HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

[Pops1967GTX]

A helpful email I received ...

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HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

Let’s say it’s 6.15pm and you’re going home (alone of course), after an unusually hard day on the job. You’re really tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home. Unfortunately you don’t know if you’ll be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself..!!

NOW HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE…

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.

A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.

The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can perhaps buy precious time to get themselves to a phone and dial 911.

Rather than sharing another joke please contribute by broadcasting this which can save a person’s life!

Be prepared and become part of the solution. Get your free next-of-kin notification card today. Click here: https://www.InCaseOfEmergencyCard.com/

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[69a100]

I had as friend that could of used this about 3 years ago.
FWIW, every time you sneeze, your heart skips a beat as it's thrown out of rhythm from the sneeze. That's why sometimes after a big sneezing fit, your chest hurts from it.

 

[zyzzyx]

Thanks! You may save my life one day. Maybe today! I've often wondered what you can do.

 

[Cranky]

I knew about coughing but didn't know how hard or for how long. Also, from time to time I'll have what feels like heart palpitations and a quick cough stops it but they will stop on their own if I don't cough but the cough makes it stop right now....and yeah, I'm sure I drink too much caffeine and probably still drink too much beer at times. And thanks for the info!

 

[moes]

another good tip is if you think you are having a heart attack chew 325 mg of aspirin. It slows clotting and helps prevent blood clots. It can also decrease the size of a forming blood clot.

 

[65RoadRacer]

Interesting. Last November I woke up at 1 am with what I thought was heartburn. So I sat up and tried to get it to go away, but it didn't. I got up and drank a bottle of water and sat at the computer, then drank two more bottles. Still didn't go away. Then the pain traveled up into my jaw, and it was bad enough I wanted to bash my head in the wall to stop the pain. (I didn't, just how I felt).

I finally decided to go to the hospital, so 45 minutes after it started I drove to the nearby hospital and entered the ER, clutching my chest, doubled over in pain, and they told me, "Sir, please have a seat and someone will be with you in a few minutes." They told me this twice, then finally got tired of my bellyaching and someone attended to me.

First they said it was a heart attack, then they said it wasn't. Then they said it might be and transferred me to another hospital, where it turned out I had a 100% blockage, an 85% blockage and a 35% blockage, and received two stents. However, after the angiogram they told me that wasn't my first heart attack as they found scar tissue.

So what did I do during the first one? I don't know, but I think I went for a walk down the block to check my mail and get some fresh air. That was the last time I felt kind of like I did that night, just not as bad.

 

[Lets Roll]

I had a problem about a year ago. My heart was skipping beats bad I went to the ER. They said I was just getting older and and probably from nerves in heart. If it gets worse they may do something - also get a regular cardiologist. Anyway, it improved I think it was from welding though either a chlorinated chemical or something toxic because I was welding a lot before it happened. They didn't think it was from welding but I really thought I was having a heart attack. The doc I go to listened to my heart the other day and said he didn't hear it skip at all. Just thought I'd share that for people who weld.

 

[Budnicks]

My father has heart issues,
1/3rd of his heart muscle lower lobe doesn't work
& the veins/arteries are hard, they tried to do a stint,
couldn't get it thru

I just told him &
I just had him read it too
every time he goes away, travels RV-ing
or I have to leave, I worry, when he's alone

he also has onset asthma {long story}, which brings on hard coughing
Cardiologist Dr.'s said, it is directly related too
palpitations & short breaths usually happens just before many of the heart episodes,
he has bad shortness of breath, sort of like another ol' asthma attack
the emergency steroid/puffer doesn't seem to help much
are a few of the many little signs, before he has both of them

maybe his coughing, is what kept him alive ?

thanks for the information
I'll ask the cardiologist next time too

 

[xtraoldestock]

Heart attacks come in all shapes and sizes .I had a cardiac arrest or as the doctor told me the next day I simply dropped dead in front of everyone.

In my case it happened on the ice at the end of hockey .I was hit by a massive wave of dizziness and could feel myself blacking out and falling .Random chance operated in my favor as there was an AED at the rink and 2 doctors playing .

Two tell tale signs that I ignored were unexplained shortness of breath and tightness in my chest.

 

[GetX'd]

I’ve had one heart attack which was quite severe - you’ve all heard of the widow maker. Well that’s the one. Thank God my wife was just walking in the door when I collapsed in the living room. God chose to preserve my life that night and to allow me to live another day. I’ve often wondered what would I be able to do if it happens when I’m alone. This is a good message for all of us to remember and keep tucked away for that time when we may need it. And yes it’s something to,share with others who may not know - this is the first I’ve heard of it.

