Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/03/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thanks for this Tina. I've forwarded it to many. Bob On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 5:10 PM, Tina Manley <images at comporium.net> wrote: > By coincidence, I got this e-mail today from a close friend. It seems that > women have different symptoms: > > FEMALE HEART ATTACKS > > I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best > description I've ever read. > > Women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have ... you know, > the > sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & > dropping > to the floor that we see in movies. Here is the story of one woman's > experience > with a heart attack. > > I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior > emotional > trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all > snugly & > warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an > interesting > story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, 'A-A-h, this is the > life, all > cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up. > > A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've > been > in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of > water, > and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going > down > the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you > shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly > and this > time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. > This was my > initial sensation--the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of > anything > since about 5:00 p.m. > > After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing > motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably > my > aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my > sternum > (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR). > > This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into > both jaws. > 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read > and/or > heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, > haven't > we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I'm having a > heart > attack! > > I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step > and > fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, > I > shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere > else... > but, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and > if I wait > any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment. > > I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next > room > and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart > attack due to > the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I > didn't feel > hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the > Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if > so, to > un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me > when they > came in. > > > I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost > consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, > lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the > call > they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we > arrived and saw > that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, > helping the > medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me > asking > questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?') but I > couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and > nodded > off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already > threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta > and into my > heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right > coronary > artery. > > I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken > at least > 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps > 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only > minutes > away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his > scrubs and > get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my > arrival > and the procedure) and installing the stints. > Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want > all of you > who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand. > > 1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not > the usual > men's symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws > got > into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first > (and > last) MI because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake > it > as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go > to bed, > hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up... which > doesn't happen. > My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I > advise you to > call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not > felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk > your life > guessing what it might be! > > 2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And if you can take an aspirin. > Ladies, > TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! > > Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the > road. > > Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking > anxiously at > what's happening with you instead of the road. > > Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live and if it's at > night you > won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering > service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the > equipment > in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN > that you > need ASAP. Your Dr will be notified later. > > 3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal > cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated > reading is > rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied > by > high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and > inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into > your system > to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound > sleep. Let's > be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could > survive. > > A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, > you can > be sure that we'll save at least one life. > > *Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends (male & > female) who you care about!* > > > Thank you, > > Josey Hare > > Implementation Specialist > > On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 6:38 PM, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com > >wrote: > > > > > On Mar 13, 2012, at 12:37 PM, George Lottermoser wrote: > > > > > > > > On Mar 12, 2012, at 5:23 PM, Ric Carter wrote: > > > > > >> CRAP! We're going to make you swear off politics! > > >> > > >> now, you owe us details. > > >> > > >> get better quickly > > > > > > Interesting Ric - nothing seems very important since the event > > > EXCEPT: family, friends, and breathing ;~) > > > > > > Details: > > > Saturday: > > > 9 am - Morning shower > > > > thought I'd mention George, the fact that hot showers can bring out the > > symptoms of a heart attack. So when we corresponded, you had mentioned > > that. > > It made me feel the likelihood of an MI was higher. > > Heat, vasodilation, need for increase'd cardiac output to maintain normal > > blood pressure, so quite a bit more demand/stress on the heart...if the > > heart is healthy, then no problem, but...... > > I suspect there was a connection, so best to avoid hot showers and baths > > for a while, especially now. > > > > Sounds like your judgement to seek attention was correct and timely, damn > > you are a lucky man, you should do well. > > > > I sure expect so, we need you back here, I would like to use your self > > portrait on the leica site, is that OK? > > > > > > Steve > > > > > 9:15 am - choking, feeling like can't breath, tightness in chest > > > radiating up into jaw and out to shoulders = Heart Attack > > > toss robe over wet body - take 3 80 mg aspirin and google - mild heart > > attack symptoms > > > 10:00 am - Decide I'm having a heart attack, wake up Erin and drive to > > emergency. > > > EKG, blood pressure, nitro glycerin under the tongue, > > > IV mounted in right arm, blood drawn from left arm > > > morphine into the IV, lots of questions, chest exray > > > 11:55 am - SELF PORTRAIT (even though exif says 12:55 - apparently > never > > set for Daylight Saving) > > > The rest of saturday afternoon, and night, blood tests, nitro patches, > > drugs and tylenol for the headache produced by the nitro. > > > 5:30 - 6:00 - starting to feel sort of normal. > > > Enzyme and protein numbers - coming back as rising - confirming heart > > attack > > > Sunday: > > > 7:30 am - meet cardiologist > > > 9:00 am - Catheterization - stent in left coronary artery (95 % > blocked) > > > 11:00 am - in ICU - drugged - dozing - visitors - more blood drawn - > > more drugs > > > Monday: > > > Just working on "getting the hell out of Dodge" > > > 4 pm - released with a large packet of information - 4 prescriptions to > > fill > > > and setting up an appointment for the next Stent procedure in a couple > > weeks. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > George Lottermoser > > > george at imagist.com > > > http://www.imagist.com > > > http://www.imagist.com/blog > > > http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Leica Users Group. > > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > > -- > Tina Manley, ASMP > www.tinamanley.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- Bob Adler Redwood City, CA http://www.rgaphoto.com