Visions of Life: A Journey Towards Health and Wealth

After a discuss with Mrs. Betsy from Tennessee, she brought up an interesting fact, that heart attacks in women are not always the same as in men.
So, I visited the Women's Heart Foundation (www.womensheart.org) and this is what they said:

Heart Attack Symptoms: An Action Plan for Women

A Healthy Hearts Guide

Heart disease is our nation's number one killer.

Getting treatment quickly –at the first sign of distress –is critical for lifesaving medicines and treatments to work.

Newer blood tests are being used to diagnose a heart attack more quickly and accurately.

There are about 500,000 heart attack deaths in the U.S. each year. At least 250,000 people die before they even get to the hospital. Many of these deaths could be prevented by acting quickly and by getting treatment right away, especially within the first hour of having chest pain

Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths. Between the ages of 40 and 60, as many women die of heart disease as breast cancer. Over a lifetime, heart disease kills five times as many women as breast cancer. Heart disease is our nation's number one killer. Newer blood tests are being used to diagnose a heart attack more quickly and accurately. Getting treatment quickly –at the first sign of distress –is critical for lifesaving medicines and treatments to work.

Place a checkmark next to the heart disease risk factors that apply to you

_ Smoking or daily exposure to second-hand smoke (at home or at work)
_ Past heart attack or known coronary artery disease
_ Family history
_ Elevated lipids (over 240 mg/dL. or HDL less than 35 mg/dL)
_ Abnormal heartbeat
_ High blood pressure
_ Birth control pills (in combination with smoking)
_ Overweight (by 20 or more pounds)
_ Post-menopausal (and without estrogen replacement therapy)
_ Sedentary lifestyle


The Warning

A Heart Attack may cause some or all of these symptoms:

Pain, pressure, fullness, discomfort or squeezing in the center of the chest

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Stabbing chest pain

Radiating pain to shoulder(s), neck, back, arm(s) or jaw

Pounding heartbeats (palpitations) or feeling extra heartbeats

Upper abdominal pain

Nausea, vomiting or severe indigestion

Sweating for no apparent reason

Dizziness with weakness

Sudden extreme fatigue

Panic with feeling of impending doom

A note about women's milder symptoms - About a third of women experience no chest pain at all when having a heart attack and 71% of women report flu-like symptoms for two weeks to a month prior to having more acute chest discomfort or severe shortness of breath. These milder symptoms are under-reported to emergency room staff.


If you suspect a heart attack, call 9-1-1

Say “I am having a heart attack”.

Chew an uncoated aspirin right away as this can reduce damage to the heart muscle.

Go to the nearest medical facility with 24-hour emergency cardiac care. Don't drive yourself. If you're not sure that the pain you are experiencing is serious, it is best to go to the emergency room to find out.

Get treatment quickly. Clot buster medicine and coronary angioplasty work best if provided after the first signs of distress, so don’t wait. Get to the emergency room without delay. Every Minute Counts!.