Alone During a Heart Attack
Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items
The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.
You are alone and are experiencing the below symptoms that are typical of a heart attack. You are nowhere near a hospital ...
Typical Symptoms of Heart Attacks (Myocardial infarction)
Men:
- Sudden stabbing pain in the chest
- Cold sweat
- Grabbing the chest
- Dropping to the floor
Female Heart Attacks:
- Nausea
- Extreme Fatigue
- Sensation of indigestion
- Squeezing motions up the spine (the aorta spasming), racing up and under the sternum (breast bone)
- Radiating pain in the jaws
Most Heart Attack Patients report common symptoms in the weeks or even months before the actual heart attack (scroll down, or click here for info).
There is something you can do if you are having a heart attack...
Those experiencing a heart attack may only have 10 seconds before they lose consciousness ... This may not give you enough time to get help ...
Coughing hard at the first signs of a heart attack could save a patient s life, researchers claim.
Carl E. Bartecchi, Clinical Professor University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, USA recommends the below (click here for source):
"Regular, repeated, forceful coughs - at a rate of up to 60 per minute - can be as effective as classical CPR in providing blood flow to critical organs, thus supplementing the stricken heart.
Cough CPR has proved effective for approximately 90 seconds, although isolated cases for up to five minutes have been reported. The only problem is that the patient is certain to develop fatigue. But cough CPR can buy time. "Get help immediately ...
Note: Some health professionals / studies are supporting the above "cough" measure as first aid in a heart attack:
Tadeusz Petelenz of the Cardiological Foundation in Katowice, Poland, led a study in which 115 patients who had a high risk of having a cardiac arrest were trained to cough when they experienced sudden severe chest pains - the classic symptoms of an attack. In all, the patients did so on 365 occasions. In 292 cases the symptoms disappeared and only 73 required medical attention.
Also refer to: "Simple mechanical methods for cardioversion: defence of the precordial thump and cough version". G Caldwell, G Millar, E Quinn, R Vincent, and D A Chamberlain http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1417469/
There has been some controversy about the effectiveness or risks associated with this procedure ...
95 percent of all heart attack patients experienced one or more of the below symptoms weeks or even months before the actual heart attack. (Ref. study by the National Institutes of Health [NIH] published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Institute).
- Indigestion or nausea - from mild indigestion to severe nausea, cramping and vomiting.
- Jaw, ear, neck or shoulder pain - The pain by, for example, a pulled muscle would persist - but if the pain comes and goes -- then this is something to be alarmed about. Also important to note if the pain moves or radiates upwards.
- Exhaustion or fatigue: 70% of the female participants in the NH study reported suffering from extreme fatigue in the weeks or month before the heart attack. The fatigue was so strong that it basically disabled them.
- Breathlessness and dizziness: More than 40% of female participants in the NIH study reported this problem. They commonly described the feeling: “I couldn’t catch my breath while walking up the driveway.”
- Leg swelling or pain: If the heart doesn't function properly, waste products aren't transported away from tissues and not enough blood is transported into the tissues – which causes swelling and pain.
- Sleeplessness, insomnia and anxiety: The NIH report stated that many of the women surveyed reported feeling a sense of “impending doom” in the weeks before the heart attack, resulting in acute sleeplessness and anxiety.
- Flu-like symptoms: Heart attack patients describe suffering from severe flu-like symptoms before the heart attack, such as persistent wheezing or chronic coughing that wouldn't resolve itself. It is important to note that they didn't have any fever that is typically associated with the flu. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms (without fever) for extended periods, you may want to talk to your doctor.
- Rapid-fire pulse or irregular heart rate that isn't brought on by exertion can be a very important sign that there is a serious problem that needs to be resolved. Discuss with your doctor straight away.
Also refer to Heart Health and Stroke
GreenAndHealthy.Info strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
