Remember to take any type of chest pain seriously

Individuals who may experience any type of chest pain need to take that pain very seriously and seek medical assistance. There is always the possibility that pain may be caused by a heart attack or some other form of heart disease and must not be ignored. Immediate medical attention is the only way to stop more damage from being done.
The common signs and symptoms of a heart attack include the following:
1. Any type of chest pain. It may be a crushing pain, a feeling of heaviness such as an elephant standing on one's chest, or even a squeezing of the chest.
2. Pain that radiates down the arm, or other areas of the body such as the neck, jaw, or shoulders.
3. Weakness or shortness of breath, nausea, light headedness, and/or possible sweating.
A heart attack is permanent damage to a part of the heart muscle. This is caused by a lack of blood supply and oxygen to that part of the muscle usually due to a clot or build up of plaque that blocks an artery.
If anyone is experiencing any of these signs of a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Time is muscle. The longer one waits to seek medical attention, the more heart muscle is damaged due to the heart attack. Ambulance personnel will take you to the hospital where nurses and physicians trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) can treat the heart attack and possibly stop it from doing any more muscle damage. In addition, all ambulance personnel in this area are equipped with automatic defibrillators in the case a heart attack would completely stop the heart from beating. Again, time is muscle. The less muscle lost, the better one's chances for recovery.
Veterans Memorial Hospital staff commonly gives "clot busting drugs" such as streptokinase or retavase to stop the heart attack from causing any more damage to the heart muscle. These drugs actually attack the clot that is cutting off the blood flow in the coronary artery. Once the clot is broken down, blood flow can return to this area which decreases the damage to the heart muscle.
After a heart attack, it takes 8-12 weeks for new blood vessels to form and a scar to develop in the affected area. During this healing process, it is normal to feel weak, but one's strength should gradually return.
Just because a person has had one heart attack, doesn't mean that they will definitely have another, but it does mean that they have some heart disease. To decrease the risk of having a second heart attack, one should seriously consider making some lifestyle changes including an increase in exercise, decrease in stress, and eating a heart-healthy diet.
Remember, if you or anyone near you is experiencing any kind of chest discomfort, weakness, or shortness of breath, consult medical assistance immediately.
For more information, please call Veterans Memorial Hospital at (563) 568-3411.