What should I do in case of severe chest pain? Take a lesson from Rosie…
Earlier this year, actress Rosie O’Donnell suffered a heart attack, failed to call 911, and still survived to tell the tale.
On her own blog, Ms. O’Donnell wrote that she had experienced “an ache in her chest and soreness in her arms, followed by nausea and a ‘clammy’ feeling.” Instead of calling 911 when these symptoms occurred, she decided to take an aspirin. The following day, when Ms. O’Donnell made it to the hospital, it was discovered that one of her coronary arteries was 99 percent blocked.
Her moral to the story: “I am lucky to be here. Know the symptoms, ladies,” and might we add gentlemen as well! It’s also important to note that female heart attack symptoms often differ from male heart attack symptoms.
So what are the symptoms of a heart attack? First and foremost is severe chest pain. Other symptoms include can include the following:
- Anxiety
- Coughing
- Light-headedness, dizziness, or fainting
- Nausea or vomiting
- Palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too fast or irregularly)
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating, which may be very heavy
What should you do if you experience major chest pain? Let’s start by addressing what NOT to do:
- DO NOT try to drive yourself to the hospital.
- DO NOT WAIT. When it comes to heart attacks, seconds can make the difference between a healthy recovery and death.
- Again, DO NOT stop to read this blog post in hopes of figuring out what to do. Call 911 or your local emergency number right away!
At Brigham City Community Hospital, we say, “time is muscle,” and we mean it! The sooner you call 911, the sooner you get to us, and the better you’ll be. So after you’ve taken care of the essentials above, you can then follow the example of Ms. O’Donnell and take an aspirin (one full-strength tablet which is 325 milligrams) while waiting for your emergency response team to arrive. Our Brigham City hospital is well equipped to treat heart attacks, but remember not to wait and contact emergency services immediately—it might save your life or the life of someone you love.