{"id":83256,"date":"2023-09-13T20:16:08","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T20:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mylifestylemax.com\/?p=83256"},"modified":"2023-09-13T20:16:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T20:16:08","slug":"worried-about-your-heart-if-you-spot-these-symptoms-call-999-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mylifestylemax.com\/lifestyle\/worried-about-your-heart-if-you-spot-these-symptoms-call-999-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Worried about your heart? If you spot these symptoms, call 999 | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

EVERY six minutes someone in England is admitted to hospital with a heart attack \u2013 that adds up to about 230 people each day or 80,000 per year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

About seven out of ten people survive, a figure that rises to nine in ten for those who receive early hospital treatment, according to the British Heart Foundation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOften people don\u2019t realise that they\u2019re having a heart attack, either because they don\u2019t recognise the early signs, or because they don\u2019t consider them severe enough to trouble the NHS,\u201d says Dr Dawn Adamson, cardiologist and National Specialty Adviser for Heart Disease, NHS England.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut make no mistake, a heart attack is a medical emergency and it is never too early to call 999 and describe your symptoms. Don\u2019t put it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what signs should you be looking out for? The most common is pain in the centre or left side of the chest that feels heavy, tight, pressured or squeezed.<\/p>\n

Milder discomfort \u2013 similar to indigestion or burning \u2013 may also be felt.<\/p>\n

Other clues include pain that spreads to the arms, especially the left one, neck, jaw, back or tummy. <\/p>\n

Shortness of breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, sweating, feeling or being sick, uneasiness, and excessive coughing or wheezing can also be sure signs of trouble.<\/p>\n

Often heart attacks are not seen as a woman\u2019s problem, but this is untrue. Each year, as many as 35,000 women in the UK are admitted to hospital following a heart attack \u2013 that is four every hour.<\/p>\n

And postmenopausal women are at increased risk because they produce less of the heart-friendly hormone oestrogen.<\/p>\n

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Lifestyle factors such as smoking, a diet high in fat and being overweight can also increase your chances of having a heart attack.<\/p>\n

People with diabetes and those with high blood pressure \u2013 which can particularly affect people from Black African, African Caribbean and South Asian backgrounds \u2013 are also more prone.<\/p>\n

Healthy diets and lifestyle choices, routine blood pressure and cholesterol checks, and maintaining a healthy weight are among the preventative steps you can take.<\/p>\n

Heart attack symptoms vary but they should never be dismissed. Acting fast and getting the correct medical help is crucial.<\/p>\n

An estimated 1.1 million people alive in England today have survived a heart attack.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2018My left arm flailed around like it was in a salsa class with no partner\u2019<\/h2>\n

TREVOR FELDMAN had a heart attack back in 2019. He was blue-lighted to a hospital before being transferred to a specialist centre to have an eight-hour triple heart bypass operation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The day had started like any other. Trevor, 76, from Edgware, North London, was volunteering at a daycare centre for the elderly, helping with discussion groups, arranging chairs, serving dinner and lending people a hand to get on and off coaches.<\/p>\n

Without warning, he suddenly felt strange and experienced a radiating pain in the middle of his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI excused myself, went to my car and when I shut the door, that\u2019s when everything hit the fan,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI broke out into a sweat and had this pain that was growing increasingly more intense. I had pain under my chin, my left arm started to flail around like it was in a salsa class with no partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no control. I was in denial but knew something had gone badly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trevor frantically looked for his phone to call his daughter Stefanie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to panic her but said: \u2018I feel a bit odd, can you come over but don\u2019t call an ambulance?\u2019 Thank God she had the sense to call one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next thing I know I\u2019m in an ambulance, being injected with morphine and tubes coming out every which way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trevor was initially rushed to the operating theatre at the Royal Free Hospital, North London, for a stent (which allows blood to flow more freely) but it was soon realised that his condition was even more serious.<\/p>\n

Thank God my daughter had the sense to call an ambulance<\/p>\n

\u201cThey packed me up again and I went by ambulance to St Bartholomew\u2019s Hospital, where another team was waiting,\u201d he recalls. There Trevor underwent an eight-hour triple bypass operation.<\/p>\n

He remained in hospital for almost three weeks before returning home with the help of carers and his family.<\/p>\n

Trevor then attended a comprehensive cardiac rehab programme at Barnet Hospital and has since fully recovered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff dealing with my condition were excellent there and I could feel myself getting stronger and stronger every week, which is mentally encouraging,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Trevor admits that he neglected his health during the 32 years he spent working as a black cab driver \u2013 a job he describes as sedentary and often extremely stressful.<\/p>\n

He explains: \u201cI was having typical cab driver\u2019s food \u2013 fried eggs, fried bacon, sausages and at least three cokes a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a real couch potato and didn\u2019t do any exercise, unless snooker counts.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people regard their body as a temple. I just regarded it as an amusement park and went along for the ride. That was my mindset \u2013 that it\u2019s not going to happen to me, it\u2019ll happen to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the heart attack, Trevor has completely overhauled his diet and hasn\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cNow I\u2019ve adjusted the whole thing. I\u2019m very lucky with the fact that my daughter is a qualified nutritional dietician.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve eliminated a lot of the sugary things and every other day I have a full salad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also have a lot of fish: salmon, sea bass, herring. I often eat vegetable soup and lentils. I\u2019ve cut out rice as well and I\u2019ve substituted it with bulgur wheat, which is delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trevor describes recovery as a winding road and says that this episode is no longer on his radar, with the only reminder being his operation scar.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll always be grateful for his daughter\u2019s quick thinking, though, and encourages others to do the same if someone around them displays any heart attack symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to other people around you to call 999 if you\u2019re incapable of doing it yourself,\u201d he says. \u201cAt least that way you\u2019ve got professional help coming to assist you.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2018My mum had passed away four years earlier \u2013 I wasn\u2019t ready to lose another parent\u2019<\/h2>\n

ALARM bells started ringing for Stefanie Daniels when she received a worrying call from her dad, saying, \u201cStef, listen, you may need to come and get me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stefanie says her father Trevor had always been more laidback than a \u201ccollapsed deckchair\u201d. But that day, his tone was different.<\/p>\n

The 43-year-old business owner from Bushey, Hertfordshire, says: \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what was wrong, but knew from his voice that it was serious, and I just went into autopilot.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mum passed away four years earlier and I wasn\u2019t ready to say goodbye to another parent.\u201d <\/p>\n

Trevor told her not to call an ambulance, but Stefanie did the opposite \u2013 quick thinking that almost certainly saved his life.<\/p>\n

She told the 999 operator that her dad was having a suspected heart attack and then went to find him.<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cI was a bit worried I was wasting their time but when I found dad in the car, he was yellow, sweating and holding his chest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tests performed by the ambulance crew confirmed Trevor was having a heart attack. He was blue-lighted to hospital before being transferred to a specialist centre for an eight-hour triple bypass op.<\/p>\n

Trevor has since recovered and Stefanie urges anyone experiencing heart attack symptoms to act quickly and dial 999. <\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen you feel that pain, don\u2019t hesitate to pick up the phone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

LOOK OUT FOR THESE SIGNS\u2026<\/h3>\n

The early symptoms of a heart attack can vary. These don\u2019t always feel severe and can be easy to dismiss, but it\u2019s never too early to call 999 and describe your symptoms.<\/p>\n

Look out for:<\/strong><\/p>\n