The 5 biggest Signs of a Heart Attack

5 Heart Attack Signs You Should NOT Ignore!

Have you ever wondered how to tell if a loved one or if you are having signs of a heart attack? Chances are you have. I've been teaching CPR for many years and this is one of the main questions I am asked whenever I teach a class. I bet I've been asked this question in virtually every class I've ever taught that was not geared towards professional medical personnel.

I figured I would address this issue today. I would like to state that just because you are having these symptoms does not mean you are having a heart attack, but you should be seen by a physician to rule out whether or not you are having a heart attack.

1. Chest Pain

This one goes without saying. If you are having chest pain, call 911. Chest pain can be defined as having chest pain or pressure anywhere in your chest area. Your symptoms may not be chest pain per se, but chest pressure or discomfort. Note whether or not this pain, discomfort, pressure started after physical activity or whether it came on suddenly.

Another thing to note is whether anything brings relief to your symptoms. For example, does resting ease your symptoms or sitting in a certain position.

If you have the opportunity or a family member is able, write down when the pain started, whether the pain is sharp or dull, whether or not the pressure is crushing or mild. What were you doing when this pain started. Did this pain resolve itself after a few minutes or is it still bothering you. Does this pain extend to anywhere else such as your jaw, left arm, or back. We call this "radiating pain" in the medical field. Having someone write this down will help EMS and the hospital when they try to assess your condition.

2. Difficulty Breathing

Difficulty breathing often accompanies a heart attack, however, it is not always present during a heart attack. In fact, you can have a heart attack with difficulty breathing while not having any chest pain at all. Diabetics are known to have heart attacks without any chest pain. A condition called neuropathy that is a result of the diabetes dulls the nerve sensation in the chest making it so the person does not realize that there is a heart problem.

3. Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting sometimes accompanies other signs and symptoms of heart attacks. If you are having nausea and vomiting on top of chest pain, and difficulty breathing you definitely need to dial 911. It is better to be safe and find out it was a false alarm than to wait and suffer the dire consequences.

4. Dizziness

Dizziness or light-headedness can also accompany these other symptoms. Other reasons for dizziness are vertigo, flu, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), or low blood pressure. You should never ignore dizziness when it is associated with chest pain/discomfort.

5. Syncope

Syncope is when you have a brief period of unconsciousness. This is usually the result of improper blood flow to the brain which may be due to the heart not pumping efficiently. The reason may or not be due to having a heart attack, but once again, it is better to get checked out and make sure that you are not having a heart attack.

Conclusion

It is impossible to rule out a heart attack outside of the hospital setting. If you or your loved one are experiencing these signs and symptoms you/they may be having a heart attack. Knowing these signs of a heart attack can give you a better chance of survival in the event that you are truly having a heart attack. In a later post, we will discuss the things that you can expect from the hospital when you enter the emergency department.

Until later,

Medicman