Could I be
having a
heart attack?
The fear of embarrassment
can
keep you from doing a lot of things.
It might stop you from singing
karaoke. Or it could convince you
not to make your skating debut on
the ice rink at the park.
But it should never stop you from
getting medical help if you think
you might be having a heart attack.
According to the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute, people
often delay calling for emergency
help after a
heart attack
starts. One
major reason:
fear of being
embarrassed
if it turns out
to be a false
alarm.
“Quick
treatment
is critical
to surviving a heart attack,” says
Steven Hansen, MD, Memorial
Health Center emergency
services provider. “Call 911 for an
ambulance rather than ride to the
hospital in a private car. Tis allows
ambulance professionals to begin
gathering vital information and to
provide initial treatment, providing
protection and advanced notice to
the emergency department.”
Dr. Hansen urges you to call 911
within fve minutes of having any of
these symptoms:
➜
Feeling pressure,
squeezing, fullness or pain in the
center of your chest.
➜
Having
discomfort in one or both arms,
the back, the neck, the jaw, or the
stomach.
➜
Feeling short of breath.
➜
Feeling nauseated or light-headed
or breaking out in a cold sweat.
Get medical help even if your
symptoms disappear after a few
minutes. Remember, cardiac risk
increases with age and treatment
outcomes improve with speed.
Every year,
more women than
men die from heart disease. To
better care for the unique needs
of women, the Aspirus Heart &
Vascular Institute and Aspirus
Women’s Health have developed a
women’s heart program.
Women often experience
diferent, more subtle symptoms of
heart disease and heart attacks than
men do, so it’s important for women
to know what symptoms and risk
factors to look out for. In addition
to providing this education, the
program features a women’s cardiac
clinic that ofers appointments
focusing solely on the unique nature
of heart disease in women.
During an appointment, patients
meet with Melissa Wendell, MSN,
FNP-C, to discuss any symptoms
they may be having, risk factors,
Caring for the caregiver’s heart
family history and how their
lifestyle may afect their health.
“People think they know what
the risk factors are, but there are a
lot of inaccuracies, so some women
are surprised when they get the
results of the tests,” Wendell
says. “A lot of women don’t have
the right knowledge about heart
disease, but when they get it,
they are more than willing to do
something about it.”
Women will meet with a
cardiologist, have their medical
history thoroughly reviewed and
undergo baseline testing during an
appointment to check cholesterol
levels and see how the heart is
functioning.
To learn more, go to
www
.aspirus.org
, choose “Women’s
Health” and click on “Heart Health.”
Steven Hansen,
MD
6
Memorial Health Center
•
Well
aware