by Kitty Murphy

Created on: April 21, 2008

We've all heard the warnings, heart attack is different for women. Yet so many doctors and women themselves remain in the dark about this epidemic. Breast cancer which effects one in eight to eleven women, has deservedly received a lot of press yet the fact remains, one in two people, men AND women alike will die of heart related problems!

The signs and symptoms of heart problems or coronary artery disease do not usually sneak up on you all of a sudden. We are so used to seeing in movies or on television, an obese man in his 60's eating a huge fat laden dinner suddenly clutch his chest and collapse that we fail to recognize heart symptoms that are much less obvious, yet just as dangerous.

I am a 50 year old woman. I do not smoke. I am only slightly overweight. I eat very well, with virtually no fast foods or soda in my diet. My cholesterol is perfect, with my LDL low and my HDL nice and high. I exercise daily. I have no family history of heart problems nor do I have high blood pressure. Yet, in the last two years I have experienced three completely blocked arteries and undergone angioplasty and stent placement. After each episode I went to cardiac rehabilitation, and ate even better. I took all my medications.

Inevitably, when people hear about my experience they anxiously ask, "What did it feel like"? Everyone wants to know what to expect if they find themselves in the same situation. First of all, I learned by experience and from my nurses that the number one best indicator that something is wrong actually comes on quite early. You will find that you just cannot tolerate as much activity as you used to. Whether it's climbing a flight of stairs, working out at the gym, or walking the dog, your normal everyday activities will start to feel much harder. You'll think, 'Wow am I out of shape? I have to exercise harder or longer!' Next you will find you simply cannot exercise or even take walks and eventually the crushing sleepiness will set in. You may feel the need for naps, or get overwhelmingly tired while driving. After dinner, and then earlier, you'll just feel wiped out, exhausted. This symptom can last for many months becoming worse as valuable time goes by.

For many relatively young women in our culture, tiredness has become such a common complaint, that many doctors ignore this potential early sign of heart problems and prescribe sleep, exercise or worse, anti-depressants. They may try to diagnose you with "anxiety" or panic-attacks. I am one of the

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