Yes, I had a heart attack, at the young age of 58.  I post this here to bring awareness to a serious situation that I had, in the hopes of preventing it from happening to others.  Not one medical professional believed that I was having a heart attack.  I didn’t look like the kind of person who would have a heart attack, and I didn’t feel like an elephant was sitting on my chest.  I had no shortness of breath.  What I did have was mild heartburn-like pain in the middle of my chest, which radiated to my upper back and arms.  It progressed to nausea and jaw pain.  I googled Women’s Heart Attack Symptoms and knew immediately what was happening to me.  After calling 911, paramedics found I had a normal ECG, good oxygen levels and good colour.  They said I didn’t look like a complainer.  I’M NOT.  They didn’t feel I needed to go to the hospital.  I INSISTED.  They didn’t give me any aspirin to chew, because they didn’t believe I was having a heart attack.

At the hospital, staff were sure my symptoms were the result of a virus that I had contracted weeks earlier.  I was told over and over again that I was not having a heart attack, even though my heart enzyme Troponin was highly elevated.  This is a classic sign of damage to the heart muscle. Five days later, an angiogram revealed a 95% blockage in one of my arteries.  Finally, a heart attack was confirmed and I was booked for angioplasty.

Had I not advocated for myself, the outcome of my health is unclear. Therefore, I advocate for heart health and share my story to educate others and hopefully save lives.

I am living my best life and am thankful to be very healthy and have boundless energy.  Feeding my body with nutritious foods, staying very active and learning to compartmentalize my stress have all contributed to my positive outlook and my amazing heart health.  I am blessed with 3 grandchildren who most definitely keep me young!  At my last heart check-up, my cardiologist told me he sees no reason why I won’t live to 120!  I look forward to so many new adventures.