Yes…Young Women Can Have Heart Attacks!
Not too long ago I was told a terrifying tale about a young woman and a heart attack. The 40-year-old woman arrived at the emergency room of her local hospital displaying a multitude of symptoms that made it clear that a heart attack was in progress - at least it was obvious to a nurse in the ER.
After hooking the woman up to medications to help deal with the attack, the nurse alerted other doctors to the case and then went home at the end of her shift figuring all was well. When the nurse returned to work the next day, she was shocked to discover that doctors in the ER had stopped the medications, told the woman she was simply having a panic attack and sent her home. The woman suffered major damage to her heart.
Unfortunately, many doctors don’t suspect a heart attack when they see a young woman with chest pain. And, while it’s true that heart attacks are more common among young men than young women, women are not exempt . Figures from the National Center for Health Statistics show that in 1998, approximately 11,000 women under the age of 45 were hospitalized for heart attacks.
Life Lesson: Time management
Are you still growing spiritually?: Check your compass and let God lead you
When a heart attack strikes a young woman, she is likely to suffer debilitating damage or die. In a study that looked at gender differences among heart attack victims, researchers found that heart attacks were far more likely to be deadly if the victim was female. In fact, when Dr. Viola Vaccarino and her colleagues looked only at patients under age 50, they found that twice as many women as men died in the days following a heart attack.
Part of the explanation for this frightening statistic is that young women with heart attacks often get either no treatment or they receive delayed care. Sometimes women, and sometimes their doctors, miss the attack because they don’t realize that the symptoms of a heart attack may vary with the patient’s gender, says Vaccarino, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine. Compared to men, during a heart attack women are much more likely to experience back pain, indigestion and nausea and/or vomiting, rather than chest pain, as their symptoms, according to an earlier study by Vaccarino.
And while the bigger teaching hospitals are beginning to catch on, it’s still not uncommon for doctors at smaller institutions to miss heart attacks in younger women, says Dr. Marianne Legato, founder and director of The Partnership for Women’s Health and a professor of clinical medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Legato recently reviewed the records for a young woman in her 20s who showed up at a hospital complaining of nausea and vomiting, as well as chest pain. The possibility that the woman might be having a heart attack never occurred to the doctors examining her. She was dead within 48 hours.
When Vaccarino and her colleagues looked at death rates from heart attacks in young people, they found that misdiagnosis and delays in medical care could only explain part of the discrepancy between men and women. This is an area that needs further research, she says.
But, while doctors are at a loss to explain why heart attacks occur in otherwise healthy young women, they have pinpointed a group who are at an elevated risk. Women who smoke, are obese, have diabetes and/or high blood pressure are more likely than others to have a heart attack, Legato says. “And diabetes is a much more important risk factor for women than men,” she adds. “Once you have it, your risk for [heart disease] is four to six times higher.”
Ultimately, women need to know the signs of a heart attack and demand proper care if they think they may be having one. If you have risk factors for a heart attack, no matter whether you are in your 20s or 30s or 40s, and you feel you are experiencing a heart attack, don’t allow the doctor to dismiss your symptoms as indigestion or anxiety. Tell them you want to be tested. If you don’t, the consequences could be deadly.
The following symptoms could signal heart ills:
- Angina (chest pain). Can also include back pain or deep aching and throbbing in the left or right bicep or forearm.
- Breathlessness. Also may include waking up having difficulty catching one’s breath.
- Clammy perspiration.
- Dizziness. Unexplained lightheadedness, even blackouts.
- Edema. Swelling, particularly of the ankles or lower legs.
- Fluttering. Rapid heartbeats.
- Gastric upset (or nausea).
- Heavy fullness. Also may include pressure-like chest pain between breasts and radiating to left arm or shoulder.
If you are experiencing these symptoms please do not wait, contact a doctor immediately for your own safety.
Sources: ACOG/Medical Tribune News Service
Missing the mark of being a perfect mom? Discover how you can be yourself by taking this free Life Lesson
159 Responses to “Yes…Young Women Can Have Heart Attacks!”
Leave a Reply
Start a Conversation
Media
What Do You Fear?
What do you fear, and why? Is it holding you back from realizing your full potential?
