When someone is having a heart attack we often imagine someone clutching their chest and describing the sensation of having an “elephant sitting on their chest”.  While this is often the case, women may experience different symptoms causing a delay in getting appropriate medical care.

Women are more likely to have the following symptoms when having a heart attack:

·         Atypical chest pain that presents in the upper back, shoulders, jaw, neck, arms and upper abdomen.  The pain may not be as severe as one would think.  Often this pain can be confused with heartburn.

·         Shortness of breath that does not necessarily correlate with the activity being done.  Some women describe a feeling of gasping for air like they had run a marathon. 

·         Heavy sweating that is sudden.  It may be difficult to differentiate from a menopausal hot-flash.  Some women describe it as feeling both hot and cold with clammy skin.

·         Unusual fatigue can be described in the days or weeks prior to the heart attack.  The fatigue is often described as profound, limiting even the most simple daily activities, such as making a bed, walking to the bathroom or lifting a laptop.

·         Lightheadedness and nausea can occur during an attack. 

·         Women can also have the classic crushing chest pressure.  However, it is important to remember that heart attack symptoms in women can be much more subtle.

Most of the heart disease risk factors for women are similar to men but there are some differences. 

·         High cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

·         Loss of estrogen after menopause.

·         Weight gain around the belly – usually most prominent during and after menopause.

·         Smoking!!!!   This has been shown to be a bigger risk factor for women than in men.

·         Being overweight.

·         Not exercising.

·         A diet high in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates.

·         High blood pressure and Diabetes.

·         Family history of heart disease.

·         Women in their early fifties can have a heart attack.  So you do not have to be older to have a heart attack.

What can you do to lessen your chances of having a heart attack or suffering a severe heart attack?

·         Know the symptoms.  Call 911 or seek medical care immediately if you experience the above symptoms!

·         Exercise regularly:  That means 30 to 60 minutes a day.

·         Don’t smoke!

·         Maintain a healthy weight.

·         Eat a diet of lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grain, olive oil, monounsaturated fats and complex carbohydrates.

·         Reduce emotional stress.

·         Take prescribed medications properly.

Prevention of heart disease and early recognition of a heart attack symptoms are the keys to preventing serious damage from heart disease.   

To follow up on the deer tick post from the other day.  Many people ask, “why wait for the tick to be on 24 hrs before being concerned about Lyme transmission?”  Well,  there is an enzyme conversion in the tick that has to take place after the tick bites you for Lyme transmission to occur.  This enzyme conversion takes 24 hours to complete.  So, if you think the the tick has been on more than 24 hrs, contact your PCP.

Hope Health Family Practice offers you some handy tips about how to deal with Deer ticks.

Remember to cover up and apply tick repellent when going for hikes or being in fields and woods.

Remember to check yourself thoroughly when you have come in from the outside.  Strip down and pay particular attention to creases, the waist, underarms, hair line and groin.  Ticks seem to be drawn to those areas.

If you find a tick, do the following:

1. Remove it with a pair of tweezers by firmly pulling straight back until it releases.  Deer ticks can be very difficult to remove as they hang on tightly.  Dog ticks come off much more easily. 
2. Notice the color and size.  Dear ticks are brown and tiny (the size of a pin head),when not engorged (filled with blood).  Dog ticks are bigger and darker.
3. Note if the tick looks engorged.  An engorged tick looks white/gray and puffy
4. If it is engorged, try to think about when you might have last been exposed to ticks.
5. If the tick is engorged, removal is difficult and/or you think the tick has been on 24 hours or more, then you should contact your Primary Care Provider for an appointment.

The bite of a Deer tick will leave a nasty looking bite.  The center part of the bite is usually dark brown/black and often there is a surrounding reddened area that can extend up to an inch or two in diameter.  It will appear within a day or two of the bite.  THIS IS NOT A LYME INFECTION RASH.  This is just from the reaction to the bite.

A Lyme infection bulls-eye rash takes 7-10 days to develop post bite, if it develops at all.  It can be very obvious or extremely faint.   The size of redness can vary greatly and it doesn’t always look like a bulls-eye.  Sometimes it can be sore but usually you won’t feel it at all.

The great outdoors is part of why we all live or visit Maine.  Knowing a few tips about how to stay healthy and enjoy nature will make the long awaited spring and summer more pleasant.    Have fun out there!