Sunday, May 2, 2010

Heart Attack??

Have you ever thought you were having a heart attack, but then felt like it probably was nothing more than indigestion?

What most people don't realize is that actually having a heart attack often feels very different that what's depicted in the movies and on TV. It's not always that feeling like there's a ton of bricks sitting on your chest.

As per the American Heart Association, some of the warning signs can be as simple as:

  • Chest discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back.

  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body such as pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

  • Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort, including breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Last week my brother Joe had a heart attack. Like most men, he thought "Oh, it's nothing more than indigestion". Luckily, his wife pushed him to go to the hospital. Even there he told the Doctors "Give me some Tums; I've just got an upset stomach."

Little did he know that he was having a full-blown heart attack and that his right carotid artery was 90% blocked. It was a very frightening situation; he flat-lined, had CPR, and had to be air-evacuated to a larger hospital for immediately surgery. Thank God he survived!

So please check out the info at the website below and never hesitate to call 911. Get to the hospital immediately if there's any chance that you're having a heart attack! There's no shame in being wrong -- in fact, you might just live to tell someone about your ambulance ride!!

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053

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