>Watch
- Contact
- |
- Advertising
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Link to Us
- |
- Media Releases
- |
- What we believe
dear bonnie,i even have weird symptoms,like arm pain chest pain slightly,for over 4 months now,i even did lots of tests like ecg,stress test and more from a cardiologist,but they said its some kind of muskular skeletal etiology,but i even have acidity,i used to be stressed alot,but now i take it easy,still i have those weird symptoms
hi i am a 28 year old woman and lately i have for about the past 3 years had weird symptoms.i must also mention that i am a hypochondriac.this does not make it good for doctors because anytime i go in to the er and want tests for these symptoms ive been having for years,they almost always give me just basic triage and dismiss it as my hypochondrism as the problem.yes i get panic attacks due to feeling this way.this is no way to live.i started having weird symptoms after the birth of my son 3 and a half years ago.probably 6 months after he was born i went from being healthy/never having problems to feeling weak/heart palpitations/cold sweats/anxiety/arm numbness etc.this was all weird to me as i had never had to go in to a doctor for anything before.i dont know what is wrong with me.my husband says i am just having anxiety and making it worse.that i am fine.one time about a year ago i had these symptoms so bad that i actually went into the er convinced i was having a heart attack.they sat me down and gave me something under my tongue,hooked me up to the ekg machine and everything.my blood pressure was high but the nurse said it could be my anxiety.so they had me wait in that room for about 20 minutes,and then the doctor saw me,he looked at the ekg results and said everything is fine,he said you may have GERD (gastro esophagal reflux desease) which is what my dad has.may i mention my dad and his dad both are on heart medications. he sent me home with a prescription for prevacid.i dont get alot of acid or heartburn,nor do i really get chest pain.i get more nausea/cold skin/chills/feeling of heavy stomach like you ate a full meal of pasta feeling in my upper abs..but i still hate living like this.i am a bit overwweight and admit i do not do alot other than around the house exercise…sometimes it does go away,but other times i feel as if i may have to go to er again…only to be told it is nothing probably..i hate this…tonight i felt blah all day.i didnt eat much.woke up with flu like symptoms.upset stomach/chills,etc…i dont want to go to the er for these symptoms again but i get myself so worked up i almost need that reassurance.i wonder if anyone else is like me.something happened since i had my child…i was normal before that…
Thank you everyone who has posted (very encouraging words Barbara). Here is my dilemma…I have suffered from anxiety for over a year now. It has literally been hell on earth. When I first started battling, I would have panic attacks, which in turn, sent me to the ER. After about 4 times of that, they began to look at me like I was crazy. Because of those reactions, I do not want to go to the hospital at all…for anything. The chest pain now is different than when I was experiencing the panic attacks, but once you have been given the “anxious” label, all is treated as just that. How do you get a Dr to look a it deeper into possibilities instead of just sending you home with an anxiety attack??
I am a 46 year old woman and I was blown away a year and a half ago when I ended up in the ER while having a heart attack 30 days before my 45th birthday…the nurses and doctors couldn’t believe that I was in the middle of a heart attack for i “looked” so healthy..always exercised and ate “so I thought” healthy BUT stress and depression for many years caused great inner turmoil and I ended up with a heart attack…Byt the grace of God I am alive and have made many life changing things in my life…I seek to take better care of the vessel that He has given to me…it is a house for His holy spririt to dwell in and all that inner turmoil, chaos and everything else that is not pleasing to God must be cleaned out so that wholness, wellness and happiness can reign within and around my new leash on life. God is good and He will help you find better ways of living for we have the choice to choose either Life and blessings or death and curses…may all who are called into the new life seek Truth and Life and not partake anylonger with the old, sinful things we dabbled in that brings death, curses and destruction….God search my heart and point out that which is displeasing and Holy Spirit within help me to find VICTORY in those areas so blessings can blossom and killer weeds can not straggle nor harm that which is of GOD.
I am 47 years old, about 70 lbs overweight and have high cholesterol. There is heart disease on both sides of my family, though with grandparents, not parents. I am not active and have had symptoms of fatigue for many years. I had spent hours painting walls on Sunday and I am left-handed. For the past two days, I have been awakened by shooting pains in my left chest, side, armpit and shoulder and it feels hard to breath on that side. The pains went away after I woke up yesterday and are diminished now. I took two aspirin; should I either go to the ER or make an appointment with my doctor? Thanks!!
i am 28 and have had chest pains over the past 2 yrs that come out of nowwhere best described as stabbing and at times like someoe ripping my heart out of my chest. afterwards i tend to get dizzy or extremely tired. my last doctor said panic attacks but never did any tests and only listendd to my description to make the diagnosis i have since found a new doctor due the previous one being somewhat more chauvenistic and am wonderingshould i leave his diagnosis as is or should i get tested for Angina just to be on the safe side?
