

One that I will always remember...years ago I was a member of another message board. One day, a well-known member there posted about the awful pain she was experiencing in her jaw. She'd called her dentist but couldn't get in until the following day, so she'd taken some pain meds, but they weren't working. The next morning, her husband posted that she'd passed away from a heart attack and that the jaw pain had been her only symptom. Only 34 years old.

(To silence the naysayers, he came back a few days later and posted a link to the newspaper that carried her obituary.)

 

[mamamary]

When I had my heart attack two years ago I was at my friends house and had pain in my upper back near my shoulders. I had no other symptoms. I even drove home and waited about an hour before I went to the hospital. You never know.

 

[dotfurio]

My mom had a heart attack a couple years ago. We were out running around shopping and she said she had jaw pain and just kind of "felt funny." No chest, arm, or back pain. I really didn't think anything of it, but thank God she decided she wanted to check in with her doctor. He sent her to the hospital, where she had an angiogram with several stents placed. If it were me feeling that way I likely wouldn't have even gone to the doctor. It's scary she had such a serious condition with so few symptoms.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Thank you for sharing. Glad you’re on the mend!

 

[Someluck]

Thank you all for your good wishes; I am doing quite well and consider myself very lucky. As many of you have shared, the symptoms are easily assumed to be something less serious and it was only the fact that I had recently heard a personal account that I was prompted to seek help earlier than I might have.

 

[monsterkitty]

My dad was 36 when he began complaining about severe nausea while at work. Someone called my mom to come and take him home, but by the time she got there another co-worker took him to the hospital. His friend took him to the hospital because my dad also said his upper back between his shoulder blades hurt. His co-worker's mom complained about the same symptoms before she died of a heart attack. At the hospital they didn't treat him for a heart attack because he was only 36 and it was nausea. By the time he complained of jaw pain and numb hands, he had lost 50% of his heart.

The more we share about heart attack symptoms others have had, the more we educate each other.

 

[holden]

Thank you for sharing your story. It's so important to recognize the symptoms. My dad had intense shoulder pain while running through the airport to catch a flight ten years ago. He went to his doc the next day and, long story short, he needed a triple bypass.

I'm glad you are doing well!

 

[OhMari]

2 years ago, I had intense nasiousness. I could not throw up. I was laying on the hallway floor and a nurse called me to reschedule a mammogram. I could barely talk and she asked me what was wrong. She took my address down and called 911 for me. A police officer got to my home first and talked with me and said if I am talking, I am not having a heart attack. My dh got home and by then I started to throw up and felt slightly better. They did take me in and I ended up having 2 stents put in.

I just had my check up and verything is working fine. I am almost relieved that I get to have my heart checked for function probably the rest of my life. My dad had a major heart attack at 55 and 75, I knew I had his genetics.

 

[barkley]

At the hospital they didn't treat him for a heart attack because he was only 36 and it was nausea. By the time he complained of jaw pain and numb hands, he had lost 50% of his heart.

i had the same experience with my first stroke. the triage nurse was dismissive and didn't feel i needed to be prioritized to be seen b/c at 40 i was 'too young to be having a stroke, it's probably just a bad migraine'. i wasn't showing the classic signs YET but the damage was occurring inside.

it's important to know the symptoms for both stroke and heart attacks b/c PROPER treatment quickly provided makes all the difference in the world.


op-glad to know you are on the mend.

 

[wishesuponastar]

My daughter’s friend, Nicki, recently had a heart attack at 47 years old, and because she shared her symptoms, I was able to recognize them when I had a heart attack 12 days ago.

On the day of the event, I woke up and felt just fine. I checked the Dis boards, found a bracelet I loved on ebay, puttered around the house and then went out for an early dinner with my wife.

I had Kung Pao chicken about 4 PM which was kind of spicy so when I began to have heartburn at 6 PM I took some Tums and didn’t think much of it. Instead of clearing up, I began to feel a dull pain in the center of my back along with the heartburn. I decided to lay down and see if it cleared up. Within 20 minutes, I began experiencing tingling down both arms and I remembered what Nicki had described: heartburn, back pain, nausea, and pain in her arms. She too thought she would just get over it and waited nearly half a day before seeking medical help.

I told my wife I thought I should go to ER just to check, and began to gather my shoes and coat. As I was doing this, nausea set in and I began vomiting. My wife called 911 and off I went. At the ER they determined I was indeed having a heart attack. At no time was I ever in excruciating pain, pass out or feel a squeezing sensation in my chest. I was able to talk and walk.

I am sharing this in the hopes in might help another woman recognize the symptoms of a heart attack as I was helped by Nicki sharing her story with me. My story ends well, I am home and recovering and planning a November trip to WDW.

Thank you for sharing the symptoms. I didn’t know. Sorry you had a heart attack but so good you knew the signs.