Not everyone who suffers a heart attack clutches their chest and falls to the floor. "I woke up and felt like a pill was stuck in my throat," says Betsy, a 68-year-old patient from Upper Providence. "I was taking antibiotics at the time and really didn't think much of it," she adds. "So I tried drinking water and when the "stuck" feeling didn't go away after 45 minutes, I thought something might be wrong."
"My son took me to the Emergency Room and yes, now I realize I should have called 9-1-1 immediately." After the ER staff ran an EKG (a test that measures the electrical activity of the heart), they told Betsy she was having a heart attack. "Next thing I knew, they took me right to the cardiac cath lab and inserted a stent to open up my artery. After two days in the hospital, I came home and started cardiac rehab three times a week for about the last 5 weeks."
Betsy's recovery also involved making important changes to her lifestyle like quitting smoking, "which I really didn't want to do, but I had to," watching her cholesterol, and making time for daily exercise—whether it's walking or using free weights.
"What's amazes me most is that I didn't even realize I was having heart attack. Had I waited much longer, things may have turned out very differently."
Betsy is one of an estimated 650,000 Pennsylvanians, ages 35 and over, who have been told by a doctor that they've had a heart attack. In the January 2010 Patient Poll conducted by the Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, 34 percent of those surveyed said they'd know they were having a heart attack because their chest and arms would hurt.
Not necessarily so, says C. Richard Schott, MD, a Philadelphia-area cardiologist and Pennsylvania Medical Society member. "Pain isn't always an indictor. Any new pressure or discomfort in the upper body can signal a heart attack."
Warning Signs
Dr. Schott urges patients to pay close attention to these heart attack warning signs:
-Pressure or discomfort in the chest/upper body
-Discomfort radiating to the left arm, jaw, back, neck or stomach
-Shortness of breath
-Sweating, nausea, dizziness
If you experience one or more of these symptoms, it's best to call 9-1-1 right away. "Err on the side of caution and assume it may be a heart attack. The longer you wait, the more damage is done to your heart." Dr Schott also notes, "And the only ride you should take to the ER is in an ambulance - they can alert the cardiac team in advance of your arrival and, if your heart stops, emergency personnel can begin treatment immediately."
Who's at risk?
Betsy's smoking, age, and sedentary job put her at risk for a heart attack. Here's what else matters:
1.Family History—If your father had heart problems before age 55 or your mother had problems before age 65, or if your brothers or sisters have had heart attacks, talk with your doctor and be especially careful to minimize other risks.
2.Smoking—Heart health is only one of many reasons to quit.
3.Cholesterol—Cholesterol abnormalities, meaning both high LDL (bad cholesterol) and low HDL (good cholesterol), in some cases, can be controlled through diet and exercise. Often, however, medication may be needed.