Anyone Here Have A Heart Attack?
 

What are the symptoms right at onset? How do you know it is a heart attack? Are you generally coherent during the attack? How do you know when it's "over", assuming you are still alive? After you have "recovered", what are the residual signs that you suffered a heart attack?


JA

John, are you still there? Is this curiosity or should you be heading to the hospital?

Jay

I hope you're not a Hypochondriac?

[QUOTE=Jandrews; what are the residual signs that you suffered a heart attack?
JA[/QUOTE]

Death

A pain /constricting feeling in the center of the chest, like your heart being squeezed by a fist. pain in the left arm and jaw...with shortness of breath. Therer are other more nondescript things that I have heard of, but in general those are the signs.

If you live damage to the heart muscle.

And if you suspect ANYTHING, take a baby Aspirin (81 mg) immediately. In fact, if you are over 45, take one anyway.

Ian

Tabs has some of the CLASSIC signs ,problem is there are many more..
it's just heartburn is a favorite killer.
Lots of H-Attacks occur on the throne.
if your concerned..go get it checked.
Rika

Chest pain is the most frequent symptom and is usually described as a weight or constriction of the chest sometimes band like. Most people would characterize it as a discomfort and not a true "pain". However, many atypical presentations such as heartburn, epigastric, back, shoulder, arm, neck/throat, jaw, tooth, or even ear pain (or any combination there of). It is commonly but not always associated with sweating, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Around 8% of heart attacks occur without demonstrable symptoms (silent MI's).
Heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) typically occur when an atherosclerotic plaque in a coronary artery ruptures (literally pops like an inflamed pimple on the internal lining of the artery) and a blood clot forms and obstructs blood flow. You typically have about 30-45 minutes before irreversible damage to the heart begins. This means that immediate medical attention is imperative so interventions can be performed that restore blood flow by removing or dissolving the blood clot. You are also at greatest risk in the earliest period of the heart attack for "sudden death" when coordinated electrical activity of the heart ceases due to changes related to the lack of oxygen in the area of heart muscle effected by the blood clot.
There is no safe time to wait. It is better to immediately dial 911, take an aspirin, and accept an ambulance ride to the ER even if it turns out to be indigestion. I have had numerous people die while they or their family members attempted to drive them to the ER.

I'm still here LOL!! No issues that I know of, but this is something that I do fear. You hear all of these stories of otherwise healthy people dropping dead behind the wheel, or on the basketball court, or on the throne as someone here mentioned. I have never smoked, drink very, very little, cholesterol is 150, I workout somewhat regularly...I do like good food though.

A few weeks ago, I was walking innocently down the aisle to my office and when I got within about 50 feet of the door, it felt like someone shot me in the middle of my upper back with a cross-bow! My vision blurred, and I almost passed out from the sharp pain. It hurt when I inhaled deeply. After just about 2 minutes, it was tolerable and I could talk. It turned out to be (I think), a pulled or strained muscle in the middle of my upper back. I could twist a certain way and re-create the pain. I did not go to the doctor and it went away completely in a day or so. I have a "suspect" back anyway, as I have had a laminectomy (L4/5) 15 years ago, and have had a couple other excrutiating "pulled" muscle issues while working out. I am 6'6" 275 lbs and built like an NFL linebacker...43 years old, though.

I had a treadmill stress test a couple years ago as part of an Executive physical. Got my heart rate up to 170 or so and it was tough. The cardiologist looked at the scan and thought I had good blood flow.

More detail than you wanted, but this is something that has intrigued me for awhile....i.e. how do you know when, as Fred Sanford would say, "this is the big one...I'm coming to see you Elizabeth..."!!

JA

Until the lights go out, you can't be certain ;). More than 90% (more like 95-98%) of people that show up in the ER thinking they are having a heart attack aren't.

A few examples from my image files in case you are curious.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197739161.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197739234.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197739280.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197739302.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197739339.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197739371.jpg

Why is it so rare that we hear about women having heart attacks? Just curious.

I had a chest x-ray and ekg done last year and the radiologist asked me why I had bothered. I said because I'm a light smoker. He looked at the x-ray again, said he saw no evidence of it and not to worry about it. He saw my motorcycle helmet and jacket and said that was something I did need to worry about.

Urban myth. It is still the leading cause of death in women.

You have ribs in your back that can pop out on one end that causes excruciating debilitating pain.

Sometimes in this state you can get startled, flinch which makes it worse and you end up dropping to the ground like a sack of bricks unable to move or breath. About the only thing you can do is lay there with uncontrollable tears streaming down your face hoping to die so the pain stops.

Or so I've heard.

Very good friend of mine had a heart attack. She was about 48 or so and started feeling the squeezing of her chest. At that time she had no health insurance and being a tough old bag she did not go to the hospital but drove home.

Sat it out for a while then a couple of days later got it checked out. Yes, she had an heart attack but against Doctors advise did not get any futher treatment. She went on a super low fat/salt diet and lost weight and so on. 14 years later she had a job with excellent health insurance and went in for an exam and found a couple of the arteries still clogged, so she got a bypass.

Would not recommend this for anyone but Lynn survived and toughed it out. More women than you think have these..

Because we die first.

I just about had a heart attack when I got the video my girlfriend sent to me!!!! God I love webcams!!!!

Go ahead Mr_Wizard and test my cardiac health...post up!

sfj911....tell us a little bit about what we are looking at there. Some look like something isn't right, and others resemble a honey-baked ham. Shed some light for us pedestrians.

JA

Ha ya'll wish. I get little presents like this from time to time. She really knows how to keep my spirits up while im in Iraq. They keep getting better and better as my time over here gets shorter.

I did suffer a heart attack last Jan 2/07, age 51 woke up for work and felt like I broke my collar bone in my sleep. Got up for work didn't feel great went to the bathroom and vomited looked in the mirror and told my wife I was going to the hospital. I had seen the same look on my dads face a couple of times when he had heart attacks.

My son drove me about 3 minute drive I walked in hospital in great chest pain and 2 minutes later on the operating table. Woke up about an hour later recovering from angioplast and installation of 2 stents. My arterys were 100% blocked. Stayed in the hospital 4 days.

A week later I went back to work light duty for 3 days and then back to normal.
I work as an industrial carpenter (steel and industrial installations).

I now watch my diet, exercise 2-3 days a week. I sometimes feel stange like more trouble is coming which is probably all in my head. I can't leave yet my 356 is not finished yet.