Heart Attacks–Women’s Symptoms are Different

Thursday, February 8th, 2018     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation
by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Last week I told you the beginning episode of my heart issues. If you read that and you have any of the symptoms I shared with you, please see your physician. The photos I included were pretty dramatic. I must tell you, that looking at them used to scare me. This time when my husband pulled them out of my health-related files and handed them to me, I fell to my knees, tears pouring down my face, in praise to Almighty God for being The Great Physician.


My Christian faith got me through those scary days─the day of the procedure, the days afterwards as I learned to live with knowing I had a stent in my heart. I know that Jesus was right there with me. I could feel His presence as all I could do was say over and over, “Jesus, please don’t leave me.” Even though my precious husband had to return to our home, forty-five minutes away, to be with our thirteen-year-old son, I knew I was not alone. I was still scared, but I wasn’t alone.

I went home, only to have to return to the hospital for a second cath just two days later. I was having symptoms, and I knew that stents sometimes close. I don’t want to scare you, just inform you so that you know. It would be a very rare thing, and in my case, I’m convinced, almost fourteen years later, that I had had a panic attack. My stent had slightly collapsed, but it wasn’t anything out of normal ranges. I was fine.

You Call This Normal?

So, I spent that year trying to get back to normal. Each subsequent year brought forth the need for an annual treadmill test, with contrast photos, what they call a nuclear stress test. I am one of the unlucky ones who throws off false positives. After having two more caths as a result of this test, they finally determined that it was, indeed, false positives as my stent was clear and doing its job. But, I had three heart caths that were unnecessary. But, it is always better to err on the side of caution. Always.

After those three caths, they began doing a much easier test, the 64-Slice CT Scan. I did that for five years, then they stopped those as well as, by that time, it was determined that they put too much radiation into the body. This is a good test, but not so often.

In the subsequent years, we moved to a different county, one too far away for me to continue seeing my local cardiologist. For all of those years, 2004 to 2012, I was on a daily low-dose aspirin and a 75-milligram Plavix, daily. Once I switched cardiologists, she took me off the Plavix saying I had been kept on it about seven years too long. I had no clue. I trusted my doctor who just wanted to keep me in this world. I was very glad to be off that medicine. It did its job, but one of the side effects is that any time I was even slightly bumped by anything, I got huge blood clots where ever I received the bump. I was black and blue for years.

Educate Yourself
I’ve educated myself about heart health in the past fourteen years. I don’t know everything, but I do know much more than I did before. Would you know if you were having a heart attack? Do you know the symptoms? Do you know that they are or can be very different in women than in men?

I know my heart symptoms now. I don’t hesitate to get to the ER when I think I may be having an event. For me, sometimes I get what feels like indigestion. Now, I do have GERD, so it isn’t always easy to determine if it is heart or if it is gastro-related. To be safe, if in doubt, get to the ER.

My heart symptoms that I know for sure are heart and not gastro are heaviness in my stomach, about the area of my waist. I can only tell you it feels as if I’m carrying a heavy load of bricks in there. And I can’t breathe. I get very short of breath, making it difficult for me to do the slightest activity that requires any effort.

But yours could be very different from mine. Remember, you are not likely to present as a man does with that big-time pain in your chest.

Symptoms Common in Women

Here are some common symptoms in women:
·         Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or     abdominal pain
·         Shortness of breath
·         Pain in one or both arms
·         Nausea or vomiting
·         Sweating
·         Lightheadedness or dizziness
·         Unusual fatigue
These symptoms can occur when you are resting or even asleep. I don’t want to alarm you, just educate you. If you have experienced any of these, please get to the ER, or tell your physician. It could save your life.

Next week, I’ll share more of my experience. Have you had any of these symptoms? Share your story. What you have to say could save a life.
  
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