Hi there! I wanted to see what the statistics are, I guess…
I’m 38 and have had healthy bp all my adult life. I’m obese, quit smoking 2 yrs ago, but a heavy drinker. 6 mos ago I told my doc I was having a pounding in my chest when I eat. I missed the appt for my stress test and continued with school/life. Woke up with a rapid heartbeat last week and he did another EKG. This time the T waves were inverted. He told me not to miss this stress test (scheduled for the day after tomorrow). My grandfather had his first heart attack at 42, my dad’s father died at 54. All heart issues. My dad says this is part of our family and I should be ready. I’m terrified.
I don’t need diagnosis, just statistics. With my family history, should I be ready for angiogram and stent?
I also have severe fibromyalgia and take vicodin and methocarbomal. Guess I just want to know what to be prepared for.
Thanks!
Two days after my 37th birthday (which is Christmas day) I had pain in the right side of my back and then in my chest (also on the right side.) I also had pain in my right shoulder and arm. After an hour or two the pain got worse and I got into a hot bath… I laid in the bath for about an hour (draining and filling again with hot water.) In this time my husband became concerned. After about an hour in the bath the pain lessened. I kept telling him it is on the right side, it is all okay. Within the next hour the pain came back with intensity. This time with nausea. I again got into a hot bath. It did not help this time… When I got out my husband had made the arrangments to drop the kids of with his mother and take me to the hospital. By now I had been experiencing this pain for about 5 hours! Between the time we dropped the kids off and got to the hospital I had pain in both arms and could barely breath. Right before we got to the hospital the intensity of the pain greatly diminished though remained on the right side. After about 10-15 min. of waiting in the lobby of E.R. I was called into triage. Since I came in for chest pain they ran an ekg. The nurse took it to a doctor and then came back in saying that the ekg was off as sometimes when you talk or move it messes it up. The second ekg was still off but she said that it was something wrong with the ekg machine and that we must go back into the waiting room until our name was called. My husband and I sat in the waiting room for another hour, all the while the chest pains continued! When we finally got called into the ER we were giving a bed in the hall way and left sitting there for close to anther hour before someone came to draw my blood. About a half hour after that a very baffled doctor came up to me and told me that my troponin level was elevated but that he was not going to say it was a heart attack as that made no sense to him. He first wanted to test for a virus in my heart, enflamed heart, or perferation. To abriviate the rest of this… 30 hours after being admitted to the hospital and after SEVERAL tests I was taking in for an angiogram. There was found a 99% blockage of my Circumflex artary. It was not until after I had a stent placed that the doctors admitted that I had had a heart attack! My first blood draw my troponin level was 2.3 (.8 or above being considered a heart attack) and the next one 10hours later was 11.2! I am not overweight, I have been a vegitarian my entire life, my cholesterol was normal, I have NO family history of heart disease, I have had no previous heart issues… This is all to say that you never know and that women carry an entirely diffent outline of symptoms for having a heart attack! Honestly at this point I think there is a coverup going on as I was discharged over 3 weeks ago and my file is still not accessable to me (they say it is still being dictated) and no one will give me strait answers about a few things… Like what part of my heart was damaged, to what extent and what exactly does a troponin level of 11+ mean? I am just repetadly told that it was 11 and that is all I need to know, and that the damage is minimal. I have also been told several times that this was a minor heart attack, though everything I have read says otherwise! Any one know more about troponin levels? I can not find any info on the net. Thank you and God bless!
Hi, I’m 29yrs old and tonight when I was trying to go to sleep I felt a pain in the middle of my chest when my heart beat. Only happened about 3 time,no other symptoms. Have normal blood pressure and pulse rate. Anyone else experience something like that?
