Dying Man’s Daily journal – heart attacks

There has been some obvious interest in having me share my heart attack experiences and I have had 5. I am going too try to describe it from my own perspective, as I experienced it. None of them have been as dramatic the seen on TV, where the person suddenly grabs at their chest, maybe gasps once or twice and collapses unconscious to the ground. I am sure some may have had that experience, it is just I have not. Symptoms can vary widely and there is even a huge difference between what is generally experienced by a male or a female. I have to wonder how many know that. Well it is true.
Yesterday, I decided before I start describing my experiences and symptoms, it might be wise to visit a medical site, copy and post their descriptions of and the symptoms of a heart attack. Their general description may be more informative than my personal/individuals description. I copied the info from the Mayo Clinic and actually had a post up yesterday for a short while with that information. I am not even sure why I checked it. I just put up my posts as they are and that is it. I am glad I did though as some how with the copying and pasting it got all garbled and I deleted that post.
From Mayo Clinic web site, can not seem to get the link to work for the direct connection.

Typical heart attack symptoms

Symptom

Description

Chest discomfort or pain

This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.

Upper body pain

Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.

Stomach pain

Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.

Shortness of breath

You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort or you may not experience any chest discomfort.

Anxiety

You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you’re having a panic attack for no apparent reason.

Lightheadedness

In addition to chest pressure, you may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.

Sweating

You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.

Nausea and vomiting

You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

Most heart attacks begin with subtle symptoms — with only discomfort that often is not described as pain. The chest discomfort may come and go. Don’t be tempted to downplay your symptoms or brush them off as indigestion or anxiety.

Don’t “tough out” heart attack symptoms for more than five minutes. Call 911 or other emergency medical services for help. If you don’t have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only as a last resort, if there are absolutely no other options.

Heart attack symptoms vary widely. For instance, you may have only minor chest discomfort while someone else has excruciating pain. One thing applies to everyone, though: If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately.

Additional heart attack symptoms in women

Women may have all, none, many or a few of the typical heart attack symptoms. For women, the most common heart attack symptom is still some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But women are more likely than are men to also have heart attack symptoms without chest pain, such as:
Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting
Abdominal pain or “heartburn”
Sweating
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Unusual or unexplained fatigue