Heart Disease and Women

In a previous post, I noted that on February 13, Mother and I attended a "Go Red for Women" luncheon, sponsored by the American Heart Association and local businesses. The event was colorful, entertaining, and informative.

Part of the program included hearing from a heart disease survivor, an active, community-minded lady, who Mother and I know. She talked about watching her diet, and walking three miles a day for exercise. She was doing all the right things, it appeared, but at some point, she began experiencing fatigue. Finally, after caving in to her family's insistence that she see her doctor, she was diagnosed with coronary heart disease. A blocked artery required angioplasty to insert a stent. I remember thinking how lucky I was to have inherited my parents strong genes. Heart disease? Not in the cards for me, surely.



The next Tuesday, I was in the hospital. My symptom wasn't fatigue, though. I was energetic and up-and-at-'em all week...except for that nagging sensation in my left arm that came and went a couple of times a day and finally became so strong that it sent me to the emergency room.



The American Heart Association is doing a good job getting the information out that heart disease symptoms in women do not present the same as they do in men. Being aware of those symptoms possibly saved my life. Mine was simply a sensation in my left arm that radiated from my wrist to my elbow, then eventually to my shoulder, and then as light pressure against my upper chest, next to my neck, like the weight of a small book or magazine. The sensation became an insistent ache on the day that I finally relented and went to the emergency room.

My symptoms are included in the list below, along with others that women might experience as warning signs of heart disease. While in the hospital, I learned that one woman's warning sign was intense pain in her left elbow only. We were told that a man had an atypical warning sign...a hard pain in his left big toe.

So my advice to folks is that if you experience an unusual intense and persistent pain or discomfort (even if it comes and goes) that you've never felt before, see a doctor immediately. Symptoms can include:


Shortness of breath
Weakness
Unusual fatigue
Cold sweat
Dizziness
Pain or pressure in the back or high chest
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms
Discomfort may be described as pressure, ache, or tightness; may come and go
A burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen
Irregular heartbeat
Nausea