Sarah, I am not doctor and have no medical experience/training whatsoever but I do understand what you are saying. I have also experienced the sharp pains in my chest and for me, it is entirely linked to stress. It is because you are not allowing for the stress to be dealt with and are keeping it in inside. Your body is trying to tell you to release it. I have read a book, When the Body Says No, where a doctor explains how this type of repression of stress can lead to disease. I would encourage you to read the book and to listen to your body and talk to the people you need to talk to and get out what you need to get out. Hope this helps!
I feel better knowing that other women worry as much as I do. My dad died at 41 from a heart attack and I’ve been on BP meds since I was 19. I’m 33 and on 4 different meds. I dont miss them and its been under control but I work for an internet company and the stress of the holiday season and long hours combined with not eating healthy plus just found out my ex husband is taking me back to court to try to have child support stopped has taken a toll. I have had my left arm hurting and shortness of breath and some indigistion along with my BP being high – with the meds- running about 140/102 or so. Have an appt with my cardiologist next week, they are off all this week, but the nurse called me and told me to lay off the sodium, drink water, take an extra clonidine if my goes up, and call them if anything else happens. Im just scared, I have 2 babies, a new husband, and I love my life, I want to be healthy for them. So my questions if anyone has insight, is there anything I can do or other symptoms to be looking for? Is there a way to repair damaged heart muscle? I’m just a little scared and don’t know what to do, I’m not the type to sit around and wait on something to happen.. Thanks!
Hi Sarah
I don’t think you are being rude if you have concerns and ask for advice. Everyone is responsible for their own health, someone can not read your mind if you don’t tell someone. I don’t think you are going to make a fool of ourself if you go to your doctors. I would really recommend that you go see your doctor as soon as possible. I am sure that your doctor will be happy that you went then if it was something small rather than something serious. Like the old saying goes “An ounce of prevention is worth an pound of cure”
We can’t help you medically but we can pray for you. Please let me know if you would like a prayer mentor and I can get you connected.
Sincerely,
Leah
Hi, I’m 17 years old and I’ve had a chest pain which didn’t allow me to breath so well. My mom said I’ve being taking alot of stress. But to me, I feel that I have maybe anxiety issues or heart. I experience lightheadedness almost everyday and I do get back pains randomly during the time when I’m sleeping. Is this serious? I’ve being just delaying my visit to see a doctor just because I don’t want to make a fool out of myself. I’ve realized that i’ve become rude and I don’t feel comfortable talking to anyone about myself anymore. Is something wrong with me?
Thanks.
Hi Nicole
It sound like you are experiencing some serious problems. We are not a professional medical site and we cannot offer you any information but I would encourage you to consult a physician as soon as possible. Please let me know if you would like us to pray for you.
I’m a 25 years old and last nite I woke up with very sharp pain on my left side of my chest. Very tight pain almost like someone was pinching on the inside. It only lasted about a minute then I laid back down and it started up again and then finally went away, but right after that my left arm and my left side of my neck started to ache real bad and still aches alittle now. can anyone give me some advise on what it could be or what i should do? I have also had some discomfort there in the past.
Hi Nadia
It sounds like what you are experiencing is pretty serious. We are not trained professionals but you should consult you doctor. Please let us know if you would like us to pray for you.
HI I AM NADIA
I HAVE A PROBLEM WHICH I WANT TO DISCUSS IT FROM U
ACTUALLY I AM HAVING PAIN IN MY LEFT HAND BELOW SHOULDER TILL MY WRIST IT OCCURS 2NS TIME IN MY LIFE ABOUT 30 DAYS DISTNCE FIRSTLY IT OCCUR AT 21 NOV AND NOW 14 DEC
SO WHAT COULD I DO
IS THEIR ANY SIGN OF HEART DISEASE?
PLZ DO REPLY ME
Amtesh,
I’m sorry for the difficulty you are experiencing. We are not trained in the area of medical expertise. You will need to see a trained medical person for diagnosis. We can pray for you. I would like to so so. “Lord I pray for Amtesh.. Touch her body. Give her strength and peace. I commit this situation to you Thank you that you already know what’s happening. Thank you Lord for what you are going to do. This we pray in your name. Amen”
HI, I am a 20 year old female…I got a EKG done in my MA class 3 years ago which was normal…now I am going to go c a doctor in january when i get insurance but sometimes my heart starts beating too fast after eating or sometimes when i am relaxed sitting down and get up and walk fast or run even for 2 seconds…what could this be? And i think I have anxiety for past few months atleast that’s what few of the nurses and one of the psychiatrist said without checking me or anything. so what could it be?
