February is
American Heart Month, and what better way to celebrate than by bulking up your knowledge on
the most import muscle in your body—your heart!
Though many of us know the significant signs of a heart attack, like chest
pain and shooting pain down your arm, there are many not-so-common symptoms,
too. Many symptoms are also often confused for other issues, leaving them
to be ignored. The Campbell County Medical Group
Walk-in Clinic wants you to be aware of the following symptoms that could, in fact, be
related to heart attacks.
Stomach Issues
Vomiting and nausea can be signs that you are having a heart attack, but
can also be mistaken for a stomach bug. If you feel like you’ve
overexerted yourself, with minimal effort to feel that way, you may be
having a heart attack and should call 911.
Abdominal Pain
For women, heart attacks can often mask themselves as abdominal pain,
sometimes leaving them thinking it’s something less serious such
as acid reflux. If your stomach "pains" feel more like abdominal
pressure, they could be caused by a heart condition. The main symptoms
to look for is crushing-like feeling in your stomach.
Jaw Pain
Pain in your jaw could signal more than just a toothache, or tension.
In fact, for women, this is a commonly missed heart attack sign. The common
factor is if your jaw pain is accompanied by a headache, too.
Sweating
You know your body, and what’s normal or not. If you are suddenly
perspiring and having chest pains, but haven’t done any physical
activity, this could be an indicator of a heart attack and shouldn’t
be ignored.
Call For Help
Aches and pains can happen, and our typical response is often to grin
and bear it; but listening to your body and getting help when needed is
a matter of life and death. Though our
Walk-In Clinic can help with a variety of illnesses, we don’t treat heart attacks.
Emergency doctors (and our
Emergency Medical Services pros) often use the phrase, “time is muscle.” Why? Heart attacks
are caused by blockages of the coronary arteries, which pump blood throughout
the body. If an artery is clogged or blocked, the muscles are starved
of blood. The longer a patient experiences heart attack symptoms, the
more heart tissue dies.
If you ever feel that you might be having a heart attack by experiencing
any of the symptoms above, please call 911.
If you have heart issues or a family history of heart disease, we have
good news: Campbell County Health offers a
Cardiovascular Services program full-time in Gillette, Wyoming. Our highly skilled cardiologists
at the Campbell County Medical Group
Cardiology clinic are here at all times to care for patients and our
cardiac cath lab allows us to provide care quickly during an emergency. And, we can help
get you back to your daily routine after a heart incident with our
Cardiac Rehabilitation program. To learn more, please call the clinic at 307. 688.3700 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/heart.