e-mail I received regarding female heart attacks

 Female Heart Attack           I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the         best description I've ever read Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction)          Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack...you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of         one woman's experience with a heart attack....          I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO         prior exertion; NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story         my friend had sent me, and actually thinking,' A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.'          A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion         and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it         down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach.          This was my initial sensation---the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 pm.          After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little         squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it         was probably my aorta spasm), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses         rhythmically when administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws.          AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening--we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of         an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, 'Dear         God, I think I'm having a heart attack!' I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead.          I thought to myself 'If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking         into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else........but, on         the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if         I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in moment.'          I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the         next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I though t I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum         and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just         stating the facts.          She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the         front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie         down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.          I then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as         I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me         onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call         they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we         arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance          He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have         you taken any medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the cardiologist and partner had already threaded the         teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into         my heart where they installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary artery.          I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my         Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going         on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival         and the procedure) And installing the stents.          Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I         want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned         first hand!          Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not         the usual men's symptoms, but inexplicable things happening (until my         sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one, and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation, and go to bed, hoping         they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up...which doesn't         happen.          My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I         advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a 'false         alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!          1.    Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics'. Ladies, TIME IS OFTHE         ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER--you're a hazard to others on the road, and so is your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of         the road.          2.    Do NOT call your doctor--he doesn't know where you live andif         it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to         be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.          3.    3 Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you havea         normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol         elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high, and/or accompanied by high blood pressure.) MI's are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body,         which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there.          4..    Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's becareful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...          5.    A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends itto         10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.**Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends.