Living In Lower Altitude Places
If you want to avoid experiencing a heart attack, move to the mountains! One 2017 study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology found that those who lived in lower-altitude places had an increased risk of metabolic syndromeone of the risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks.
The Rx: If you do live in a lower altitude setting, you might not have the option of moving. However, you should be more cognizant of the other heart attack risk factors and focus on keeping them to a minimum.
Why Is Cardiac Rehabilitation Important
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get into a cardiac rehabilitation program where everything you need to get and stay healthy is in one convenient location. Rehabilitation programs are medically supervised to help you improve your health and well-being and change your lifestyle habits through exercise training, education and counseling to reduce stress. These programs often take place at a hospital with a rehabilitation team or with the help of your doctor, nurse, dietitian or other healthcare professionals. Ask your doctor whether cardiac rehab can help you improve your health.
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What Do I Do If I Have A Heart Attack
After a heart attack, you need quick treatment to open the blocked artery and lessen the damage. At the first signs of a heart attack, call 911. The best time to treat a heart attack is within 1 or 2 hours after symptoms begin. Waiting longer means more damage to your heart and a lower chance of survival.
If youâve called emergency services and are waiting for them to arrive, chew an aspirin . Aspirin is a potent inhibitor of blood clots and can lower the risk of death from a heart attack by 25%.
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Ambulance And Emergency Room
Treatment begins in the ambulance and emergency room. You may get oxygen if you need it. You may get morphine if you need pain relief.
The goal of your health care team will be to prevent permanent heart muscle damage by restoring blood flow to your heart as quickly as possible.
Treatment includes:
- Nitroglycerin. It opens up the arteries of the heart to help blood flow back to the heart.
- Beta-blockers. These drugs lower the heart rate, blood pressure, and the workload of the heart.
You also will receive medicines to stop blood clots. These are given to prevent blood clots from getting bigger so blood can flow to the heart. Some medicines will break up blood clots to increase blood flow. You might be given:
- Aspirin, which you chew as soon as possible after calling 911.
- Antiplatelet medicine.
- Thrombolytics.
Other Ways To Describe Chest Pain
People who are having a heart attack often describe their chest pain in various ways. The pain:
- May feel like pressure, heaviness, weight, tightness, squeezing, discomfort, burning, a sharp ache , or a dull ache. People often put a fist to the chest when describing the pain.
- May radiate from the chest down the left shoulder and arm and also to other areas, including the left shoulder, middle of the back, upper portion of the abdomen, right arm, neck, and jaw.
- May be diffuseâthe exact location of the pain is usually difficult to point out.
- Is not made worse by taking a deep breath or pressing on the chest.
- Usually begins at a low level, then gradually increases over several minutes to a peak. The discomfort may come and go. Chest pain that reaches its maximum intensity within seconds may represent another serious problem, such as an aortic dissection.
It is possible to have a “silent heart attack” without any symptoms, but this is rare.
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Not Eating Enough Omega
Foods high in omega-3s are great for our heart. This type of unsaturated fatty acid may reduce inflammation throughout the body, decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure and decrease heart disease risk, the Mayo Clinic says.
The Rx: Eat whole-food sources of omega-3s like lean fish, grass-fed beef, walnuts and omega-3 eggs. The National Institutes of Health recommend women get 1,100mg and men have 1,600mg of omega-3s daily. Don’t take a shortcut by popping supplements research indicates they may be ineffective.
What Should I Do If I Have Symptoms Of Heart Attack
If you think you may be having a heart attack, get treatment right away. Follow these steps:
- Dial 911 Do not have someone else drive you to the hospital. Do not try to drive yourself. EMTs can give you life-saving treatment in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
- After calling for help, take 1 uncoated adult aspirin or 4 uncoated baby aspirins . Dont take this if youre allergic to aspirin.
- If you are alone and are able, unlock your door to let emergency personnel enter your home.
- Sit in a comfortable chair and wait for help.
- Keep a phone near you.
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Returning To Normal Activities
After a heart attack, most people who don’t have chest pain or discomfort or other problems can safely return to most of their normal activities within a few weeks. Most can begin walking right away.
Sexual activity also can begin within a few weeks for most patients. Talk with your doctor about a safe schedule for returning to your normal routine.
If allowed by state law, driving usually can begin within a week for most patients who don’t have chest pain or discomfort or other disabling problems. Each state has rules about driving a motor vehicle following a serious illness. People who have complications shouldn’t drive until their symptoms have been stable for a few weeks.