HI. I am 27 years old. I will be 28 in Jan. I am a mother of two. My oldest is 4 years old and my youngest just turned two. I have been diagnosed with UCTD (some type of a connective tissue disease) and both my pregnancies were very problematic and preterm. My last pregnancy ended in october of 08. i had high blood pressure and the meds didnt help. we had to take my son 5 weeks early. after the delivery my bp was fine. UNTIL about 3 weeks ago. i was driving and had a sudden onset of a horrible sickening headache, i had trouble focusing etc. i took my bp when i reached a relatives house and it was 157 over 100 and something. i have been taking it at home and my bp has been crazy but almost everytime high. i went to er last night for my bp 164 over 100 then it was 152/106 then it was like 142/100. i felt miserable all day. stayed in bed. was kinda achy, blah just didnt feel good. my legs cramped and my jaw and teeth hurt. my left arm and hand felt really cold and tingly. when i got to er my bp was 151/108. the first nurse was very concerned. we have bp problems in both my parents as well has heart problems in the family. we lost both my papas due to heart problems and my dad just had a stent put in. WELL so the doctor comes in , a MALE a YOUNG MALE he had me push against him with my feet and he looked in my eyes. he said my heart rate was perfect and because of my age REGARDLESS OF MY SYMPTOMS AND FAMILY HISTORY!! that nothing was wrong it was prob a virus or the flu. I also have been experiencing for a while now weird feeling with my chest. almost like it will be fine then speed up real fast then slow down again etc. i also have chest pain alot. my rheumatologist and the er dr said its prob from the uctd. the er doc told me to only worry about it if my bp was over 200 on top and hit 120 on the bottom. it has been 164 on top and 117 on the bottom. he told me to see my pcp monday am for bp meds and thats it. im thinking should i still be worried? should i visit another er? should i wait and see my pcp monday and insist on like an ekg?? my bp was just 160/100 then the next time it was 133/95. my heart rate yesterday before the er also got up to 133. what is your advise on all this? please help me any way you can. i want to be around and in good health for my children. thank you and God bless you all!
I am a 33 year old female and have been having many of the “classic” symptoms, but have had this before (at 28 years old) and after a trip to the ER was told it was an anxiety attack. Now, I am afraid of going to the ER because I do not want to feel stupid again. I woke up this morning with a headache (can hear heart throbbing in my head…which usually means it’s blood pressure for me) and horrible nausea. I never did get sick and I worked all day. All day I kept feeling “horrible” and even commented that my left shoulder blade hurts so bad that i need to go get a massage. Now my left arm is achy & numb and about an hour ago I had to lay back in my office chair and the room was spinning and I couldn’t catch my breath. I know that the answer is going to be that no one can give medical advise and to go to the doctor, but I’m wondering if anyone else feels like they can’t tell the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack. I don’t want to look foolish going in again if it is just my stress level (which is CRAZY high), but at the same time I don’t want to overlook the symptoms. How common is it for 33 year old females to have heart attacks? (Non-smoker, overweight, family history in mom & maternal grandmother.)
Hello.
I am 44 yrs old and had a heart attack when I was 32. I had a very high cholesterol (13.9)and was taking medication for this (Atorvastatin). I did not know I had a high cholesterol until I was 26. My family (mothers side)has a history of heart disease. All my life I had fatty lumps on my joints but no-one mentioned anything especially the doctors when I had them removed. I also had fatty lumps on the back of my heels. Again these were removed when I was 18 and doctors did not raise any issues about them. I had very heavy pains in my chest one day which lasted about a minute. It came and went over a period of 2-3 days. I usually rode to work when the pain started but also have pain when resting. I do not smoke or drink. I eventually ended up in A & E is so much pain but the doctors sent me home saying I had a virus!! I was in agony. I knew I was having a heart attack but it was dismissed. A couple of days later I went back to my doctors by which time I nearly passed out. The doctor eventually saw me, took one look at me and called me an ambulance. When I arrived at hospital I was vomiting. I had all the relevent medication and the following day still had back pain. They transferred me to another hospital to have angioplasty. The main artery was totally blocked and the other 2 were partially(60/70%). I had a stent put in the main artery. I have been told that the stents last for life. Not too sure though. Can someone tell me if they are for life?
