Early heart attack signs as ‘Melrose Place’ actor Patrick Muldoon dies at 57

The cause of death was a heart attack, and Patrick was not alone in getting one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person gets a heart attack every 40th second in the U.S. More than 800,000 people have a heart attack each year in the U.S.

While it can be difficult to feel beforehand, there are several symptoms one should be aware of in the case of a heart attack.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has spoken to several people who’ve had a heart attack and survived. They were asked to describe their symptoms.

For example, 60-year-old Bill Schaffer, 60, from New Jersey, explained that he experienced pain in his back when cölimibng stair prior to his heart attack. One day, he felt “sweaty without sweating,” and “feverish without a fever.”

As he sat down to have dinner, Bill started to experience indigestion. He felt his heart was “crushed,” and his wife called 911.

Doctor explains what to do if you have a heart attack

Another person, 66-year-old Susan Madero from Los Angeles, said she had “the sensation of a very large person sitting on her chest.” She felt a shortness of breath and a tightening in her ribs. Moreover, Susan also experienced pain in her right shoulder, her arm, her neck, and up her jaw.

“If you have any of these signs and are concerned, call your physician or healthcare provider,” Dr. Tamis-Holland said.

Jacqueline Tamis–Holland, a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, explained how your response to a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death. Firstly, if you think you’re having a heart attack, you should always call 911.

Tamis-Holland explained how some people have a period of “waxing and waning” symptoms before a heart attack. They include:

Dr. Tamis-Holland added, “Some people have chest discomfort that goes away and then comes back. The feeling might last five minutes or 10 minutes. But because it’s not intense or severe, and it goes away, they don’t call their provider. Some people just feel really tired in the weeks before.”

“Doomed feeling”

Another expert, Dr. Leslie Cho, told the Cleveland Clinic that many complain of “chest pressure or chest tightness.”

She continued, “Most people will say they feel like someone is sitting on their chest. It’s very oppressive. They feel this sort of doomed feeling.”

“Most people will say like 70 percent of people will say they feel like somebody’s just sitting on their chest. It feels very oppressive. They feel like this sort of doomed feeling, something horrible is happening,” Dr. Leslie Cho said.

Please share this article with friends and family to help spread the word on heart attack symptoms and what to look out for. It could save lives.