Heart Attack Symptoms In Women Vs Men
Women are more likely than men to have silent heart attacks and heart attacks without chest pain. Heart attacks are also more likely to start when a woman is at rest or experiencing mental stress.
That means its especially important for women to watch out for symptoms like shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, nausea or vomiting, or pain in the jaw, arms or back.
Also, we now know that young women are particularly prone to a type of heart event called a spontaneous coronary artery dissection , which we talk about in more depth below.
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I Recently Thought Of A Shortcut A Way Of Tricking My Self And Yours If Youll Let Me
I thought I could turn my mental house upside down, so the floor would become the ceiling. This way, whenever I feel like defying gravity, as Im often pushed to do against my will, I will be walking on the actual floor.
Because even though I know nearly everything that I should eat or do in order to live a healthy life, the should and the ought get old with repetition. They lose the eye-opener status over time and I stop being in love with the truth.
When myself and I turn into a cranky old couple whos about to get a divorce, the 4-year-old in me wakes up and wants to scream, touch things, cut into things, destroy things.
So, let me switch those things around and take you down into an enemy of thy health, say, the heart disease inferno. Why there? Well, because it just so happens to be the number one killer in the Western World and its robbed us of many restless and beautiful souls.
In addition to being the center, the heart is also the most constant organ in our body. Perhaps the most honorable thing we can learn from it is how not to give up .
Now hurry up. The train to Hell is leaving the station. Yes, you should bring a camera. You might want to remember all these steps that, if combined, will pretty much guarantee that your heart takes a permanent break from beating. And after reading, I hope to God you rebel:
1. Eat meat in abundance.
3. The way you cook your food is just wrong.
4. If you already drink and smoke, increase your daily dose.
9. Stress is sexy.
Stressing Out All The Time
We all have stress, and no one wants to be called a snowflake, but science is clear that chronic stress is really bad for your body. “When stress is excessive, it can contribute to everything from high blood pressure, also called hypertension, to asthma to ulcers to irritable bowel syndrome,” said Ernesto L. Schiffrin, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University. Hypertension is bad for your heart and stress leads people to engage in other unhealthy behavior that can tax your ticker, including drinking too much alcohol and stress-eating.
The Rx: Exercising, not smoking, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight are good ways to deal with stress, said Schiffrin.
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Is It Normal To Feel So Depressed
Heart attack patients will feel a wide range of emotions, typically for about two to six months after the event. Depression is quite normal, along with fear and anger. For example, every time you feel a little pain, you may feel afraid it’s going to happen again afraid you’re going to die. That’s normal and will begin to pass as time goes by. You may be angry that this happened, and you’re probably feeling irritated and have a “short fuse” with others. Resentment is common after a heart attack. Try to understand that your family and friends are just as worried as you are. Although depression is normal after a heart attack, if it interferes with sleeping, eating, self-esteem, or if you have thoughts of suicide, you should talk to your doctor and those close to you about your feelings. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Recovery is much faster with a trusted support team of healthcare professionals, family and friends.
Do Women Do Worse Than Men After A Heart Attack
Yes. In all age groups, women do worse than men after a heart attack. Researchers are not sure why this is, especially for younger women.
- Women between 45 and 65 who have a heart attack are more likely than men of the same age to die within a year of a heart attack. However, heart attack is less common in younger women than in younger men. This is partly because the hormone estrogen protects against heart disease in younger women.
- Women older than 65 are more likely than men of the same age to die within a few weeks of a heart attack. Women usually have heart attacks about 10 years later than men. The average age of a first heart attack for men is 64, but it is 72 for women.
Many women who have had a heart attack go on to lead full, active lives. Know the and if you have any symptoms. Take after a heart attack and prevent another heart attack.
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Signs Of Nerve Damage
You can help protect yourself by keeping a close eye out for nerve damage. If you catch it early, you might be able to slow it down.
Here’s what you can look for:
- Feeling dizzy or fainting when you stand up
- Hard time doing even limited exercise
- Problems peeing, like having accidents
- Sexual problems, such as a low sex drive
- Sweating way more than usual or not at all
- Trouble digesting food, like bloating and stomach upset
Take Other Steps To Live Healthier
After a heart attack, it’s also important to:
- Take your medicines exactly as directed. Do not stop taking your medicine unless your doctor tells you to.
- Do not take any over-the-counter medicines or natural health products without talking to your doctor first.
- If you are a woman and have been taking hormone therapy, talk with your doctor about whether you should continue taking it.
- Keep your blood sugar in your target range if you have diabetes.
- Get a flu vaccine every year. It can help you stay healthy and may prevent another heart attack.
