The Subtle Symptoms of a Heart Attack No One Should Ignore

2010 ended with a big thud for me! While walking to the post office one afternoon I started having an achy feeling and numbness in my left arm at the elbow which slowly moved down towards my hand. As women often do I ignored the discomfort and kept on walking smiling to those I passed by along the way.

This playing "ignorant" response was not exactly what I would call a bright idea given that a few hours later I was lying in the emergency room listening to the doctor tell me that the numbness and achy feeling I had experienced earlier in the day was the beginning of my first, and hopefully last, heart attack.

I'm still confused about the "heart attack" diagnosis because the symptoms I had experienced were not exactly what I would have expected a heart attack to be like. In fact, I sort of giggled to myself when the doctor asked me to rate the chest pain on a scale from one to ten compared to the worst pain I have experienced. Well that "worse pain" would be childbirth and the pain in my chest was given a 7 by me. And therein lies my bewilderment when I hear myself say, "I had a heart attack." I always thought a heart attack would be the most painful thing to feel. Granted it was no bowl of cherries but it didn't seem life threatening either, not to me at least.

I've been home now for almost two weeks and I'm still questioning, despite all the supporting medical evidence, whether the doctors made the correct diagnosis. It's not that I'm going through some sort of "stage of denial" but that I'm confused by the subtlety of the signs and symptoms I experienced in the hours leading up to the point where I finally decided I should go to the hospital. My normal "wait and see" attitude could have ended much differently. I've always believed serious illnesses came with big, bold symptoms that left no doubt about the urgency of seeking medical advice. By no means am I complaining that I wasn't crippled with pain but that scenario is exactly what I was expecting a heart attack would be. That scenario was what I erroneously based my decision making process on. I've come to realize that a heart attack is a bit more complex than I first thought.

The list of symptoms accompanying a heart attack is a lengthy one and includes signs that, like me, you might not be aware of. During my hospitalization, I learned from the medical staff that in addition to feeling a tightening in the chest and a numbness and muscle ache type of pain in your left arm, you could experience nausea, a headache, pain in your jaw, pain in your back, sweating, giddiness, indigestion, coughing and shortness of breath. I experienced all of these symptoms with the exception of pain in the jaw. Had I known more about the symptoms of a heart attack two weeks ago I would have sought help sooner rather than view them as an indication that something else was occurring.

Another misconception that reinforced my belief that my experience wasn't life threatening centered on the severity and type of chest pain I was having. As I mentioned earlier I didn't experience what I would consider a crippling pain. In fact, I found the pains associated with childbirth more severe. The chest pain wasn't a constant symptom but more like an intermittent one with a gradual worsening in severity over time. This description fits perfectly with the 911 - Warning Signs of A Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiac Arrest which states, "Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain."

Additionally the site goes on to explain that the severity of the chest pain can lead people, like I did, to delay seeking medical attention, "Most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help." Fortunately for me, my hesitation didn't have devastating consequences. If you or someone you know complains of having chest pains don't base your decision on whether or not to seek medical attention based on the presence of other subtle symptoms that you may feel rule out a heart attack. Chest pains and numbness in the arm are but two symptoms of a heart attack. Ignoring the subtle one's could very well be the last decision you make. Don't let it be!

References:

911 - Warning Signs of a Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiac Arrest