Dear Zara and Dee
Unfortunately, we are not trained medical professionals but I would encourage you both to go see your doctors if you are worried. Its better to be safe than sorry.
I am a 53 year old female having some pain in my back under my left shoulder blade could this be a sign of a heart issue
sice 2-3days i have been having pain in my left arm and back not a severe one,am 30 years of age is that a sign of heart attack
My mom was a 47 year old healthy person . Not a drinker or smoker and not over weight at all. On july 2nd 2010 she c\o of a upset stomach and ended up in the er and died on the way there of a massive heart attack . We have no cardiac issues in our family and she was not saying she was having chest pain or anything else.
Hello,
When I was 22 years old and started doing exercises my heart pounded so fast that I had to see a doctor who recommended a heart ecography and everything was fine and with some additional tests I found out I was pregnant. Ever since every time I start doing some exercise, my heart beats goes to a 180 in an instant. Now I am 40 years old and this year I discovered I had an extra beating of the heart (extra systole), the doctor again did an ecography and everything seemed fine, he told me the extra systole will go away by itself, which it did but sometimes comes back, but he said not to worry about it. Lately, I have been having some pain in my left part of the chest, I believe is the heart but some people says it might be a gas or a muscle pain. In my father side of the family, there is history of heart problems but at a later age. Is it normal the 180 beats per minute by doing exercise? Any advise?
Alanna, I am so proud of you. Good luck with your Dr’s visit.I will be praying for you. Leah, Thank you for your sweet comments and prayers. It’s nice knowing people are praying. God bless you and your family. Melissa
Hi Soccermomx2
We aren’t professional doctors on this site but I know that if you are concerned the best thing is to go see your doctor. There is no harm and maybe your doctor can ease your worry. Let us know how it goes.
Hello everyone,
Im 34 years old. Last year I was experiencing a lot of chest pains so I took myself into the hospital where they hooked me up to do ecg or eek (I cant remember). That was fine. Then my doctor sent me to do a stress test which also came back fine. However one of my co-workers under 50 recently had a heart attack, thank God shes fine but that then got me to look online for symptoms on Monday I had a pain in my left arm but it was from the shoulder to elbow not like a shooting pain (I think) then yesterday I felt like my lower back was aching. Now keep in mind I do exercise every morning at 5am doing taebo & weights. I just started exercising from about June doing different things. Anyhow I felt like I was having heartburn yesterday & today (but I did eat like 5 slices of pizza because Im worrying) today I did taebo again which consists of a lot of punching so my shoulder blade is aching again. I spoke to somebody at work with a nurse background who said I would be dizzy, nauseated & my color would be off. Is this true? Am I being a hypocondriac? Oh yes I have tingling feeling today but I read this could be carpol tunnel as Im on the keyboard at work all day.
Candice (and anyone else who is having similar symptoms), I just saw your comment on our website, if you haven’t yet been to ER or at least the doctors you should go immediately! It’s better to be safe than sorry, so go now, even if the pain has stopped! This needs to be medically investigated ASAP.
Hello jean
I understand what your going through, I had the same feeling after the second sten was place
im a 26 yr old female. This morning iIwoke up feeling like there is a ton of bricks on my chest. My heart rate has been from 116 to 140 all day. My head has also been throbbing. I am a smoker. Should iIgo to the ER?
Hi, I am a 39 yr old white female with a long family history of heart disease and heart attacks. My father died of a massive heart attack at 37 yrs of age and his sisters have all died with some heart related disease. My mom’s brother had 5 bypasses last year and just a few weeks ago my 51 yr old brother had 4 bypasses. Thank God he went to the ER and after a cardiac cath it was discovered he had blockage but after surgery we were told he did not suffer a heart attack and his heart was in good condition. Since this has happened to my brother I have had chest pains, shortness of breath and aching in my arms and back. Needless to say I am concerned. My most recent BP was 126/79 but my cholesterol is 303. I am seeing a cardiologist on Monday. Also been having a lot of heart burn and indigestion which is not common for me at all. I do not smoke, drink or have diabetes but could stand to loose 20lbs or so. I’m glad I found this site. Lots of good information on here but I do agree with an earlier post that birth control pills and the increased risk of heart attacks should be addressed. Thanks.