- Get the pneumococcal vaccine. If you have had one before, ask your doctor whether you need another dose.
- If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. Ask your doctor how much, if any, is okay for you.
- Seek help for sleep problems. Your doctor may want to check for sleep apnea, a common sleep problem in people who have heart disease. For more information, see the topic Sleep Apnea.
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Diagnosis Of A Heart Attack
Tests to help diagnose a heart attack include:
- a blood test to measure levels of enzymes released into the blood when the heart muscle is damaged
- cardiac catheterisation a tube, or catheter, is threaded into the coronary arteries via a blood vessel in the groin. A special dye is then injected into the coronary artery. This outlines the artery while movie x-rays are taken. Narrowings and blockages within the artery are outlined by the dye
- electrocardiogram a reading of the hearts electrical impulses.
Is It Chest Pain Or Heart Attack
Many times it so happens that parents misunderstand a common chest pain with a heart attack. This can sound funny to others but we can understand the fear of every parent. So here are some points for you to understand the differences between common chest pain and heart disease.
- It can be a Chest wall pain Injury to the ribs, sternum or other bones in the chest and back can cause chest wall pain.
- Cold or persistent cough can cause soreness and pain in the chest area
- Children will describe acid reflux as chest pain
- Stress or anxiety may also bring on a feeling of chest pain.
- Pericarditis: an inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart
- Myocarditis: a viral infection of the heart
- Arrhythmias: abnormal fast heart rhythms
- A blockage or other problems with the coronary arteries
- Dissection, or tearing, of the aorta, the main artery that directs blood from the heart out to the body
- Or it is just a Heart murmur heart murmur is simply a noise heard between the beats of the heart, which is something you do not need to worry about.
References
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/heart/Pages/Heart-Murmur.aspx
https://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/11/18/chest-pain-in-kids-is-it-normal-or-something-worse
Hope this article was of help to you! Please share your comments/queries/tips with us and help us create a world full of Happy, Healthy and Empowered Women!!
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Anxiety And Depression After A Heart Attack
After a heart attack, many people worry about having another heart attack. Sometimes they feel depressed and have trouble adjusting to new lifestyle changes.
Talk about how you feel with your health care team. Talking to a professional counselor also can help. If you’re very depressed, your doctor may recommend medicines or other treatments that can improve your quality of life.
Joining a patient support group may help you adjust to life after a heart attack. You can see how other people who have the same symptoms have coped with them. Talk with your doctor about local support groups or check with an area medical center.
Support from family and friends also can help relieve stress and anxiety. Let your loved ones know how you feel and what they can do to help you.
Have Sex When You’re Ready
You can resume sexual activity after a heart attack when you are healthy and feel ready for it. You could be ready if you can do mild or moderate activity, like brisk walking, without having angina symptoms. Talk with your doctor if you have any concerns. Your doctor can help you know if your heart is healthy enough for sex.
If you take a nitrate, like nitroglycerin, do not take erection-enhancing medicines. Combining a nitrate with one of these medicines can cause a life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
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What Does Depression Have To Do With A Heart Attack
Depression is common after a heart attack. As many as 1 out of every 3 people who have had a heart attack report feelings of depression. People with a higher risk of depression after a heart attack include:
- Women.
- People who have had depression before.
- People who feel alone and without social or emotional support.
Many people who have depression dont recognize it. They dont seek help or get treatment. Being depressed can make it harder for you to recover physically. Depression can be treated.
Some people have anxiety after a heart attack, fearing it will happen again. Talk to your doctor about your feelings so that you can manage or reduce your anxiety.
Rolanda Perkins 50 Had A Heart Attack At Age 39
There were a lot of things on my mind in the week leading up to my heart attack, but my symptoms werent exactly one of them. At the time, I was under a lot of stress: pulling the midnight shift at my job at a child-abuse hotline, while also planning a huge surprise party for my sister. I wasnt sleeping well, and I internalized a lot of that pressure.
A week before the party, I started coming down with really bad headaches. Still, I self-medicated with Excedrin and I brushed it off as a migraine. I figured that I was just tired, and it would go away after everything calmed down.
I had a heart attack the day after the party, on a Sunday. I was mopping the floor when, all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Id never felt anything like that before. I thought maybe it was intense indigestion. And I remember thinking, Ill go to bed and deal with it tomorrow. That didnt happen: The pain was so bad that it woke me up at around 3:30 in the morning, and a friend drove me to the hospital. When I got there, the tests showed that I was having a heart attack, and the doctors performed an angioplastya procedure in which a small tube is inserted into the artery to help prop it open.
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