Heart Attack: His & Hers (Be Prepared!)

Heart attack symptoms vary by sex. This is governed by hormones, so if you are for example a postmenopausal woman and not on HRT, your symptoms might be nearer that of men.

The following symptom list is intended as a rough “most likely” guide. You may not get all of the symptoms you “should”. You could get symptoms from the “wrong” category. So don’t sweat the minutiae, but do be aware of…

Symptoms for everyone:

• Jaw, neck, and/or back pain
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling of impending doom ← heart attack survivors assure us that you’ll know this one if you experience it

Additional symptoms (mostly) just for men:

• Pressure and/or pain in the upper chest
• Discomfort and/or tingling in the arms
• Sudden cold sweat

Additional symptoms (mostly) just for women:

• Pressure and/or pain in the lower chest and/or abdomen
• Feeling of fullness and/or indigestion
• Fatigue, dizziness, possibly fainting

In the event of experiencing symptoms…

Call 911 or your local equivalent.This is not the time to wait to see if it goes away by itself. If unsure, call. Better safe than sorry/dead.

If you are not alone, or if it is someone with you who is having the suspected heart attack, it may be quicker to go to the Emergency Room by car, than wait for an ambulance.

Even if you choose to do that, you should still call 911 anyway, as the responder will be able to instruct you in real-time, not something we can do in a newsletter.

Note that if available, this means three people in the car is ideal:

Driver, patient, and third person on the phone giving information and following instructions.

Emergency situations rarely go entirely by-the-book, but with a little foreknowledge and at least one person with a calm head, preventable deaths can be avoided.