It was a week after my 39th birthday. I had been dieting and exercising everyday for the past month and half. Already lost about 15 pounds when at work one day walking to post office as usual. I started sweating a cold sweat and could’nt breathe. I was a smoker at that point. Luckily my co-worker was with me and called for help. They rushed me to ER where it was confirmed and flew straight to a heart cath lab where they said it was 99% blocked and inserted one stent. Said I had another blockage around 86% they would stent after healing from heart attack. Two weeks later, different kinda symptoms sent me back to ER where they did 4 more stents. About 4 days after being released from hospital, I went back in ER with symptoms of pain in groin and fever. They discovered blood clot from heart cath procedure. So now 3 months later still dealing with clot and really bad depression, does it get any better? Afraid of dieting and exercising again. Can I ever exercise without worry of heart attack?
Hi Alex,
Unfortunately, we are not a professional medical site. We cannot give you any medical advice but from a women to women perspective, I would encourage your mother to help you get a second opinion. I would also recommend that you talk to your mom again, if you are so stressed and worried about this she should really know. I know that I would want my daughter to tell me if she was.
Also, I have found that prayer helps a lot in times when I feel scared. We have a whole team of people that are really awesome at praying and its totally free and completely confidential. If you would like someone to pray for you, please let me know.
so im 15 years old and about a year ago i started feeling really sharp pains in my chest and down to my left arm. the pain to me is unbearable it feel as if theres something sharp going though my chest and it slowly turning,every time i laugh i feel like my heat is stuck and it skipps a beat and when i breath i can feel it pop so i told my mom and she said it was just probably from to much stress.so just to be safe i had a ekg done a few months ago and the results came back negative but the doctor said he wouldnt be to sure about it. i fugured the pain would eventually go away on its own but its been a year i and hasnt gone anywhere and im worried it might be something seriouse, can someone please help me?
Hi Brittany
Thank you so much for sharing your story, you will have an impact on many young women’s lives. You mentioned that you are still living in fear that you are going to die, fear is debilitating and has the capacity to take over your life. It is hard living in fear. We have a wonderful Life Lesson that can help you, http://lessons.powertochange.com/study/dealinganxiety.html?section=dealinganxiety Thank you again for telling us your story, my prayer is that your heart would be healed so that you can live a life without fear.
my name is brittney,i was turning 26 the day after i had a heart Attack! the first hospital that i had gone to had no clue as to why the ekg was reading the way it was and they were giving me pill after pill at the time i had no clue as to what the pills where but they were to stop the pain on the heart attack……that day i was not feeling well i was sweating and felt like i had like acid issues in the center of my chest the feeling never let up…….i still keep going with my day (it was my birthday the next day) i now take multi diff medication and no longer feel like myself… the energy for life i once had i no longer have i am always tired and i am still living in fear of going to die, i had the attack in july and another in january i have 2 stents in my chest i am now 27 as of july of this year…..so if any of you are having any thoughts this is going on with you go to the hospital asap my artery was 99% CLOSED both times! i never have done drugs, no past heart issues i still dont know why…. i always thought that was only for older people guess i was proven wrong take care ladies
@melissa
im so sorry for your loss. my heart goes out to you, i cant imagine what you and your family are going through, all i can say is im sorry.
and thankyou for the concern, i now live with my mom, and i told her whats been happening, and just the other night it happened again, and were gunna go to the doctors to get it checked out.
I have similar ER experiences twice. One at the age of 30 and the second one late 30′s. Both times they didn’t find anything and they called it a panic attack. My doctor wants to rule out any cardiac problem, since I have normal numbers on every category, even though I have heart skips and weird symptoms almost everyday. (not bad enough to go to ER). Is it possible to have a heart problem with normal or low blood pressure and no cholesterol?
