I owe it to all the women out there who’ve lost their lives to heart disease, including my mom. I owe it to all the women who don’t know heart disease is their number one killer. And I owe it to everyone who cares about them. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of Blog Your Heart Out Day this Friday, February 22 – a day to speak up about women and heart disease, sponsored by the American Heart Association and fitlosophy. I sincerely hope it helps someone… somewhere.
Here’s something that can definitely help – knowing the symptoms of a heart attack. Sometimes heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most of them start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. Often, women having a heart attack aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before they get help.
These signs will help you recognize if you or someone you know is having a heart attack:
- Discomfort in the chest or other areas of the upper body
- Shortness of breath
- Other signs of discomfort like breaking a cold sweat, nausea and lightheadedness
If someone has signs of a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately (within 5 minutes). If they are not responsive or stop breathing, an AED should be used (if available) or CPR should be performed, in addition to calling 9-1-1.
Source: American Heart Association
Bloggers, will you help me spread the word about heart disease on Friday? Learn more here. Plus join us at 11am PST for a tweetchat to continue getting out that all too important information – use the hashtag #BYHO2013.
Thank you… with all my heart!