Thanks Pops!

 

[davek]

thank you because you probably will save my life one day

 

[Darius]

Well, I WAS alone! It came out of the blue with none of the "pre-signs" everyone talks about. 100% Widow maker blockage. The docs said I should be dead but I was one of those people whose heart manages it's own kind of bypass, but even that only goes so far.
I never lost consciousness, just had massive pain. I called 911 myself within seconds of the attack. I then called my wife and SHE told me to cough and keep coughing until medics arrived. I then had to walk to the door to let them in as it was locked. The coughing helped as it forced blood flow enough to keep me conscious. The medics said I wasn't even presenting like a heart attack but the diagnosis proved different.
I was VERY lucky and I can testify to the value of the coughing issue!

 

[eldubb440]

I knew something was up for about 4 days, but didn't get the severe pain until I was already in the ER..... I was working, doing my thing; but "the feeling" kept coming back, so I had the wife drive me in at 2 am......... 95% blockage, stent installed....... I also have a 70% block, they let it be for now as it is in a difficult spot to stent....... it's been 20 months and I feel great

 

[miller]

I've had two heart attacks. Both were about the same, shortness of breath, got real weak.
First was while I was cutting the grass, in the back yard. Wound up going to neighbor's, hardly able to walk, and he drove me to the hospital.
Since then, had to carry nitro pills. Second, was at the local casino. A little hard lesson. Waiting for the wife, used one of those pills, waited a little, then used another. Finally got going, and about two miles away, had to get her to pull over, so I could puke my guts up! Figure that second pill caused that.

 

[Slap Stick]

This went around the net a few years ago. Urban legend.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

From a Harvard news letter also..

For most heart attacks — that is, those that do not trigger an arrhythmia — coughing would not make any difference. Obviously, an unconscious person in full cardiac arrest cannot cough. So the real question is this: can coughing help in the event of a sudden, dangerous, abnormal heart rhythm? In theory, yes. Forceful coughing increases pressure in the chest, which helps maintain blood flow. A conscious, responsive person, by coughing forcefully and repetitively, might be able to keep enough blood flowing to the brain to remain conscious for a minute or two until the arrhythmia is treated. This has been mislabeled "cough CPR," although it is not a form of traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, doctors sometimes ask their patients to cough if an arrhythmia — particularly a slow heart rate — occurs during a heart catheterization.


if you think you're having a heart attack, first call 911. Next, chew one regular-strength aspirin (or four low-dose 81-mg aspirin) and lie down. If you feel like you're going to pass out, there is no harm in trying forceful coughing to try to terminate a possible arrhythmia.

For peace of mind, learn CPR and encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to do so as well. The American Heart Association and other organizations offer in-person classes on CPR and using an AED. Four out of five cardiac arrests happen at home, so the life you save is likely to be that of someone you love.

— by Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H.
Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter

 

[dart4forte]

Interesting. Last November I woke up at 1 am with what I thought was heartburn. So I sat up and tried to get it to go away, but it didn't. I got up and drank a bottle of water and sat at the computer, then drank two more bottles. Still didn't go away. Then the pain traveled up into my jaw, and it was bad enough I wanted to bash my head in the wall to stop the pain. (I didn't, just how I felt).

I finally decided to go to the hospital, so 45 minutes after it started I drove to the nearby hospital and entered the ER, clutching my chest, doubled over in pain, and they told me, "Sir, please have a seat and someone will be with you in a few minutes." They told me this twice, then finally got tired of my bellyaching and someone attended to me.

First they said it was a heart attack, then they said it wasn't. Then they said it might be and transferred me to another hospital, where it turned out I had a 100% blockage, an 85% blockage and a 35% blockage, and received two stents. However, after the angiogram they told me that wasn't my first heart attack as they found scar tissue.

So what did I do during the first one? I don't know, but I think I went for a walk down the block to check my mail and get some fresh air. That was the last time I felt kind of like I did that night, just not as bad.

That's exactly why when I had my first cardiac episode while at Spring Fling the wife and I decided to drive back home some 1100 miles. Wasn't about to go to a LA third world hospital. Did the same when I had the second episode at Fall Fling that same year.

 

[Speedbird]

Do I need to turn my head when I cough?

 

[451Mopar]

Anyone taking these supplements that are supposed to be good for heart health?
CoQ-10
Niacin (B3)
Low-dose 81 mg Aspirin

 

[dart4forte]

Do I need to turn my head when I cough?

Only when the doc is checking your prostrate and he has both hands on your shoulders