As Serious as a Heart Attack
I did not write on Friday as planned because we had a little scare in our family. I went up to the hospital to visit one of my relatives, who was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. Thankfully, she did not suffer a heart attack and was released after days of tests. However, it made me seriously think about the heart disease.
Most women know about breast cancer and perform self-exams and/or see a doctor annually for a check-up. However according to an article in Mountain Medicine, heart disease kills more women each year than breast cancer. In fact, women 65 years and older die more from heart disease than all cancers combined. For my age group, which is 25-44 years, heart disease is third in the leading causes of death for women. Needless to say, heart disease is serious.
For years I have heard on the news that females experience different symptoms than males. Men usually experience chest pain, pain in upper body like the arms or neck, shortness of breath, a racing heart, intense anxiety, and/or cold sweats. We have all seen in a movie a man clutch his chest and fall to the ground in a dramatic showing; however, rarely is the real-life scenario played out like this, especially for women.
Leading up to the actual heart attack, women often experience fatigue, indigestion, and anxiety. Even during the actual heart attack, women rarely even have chest pain. Instead these are the top heart attack symptoms for a women:
Shortness of Breath
Weakness
Unusual Fatigue
Cold Sweats, and
Dizziness.
I struggle with knowing when to seek medical attention even for accidents. When does a cut really require stitches, for example? So I understand the confusion of when to call 9-1-1. Learn these symptoms and immediately seek medical attention if you experience most of them. Your life is counting on it. There is a good reason that we have the saying “as serious as a heart attack.”
