Symptoms of a Heart Attack

Unfortunately the symptoms of a heart attack are wide and varied. In fact, no two similar people will ever experience a heart attack exactly the same way. The following are some common symptoms associated with a heart attack.

Chest pain – generally described as a heaviness or sharp pain over the middle to left side of the chest. Rarely described as an exacting pain over the heart.

Neck pain.

Left arm pain

Left arm tingling or numbness

Left shoulder tip pain.

Jaw pain.

Shortness of breath or struggling to breath.

The pain in the chest may be described as a tightness, heaviness, stabbing pain, squeezing sensation or the patient may feel as though someone is sitting on their chest.

The patient may feel dizziness.

The patient may feel like vomitting.

The patient may feel wobbly on their feet.

The patient may lose consciousness.

The person may feel a sense of impending doom (if they are having a heart attack they will most likely feel like they are going to die!)

Their heart may stop working altogether and they may go into cardiac arrest (this is where it’s your turn to do CPR!)

And after all these possible symptoms… in as many as 20% of the population, they will feel no symptoms when they have a heart attack.

If you are worried that you may be having a heart attack, stop reading this now, and call and ambulance immediately!

If you would like to know more about heart attacks, please visit my Chest Pain page.