The American Heart Association has declared February "Operation Heart Beat Month". Thousands of lives will be saved if the time from the onset of symptoms of heart attack, cardiac arrest and stroke to treatment was minimized. Most common Warning Signs of a Heart Attack:
- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes
- Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms
Chest discomfort with light headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
Less Common Warning Signs of a Heart Attack:
- Atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain
- Nausea or dizziness
- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
- Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue
- Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness
Not all these signs occur in every heart attack. Sometime they go away and return.
Early Signs of a Stroke or TIA ("Warning Strokes"):
- Feel suddenly weak in an arm, hand or leg.
- Can't feel one side of face or body.
- Suddenly can't see out of one eye.
- Suddenly have a hard time talking.
- Can't understand what someone is saying.
- Feel dizzy or lose balance.
- Have the worst headache you've ever had.
You may have some or all these signs. They may last only a few minutes.
Signs of Cardiac Arrest - Call 9-1-1:
- Collapse and loss of consciousness
- Normal breathing stops
- Loss of pulse and blood pressure
Early CPR (mouth to mouth breathing and chest compressions to circulate blood and oxygen to vital organs) buys time until early defribillation is done.
It has been my experience that DENIAL of what is happening of "not wanting to cause any bother: KILLS!
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL 9-1-1. If you can, learn CPR, you may save your life or someone else's.