Patient Listened to Her Body

When Roberta Long of Aumsville stood up from gardening one day she got a funny feeling in the base of her throat. The next day she bent over in her garden and felt pain across her chest, to both shoulders. She immediately got in to see her physician. Testing at Salem Hospital revealed that Roberta needed a triple coronary bypass operation, which she had in August 2005.

As a young bride, Roberta’s husband taught her to drive. He said, “Always listen to what your motor is telling you.” Roberta applies that sage advice to her health, and advises others, saying, “Listen to what your body is telling you.”

Her cardiologist just released her from his care, saying she can now do anything she wants. She’s back in the yard … gardening.

Heart Attack Symptoms May Differ in Women
In a recent study of female heart attack patients, nearly half experienced no chest pain at all. Instead, they were more likely to have weakness, dizziness, nausea, cold sweats, or breathlessness.

These symptoms may be one reason why women’s heart attacks often go unrecognized. Another factor, according to Maziar Azadpour, M.D., cardiologist at Salem Hospital, is that many women downplay their own illness or pain.

“The same symptoms that would cause a woman to take her husband or male partner to the emergency room immediately are often dismissed when she experiences them herself,” Dr. Azadpour says.

The most common heart attack symptom in women was unusual, unexplained fatigue. Other signs include:

• difficulty sleeping
• shortness of breath
• indigestion
• anxiety

Learn about heart attack symptoms in women.