Heart attack symptoms - call 999 if you're feeling signs of heart failure
TV programmes tell us that clutching your chest with pain and collapsing to the floor are the signs of a heart attack, but the reality is very different. The early signs can vary – and they don’t always feel severe.
Symptoms aren’t the same for everyone, but the important thing is if something doesn’t feel right, dial 999 immediately. Getting treatment early is vital; it’s better to get checked out than ignore the signs.
The signs of a heart attack to look out for
Pain can be severe, but may be mild like indigestion. You may feel chest pain and a sensation of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest.
It might feel like the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms, jaw, neck, back and upper abdomen.
You may also start to feel lightheaded or dizzy, begin to sweat, have shortness of breath, and start to feel or be sick. You may experience a cough or wheezing, or just have a general feeling of unease.
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And while the most common heart attack symptom is chest pain, some may experience other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling or being sick, or jaw pain.
It’s never too early to call 999. Describe your symptoms, sit down and try to stay calm and wait for help to arrive.
Taking preventative steps for a heart attack
There are also measures that can be taken to prevent experiencing a heart attack, such as consistently making healthy diet choices, routine blood pressure and cholesterol checks, and maintaining a healthy weight and active lifestyle.
'I felt pain in my back, shoulder blades, jaw and neck'
Jaye is now on a phased return to work and trying to find the right medication (BGR Photography)Jaye Ryan had heart attack symptoms for a while before she took action, despite the 56-year-old mum taking spin classes and eating healthily.
The experience changed her life completely but she is now on the road to recovery.
One night, Jaye had classic signs of a heart attack. “I was hit by the most horrendous chest pain going right through to my back, into my shoulder blades, jaw and neck” she says.
“I stumbled to the bedroom but the pain was so intense I couldn’t lie down and my arms felt loose and floppy. I felt short of breath and could hardly speak, but I didn’t want to make a fuss."
"After six or seven minutes, the pain faded and, after lying down for a while, I went downstairs."
"My husband Jason said: ‘Are you alright?’ and I said ‘I think so, I had a horrendous pain in my chest.’ He said: ‘What, like a heart attack?’ and immediately we both said ‘nah’, as I was really fit."
“He asked me a few times that evening if I was okay and I kept saying I’d be fine once the pain went away. We even had a family photo taken after the heart attack and you can’t see anything wrong with me!”
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“The pain was so intense - my arms felt loose and floppy”
Jaye drove to work as usual the next day, but the senior nursing lecturer from Wolverhampton was so out of breath climbing the stairs, her colleague sent her to A&E.
“Getting up two flights of stairs was hard work,” she adds. “When my colleague came in, I told her what had happened and she didn’t want to scare me, but said she’d read something about women having heart attacks that sounded similar to what I was describing.
"She was concerned about my heart, so she sent me off to A&E.
“At the hospital, I had quite a few tests but after having an extensive ECG, it was clear that I was having a heart attack. I was completely shocked – I was physically fit, had no pre-existing heart health problems and there was no history of heart issues in my family.
“I’m still on a phased return to work and work from home on an online MSc Nursing module.
Jaye adds: “I would encourage anyone who thinks they might be experiencing heart attack symptoms to call 999.”
'My mother’s death saved my life'
Thankfully Gill recognised what was happening and called 999Gill Marcipont, 80, from Devon, felt ‘writhing pain’ in her chest after lunch one day. She knew it was the sign of a heart attack - something which had taken the life of her mother.
“My mother was 70 and had pains in her chest but her doctor said she probably just had a bad attack of indigestion and he’d see her tomorrow.
“But when we got home, she had this awful pain and was writhing around so we called again. Her doctor called an ambulance which took her to hospital. But she lost consciousness and never recovered.
“While I’ve never smoked, I was on medication for high blood pressure. I was helping out in a local charity shop that day and, when we were moving a heavy rail of coats, it tipped over, I grabbed it and jarred myself.
"After lunch at home, I went to sit down and a few minutes later, I had pain under my right breast. My husband said, ‘shall I get you some Gaviscon’ but I said ‘no, call 999 now!’
“It was like an elephant’s foot being lifted off my chest”
“Mum had been almost hysterical with pain and that’s what made me realise my pain – which felt like a writhing pain - was something to do with my heart. The person on the phone asked if I had any angina medication and I flew upstairs to get it. I sprayed it and I did feel better.
“They came and did an ECG and said ‘yes, you’ve had a heart attack, we’ll get you to hospital straight away’. I can remember saying, ‘Am I going to die?’ and they said, ‘No, not today’.
“We went to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and went straight to the cardiology unit and they put something up through my groin.
“As this tube thing went up, the pain was still there then suddenly the stent opened and the pain went. It was like an elephant’s foot being lifted off my chest.
“Because I realised what was happening because mum had this same pain, I was able to get to hospital very quickly and with very little damage to the heart itself.”
'I thought: ‘It’s not going to happen to me'
Trevor wants to warn people to take immediate action and call for an ambulanceRetired black cab driver Trevor Feldman, 76, from north London, was volunteering at a day care centre when he had a heart attack
“I had absolutely no warning. Suddenly, I felt strange and had this radiating pain in the middle of my chest, so I excused myself, went to my car and shut the door.
"I broke out into a sweat, I had pain under my chin and my left arm started to flail around like it was in a salsa class with no partner.
“I called my daughter – I didn’t want to panic her, but I said: ‘I feel a bit odd. Can you come over, but don’t call an ambulance.’
"Of course, the first thing she did was call an ambulance and the next thing you know I’m injected with morphine, wired up with tubes and on the way to the Royal Free Hospital.
“They took me straight to the operating theatre”
"The doctors took me straight to the operating theatre and they tried to fit a stent (to hold the narrowed arteries open), but I needed a triple bypass.
"It’s a big operation and I was rushed to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where the cardiologist explained everything in great detail.
“I was in intensive care for two days and when I regained my strength I went home and I was given a blood thinner and blood pressure tablets.
"Recovery is a winding road. Before, I’d neglected my health, eating cab driver’s food like fry-ups, but now I’ve changed. I eat a lot of vegetable soup, lentils and I have a lot of fish.
“I was laid-back about my health and thought: ‘It’s not going to happen to me.’ If you’re having a heart attack, call 999 – or if you’re not capable, get someone else to do it.”
It can be easy to dismiss the early signs of a heart attack. Learn the symptoms at nhs.uk/heart-attack
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