A Woman’s Heart, Anxiety vs. Heart Attack
There is no doubt that women today are under more stress than ever. One of the “gifts” left to us by the women’s liberation movement is that we not only get to fry-the-bacon-up-in-a-pan at night, but we are also frequently out there in the workforce bringing-home-the-bacon as well.
Add to that the demands of children, homework, soccer practice, PTA, church and other civic activities, our cup truly RUNS over! Super Girl has nothing on us! It’s no wonder that heart disease is the number one killer of women. Sisters, we have STRESS in our lives!
Just how bad our stress level really is was recently brought home in a very real way to me. One of my best girlfriends just had the “pleasure” of a one-night stay at the local heart “hotel” (hospital). This definitely wasn’t her destination when she left for work that morning. She’s a single-parent of two small preschool children. She’s a widow and has no backup at home. (Are we getting the stress level picture yet?) In addition, she works for a company that’s been laying off workers for months and outsourcing jobs overseas. She’s been working 70-80 hour work weeks for months in an effort to ensure her job stays in the good old USA. (Bingo! Stress level gets a 120%!)
As she recalls it, her chest began pounding and hurting unbearably. She was short of breath and couldn’t breathe - sick to her stomach, sweating, dizzy and lightheaded. The pain radiated down her left arm. She tried to ignore it for a while but as the day progressed, the symptoms only increased in intensity. Finally, she phoned the nurse on call with her insurance company who promptly sent her straight to the hospital for evaluation.
Fortunately, this hospital visit had a happy ending. She was diagnosed with a panic or anxiety attack. Some of the symptoms of a panic attack are similar to those of a heart attack. Panic attack symptoms include: chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, hyperventilation (very rapid breathing), and dizziness/faintness. In addition, a panic attack may also be accompanied by a sense of fear or impending disaster.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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The symptoms of a heart attack are pretty specific. A tightening of the chest that progressively gets worse. Like bricks on your chest. A numbing or paralysing of the left arm. Nausea and vomiting are also common. A panic attack is more general as far as symptoms go. It basically is an "all over tingling" or feeling like you are just going to pass out. It almost feels like your brain is telling you you are in danger and to run or feel fear. Heart attacks statistically are uncommon in 18 year old, while panic attacks are way more common. Obviously if these occurrences continue medical attention is needed. Even for anxiety attacks.
November 21, 2009 - 12:16amThis Comment
it lasted for a few hours because the turbulence just would not stop. When you are in the midst of such anxiety, it can be paralyzing to the point of not knowing what to do. Your friend probably thought about calling the doctor earlier
January 19, 2010 - 1:08amWhen you are in the midst of such anxiety, it can be paralyzing to the point of not knowing what to do. Your friend probably thought about calling the doctor earlier, but felt she just couldn't "afford" the time due to all her responsibilities.
January 19, 2010 - 11:45amI could not agree more about feeling paralyzed by the anxiety. I know that her stress level by that point was so high, coupled with, as you say, feelings that she had to meet all the responsibilities, were overwhelming. I'm glad it was just an anxiety attack and not the real thing.
January 20, 2010 - 11:35amWell you are saying quite right. In now days women are under great stress.
February 10, 2010 - 3:16amResearch by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks.
Among the 515 women studied, 95-percent said they knew their symptoms were new or different a month or more before experiencing their heart attack, or Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). The symptoms most commonly reported were unusual fatigue (70.6-percent), sleep disturbance (47.8-percent), and shortness of breath (42.1-percent).
February 27, 2010 - 5:13amSurprisingly, fewer than 30% reported having chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks, and 43% reported have no chest pain during any phase of the attack. Most doctors, however, continue to consider chest pain as the most important heart attack symptom in both women and men.
Thank you for your response, anonymous. That is some great information that you found and certainly information that is pertinent to women's health.
February 28, 2010 - 11:42am@Anon.... I want to apologize. For some reason, I never got a notice of your post and hope that somewhere over the past year someone has able to help you cope with your anxiety attacks. I've made a visit to the ER myself for panic attacks so I definitely relate to how frightening and overwhelming it can be. I did some research and there are a number of medications that are sometimes used to treat anxiety disorder such as Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Cymbalta, Effexor, Klonopin, and Ativan. Some opt for natural remedies such as kava, valerian or passionflower. I also read that anti-depressants are sometimes an option along with psychotherapy.
Regular aerobic exercise is reported to help with panic attacks along stress management techniques, deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. This is the path that I took when I was having anxiety attacks and it helped me reduce my stress and eventually the attacks stopped. I would encourage you to try some of these activities and make time for you. Please feel free to send me an email if you still need more info or help. Mary
February 8, 2012 - 9:30pmThank you so much for reading! This article was one of the "easy" ones to write as it was a topic that most women can relate to.
Mary
February 8, 2012 - 9:34pmHello everyone on here. I'm looking for some advice, as soon as possible actually. I'm 21 years old, and on the 2nd of january this year, a little over a month ago, I spent the night in the ER because I was experiencing chest pain & pressure & what I felt like was an irregular heart beat. They rushed me in, asked me questions & asked me to disrobe from the waste up for an EKG. as I laid there, nervous & scared starting at my fiancée standing in the corner, they took 6 vials of blood. Shortly after they moved me into a room, hooked me up to a heart monitor to hero track of my heart rate & my blood pressure every hour. Then they took an x-ray of my chest & I waited...for 3 hours, for anyone to get back to me. At that point I was going to leave, I looked at my fiancée n said I guess there's no rush to help the chest pain girl, n he went to get my nurse. She came in & asked me if they came to get me for my CT Scan yet. I said no, & no ones seen me in hours why do I need a cat scan? She told me the doctor wanted to make sure I didn't have a pulmonary embolism. I looked to my fiancée once again, he told me you can wait for it or we can leave. I waited. It was scary & it hurt. But an hour later, at 3 in the morning, my doctor told me I was fine. I was free to go. But I left with no answer to my questions. Why did I feel this way? I was fine for about a week or so, & then out of no where I began to feel the pain again. Its usually anywhere in my chest, sometimes on my left side around or under my breast. Sometimes in the middle or right side too. N its always worse at night, especially the pressure, its intense. So much so that I can't get to sleep, I feel like I will stop breathing if I don't make a conscious effort to remember to breathe. Every breath i.take all day is like that. this pain on a scale of 1 to 10 is anywhere from a 4 to a 7, its more annoying & scary than anything. I feel like they missed something & I'm going to die.suddenly. My heart rate is low I think, but my fiancée & mother say thats normal. I'm 21, I'm 5' 2'', 120 lbs, I'm in good shape but don't work out every day or eat the best things. My mother has anxiety n has taken 1 mg of lorazepam (ativan) every day since I can remember. I just don't want to let this go if its really bad. Besides the chest pain I have pain in my back, shoulders & arms. Today I thought I had jaw pain. I'm freaking myself out. But this is almost a month its been happening. I'm always tired, SO tired, but idk if thats bc the lack of sleep or something else. I feel out of breath more than I don't. I'm scared. The only thing holding me back from going back to the ER is the $6,480 bill I have sitting here because I have no insurance. Someone help please.
February 12, 2012 - 6:49pm