Hollywood has shaped how many people imagine a heart attack—someone clutching their chest and collapsing dramatically. But those portrayals are misleading and shouldn’t be expected, says Ann Eckhardt, a nursing professor and researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington.
We did ourselves a disservice in the 1980s and 1990s with what’s known as ‘The Hollywood Heart Attack,’” Dr. Eckhardt said. “That’s unfortunately not real life. It’s not always intense. Sometimes it’s just discomfort that doesn’t feel quite right, so people tend to wait to see a doctor. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to have negative consequences after your heart attack.”
Eckhardt and her colleagues are working to set the record straight by first understanding how the public perceives chest pain. In a recent article in Heart & Lung, they explore the common misconceptions about heart attack symptoms. Many patients don’t experience the dramatic, big-screen version of a heart attack. Instead, symptoms can be complex and even mild. Another widespread myth, the researchers note, is that heart attacks look drastically different in men versus women.
“We used to say men have typical symptoms and women have atypical symptoms,” Eckhardt said. “We’re trying very hard to move away from that language now. The most common symptom for men and women is chest-related. We created confusion by saying women are somehow completely different.” More info on this is here.
When i had mine at the ripe old age of 52, I thought someone stabbed me in the chest and left the knife there. I wanted to throw up, then lay down with an ice pack. The GF dragged me to the hospital. Turns out it was an MI, with 100% blockage of the most important vessel. The next day they put in a Stent and told me to get my shit together.
ReplyDeleteNow, years later, de-stressed, non-smoker and back in decent shape....I'm doing fine.
mine was 51, no pain, slight flutter in upper chest / lower neck several times a day , went to clinic-he sent me straight to ER, they were very responsive, stent the next day....doc said "do not ever say there's no pain, some ERs will hesitate or just ignore"
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ReplyDeleteHad a heart attack about 18 months ago. Worked all morning, and was grilling dinner. Sudden onset of severe indigestion, followed by an ache in my arms, then my body broke out in an intense sweat. No actual chest pain. Wife drove me to near by hospital, they airlifted me to the cath lab clinic where they install 2 stents each of 3 arteries. 72 years old, active runner (ran a 5K 3 weeks earlier), no previous history, no warning. My guardian angel was working overtime that day.
ReplyDeleteThe one I had felt like I was a hamster in a C-clamp. It hurt worse than a kick in the groin only in my chest.
ReplyDeleteI had a heart attack two years ago and it was termed "mild". I had light chest pain and my right arm hurt. Went to the emergency room, got checked and the next day they installed two stents. The doctor told me that I had a previous heart attack and looking back I vaguely remember some of the same symptoms only much fainter that only lasted for a few minutes. I thought I had just strained something while working. They're correct about the lack of major pain so if it happens to you and you're in doubt, just go get it checked out so you don't check out.
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