Women's Heart Attack

By- Diane K

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 heart attack at about 10 :30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior
emotional trauma that one would suspect might have 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 this time 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 p.m.

After it 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 spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my
sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when ministering 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 a
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 thought 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 un-bolt the door and then lie down on the
floor where they could see me when they came in.

I unlocked the door and 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 radiologist 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 stints 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 stints.

'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.'

1. 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!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And if you can, take an aspirin.
Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER -
you are a hazard to others on the road..

Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously
at what's happening with you instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live and if 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. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a 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). MIs 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. Pain in the jaw can
wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we
know the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people,
you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

Thanks Kak Sal!

Hafiz cousin’s just YM and then sms me this morning, I don’t think she knows that I had stopped voting. Yeah, we met at the café last week and after the concert, she came and sat at our table with so many questions in her head. I don’t want to write down our conversation because it surely creates controversy among the bloggers. But what she said just now was really true. Again, no need for me to share it in here. Benanah mata dan terlinga tu.. hahaha..

Who says the world of entertainment is great? Without US, it is nothing. Without the SUPPORTERS, ASRTO is nothing!

AF Maniac 1 down

I have no mood to update my blog this week. I was indirectly got affected by this akademi fantasia show after the puppet principal announced to have the AFundi masuk. Yeah, as a person with authority on her shoulder, she has the power to say that stupid and hilarious thing. But since she has all the legitimate power, why didn’t she say the right and acceptable thing? I was so angry at this Malaysian whom never fails to make another mistake through out her life. In fact, this was her second, pity her! I was hoping that she is a non-Malaysian so that I could shout down my throat “Get out of Here; we do not a puppet like you”! It’s Wednesday and I’m cool. Not wanting to try, but I'm really so reluctant to accept this because history repeats itself. I thought we supposed to learn from it, right?
Here’s my song selection for this week to support Hafiz. Frankly I have stopped voting because I don’t want ASTRO to get anything out of me. For them 1 person is nothing, but I don’t givea damn! Sorry voters, you have to continue the fight. Who ever wins, Hafiz is still the best!

Again and again and...

Yesterday I received a sms from a close friend. At that time I was having tea time with my colleague at the café. Usually at work place, we speak either English or Melayu Sarawak and never in my life have we spoken a real Bahasa Melayu unless we want to make jokes out of it. The sms which I received was quite blur or was I blur at that time? Try to read this using the Kelantan slang..

Daniel: Man taye.. muko man ke Bro?
Me: Sapa Mr Man ia? Apasal nya Tanya muka aku?

My friend really took his time in replying my sms back. Meanwhile, I ask my Malay friend to read the same sms incase she understand what the sms was all about but to my disappointment she was also had no idea. Minutes later, I received another sms from the same friend explaining to me on the previous sms. I laugh abd laugh like no one is around. My colleagues were looking at me wondering what had strike me. So I told them what was the sms trying to say and then eventually everyone was joining me in the laughing session…

Daniel: Aya…. It’s in Bidayuh lah.. I’m telling you that I’m eating first (Man taye) and then I asked you have you eaten? (Bidayuh - Muko man)

Hmmmm,,,, I guess I still fail my own mother tounge language….

Dia

My friend Mathew called me this morning asking me about my wedding preparation. There were a lot of questions and since he asked, i took the opportunity to request him to sing during my reception dinner at the hotel. At first he was quite reluctant but you knowlah... i'm a good persuader kan? hahaha.. No lah, he's doing it for a friend's sake. Thanks Matt!

Matt: David, you have not tell me how you two met...
Me: Oh, it will be share during the dinner. Perhaps you sing a song after that??
Matt: #&*$&%b &)&%&)(#)%q#) %#q&)q#
(i couldn't remember his long "Don't Want-at first'' answer
Me: You know the song Dia by Sheila Majid? It tells everrything about how the relations start. Under the moonlight :)
Matt: Oh, i love that song. I will sing it for you two on that night! I start and practise now. I wonder what would my neighbour say if i sing this in BM.. hahaha.

Nah, easy to ask him to sing, kan? Matt, thank you in advance. You'll make my wedding more colorful!

Enjoy the clip!