I’m a 27 year old female and just got home from the hospital for what is being called a heart attack. You’re never too young and if you feel something that isn’t normal to your body and you have the “feeling” that something isn’t right, please PLEASE go see your doctor or go to the emergency room. If I didn’t make the choice to go who knows if I would still be here. For me it started as a kidney infection last week and I was bedridden for 2 days with a fever. Then one of the early mornings I woke up with extremely intense chest pains, felt like stabbing pains and difficulty catching my breath. The usual me would have just shrugged it off, but something in me told me I should call my nurse and see if my body is having some kind of reaction to the antibiotics I was taking for my kidney. Well, after 3 days of being in the hospital, getting 2 EKG scans, 1 echocardiogram and 1 Cardiac Catherization I’m glad I made the choice to get checked….had I not I could of possibly risked having a heart attack and dying. While I was hospitalized I also began having the same intense sharp pains in my chest and they had to give me nitra (used for heart attack patients to calm the affects down). Turns out my heart ended up having inflammation around it due to my kidney infection and thank goodness it wasn’t more severe. The point I’m trying to make is that no matter how old or how young you are, if you’re feeling something going on in your body trust yourself and your feelings and get it checked out.
When I was 41 a, *ahem* very important, very esteemed cardiologist from Vanderbilt saw me after an EKG showed evidence I had had a previous heart attack and an echocardiogram showed problems with two different heart valves. He spent about a minute and a half with me, asked me if I still got periods, and when I told him “yes,” he said, “Oh, well if you’re premenopausal, we don’t need to worry about anything.” Now I’m 44 and living with heart failure (and still premenopausal, BTW). The dismissive attitude of doctors (particularly older, male ones) has killed a lot of women and will continue to do so until enough of them exit the profession.
hello, my name is frightened. i am sixteen years old and have been diagnosed with a heart murmur since birth, it has never been a big obstacle in my life as life altering or serious. my doctor has never given me different medications for it or anything, just sometimes my heart skips beats or speeds up randomly, sometimes it hurts or scares me but im used to it. recently i have been experiencing really deep pains in my left arm, and slight numbness… my mom dismissed it as stress or as a pinched nerve in my arm and said to try to sleep it off. So i came to her later that same night and while i was telling her i felt dizzy and horrible, i saw black and next thing i knew my mom was helping me up off the floor. I felt okay after all of it but i still feel those feelings and i get scared… havent gone to a doctor, or anything .. should i or am i too young?
i’m 30 years old, yesterday i had a compressive pain in my chest to my lt shoulder and back up to my throat and lower jaw with my teeth lasts for about 20 min,my husband called a doctor , he told him to give me sublingual dinitrate, it was like magic in few minutes my pain just gone… i don’t smoke but i’m always facing huge stress in my life that makes me hate my life and hating be alife.. now am i a cardiac patient or susceptible to be.
Dear Melissa,
I am so sorry for your loss, I couldn’t imagine the grief you are going through. Thank you for your concern for Alannah. If you need to talk to anyone we offer free and confidential mentoring. Please let me know if would like a mentor, just leave another comment and I will arrange it. Also, we have had a personal friend of our website write an article about her journey through grief, http://powertochange.com/life/talk-to-broken-hearted/ I hope that this article would be of benefit to you. Again, your heart to help others not endure this same tragedy is something that should be commended. Our prayers are with you and your family.
Two wks. Ago my 20yr.old daughter collapsed playing indoor soccer, she was rushed to the hospital and never woke up. She died 12hours later. They said it was her heart. Please go have a scan, ekg or whatever you need, just to be sure. The thought of another parent going through this pain is unbearable. We would have had her Che ked if anyone would have told us that this could of happened. No doctor has ever said anything to us. There are ways to detect some of these problems. God bless you, Ill be praying for you.
im 15 years old, and i keep getting heart pains like my heart skipping a beat every time i breath deeply or laugh, im really freaked out, but dont want to end up in the hospital, or die.
My mom says i have a extra beat in my heart, but its never done this before. as i am writting this, my heart is skipping beats and im pretty worried. but i have non of the other signals, just the aches in my heart like skipping beats. please anyone tell me what to do. ive tried just laying down and stoping any activity but its not working.
I am 30 years old and am struggling with a serious addiction. I also have type 1 diabetes and smoke. Stupid I know but none the less its issues I have to work on. For the past couple of months I have been having what seems to everyone else to be panic attacks. My heart rate is usually anywhere from 100-134 bpm. I have a sharp pain near my left shoulder blade and heartburn that is almost intolerable, it feels like boiling lava in my chest! I was admitted to ccu at our hospital last month and ended up signing myself out because they were doing nothing to find the cause of all of this. It has continued and I am really concerned but I don’t think this hospital will treat me because I walked out. Does this sound like a heart attack????
Why don’t you mention birth control pills as a risk factor?