Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

5 Signs that Might Indicate a Heart Attack

Posted by Joe DeMeo, December 22, 2019

Out of the one million Americans who have a heart attack this year, about 150,000 will die from the event. Even more concerning is the fact that about half of people who suffer a heart attack don’t even know what’s happening. They confuse the symptoms for something else, don’t take them seriously, and potentially abstain from even seeking medical attention.

In movies, heart attacks are often portrayed by a panicked man clutching his chest and exclaiming, “I’m having a heart attack!” But in reality, a heart attack doesn’t always manifest in such a dramatic fashion. Because the situation might not become instantly clear to the patient or onlookers, we should all educate ourselves on the signs of a heart attack.

It’s not always pain. You might picture a heart attack as a sudden, severe pain in your chest. But sometimes a cardiac event will manifest as a “discomfort” or “odd feeling” or simply an ache that is more obnoxious than severely painful. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if it feels different from anything you’ve felt before, get it checked out.

You might think you’re getting sick. Some heart attack victims report feeling feverish or sweaty just before the event happens. You might feel as though you’re coming down with the flu, and yet the thermometer does not register an actual fever.

Heart attack can mimic indigestion. Some patients report that they first thought they were suffering indigestion; a sudden feeling of fullness or pressure in your chest might signal the beginning of a heart attack.

It’s not just your chest. While a feeling of discomfort, pressure, or pain in the chest is a hallmark sign of a heart attack, you might experience other symptoms. Pain in the shoulders is common (particularly the right shoulder) and even in the jaw.

You might think you’re “okay” because you can still function. Due to dramatic media portrayals of heart attacks, we picture people dropping to the ground during an event. But some heart attack patients are still walking around, conducting their normal daily activities while it is happening. They might feel pressure or the other symptoms listed above, but they aren’t so debilitating that they suspect a heart attack.

The bottom line is that if you feel any sort of discomfort, pain, pressure, or another odd feeling that concerns you, it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry. Proceed to the emergency room to get checked out, or call 911 if symptoms are severe.

Need more information on your insurance options?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close