Far from thinking of a heart attack, this active woman suspected flu or food poisoning. She was lucky to receive the heart-attack treatment supported by the Foundation. 

 

After waking early, Claire* set off to walk her dog in the park as usual, but halfway round she started to feel unwell. She decided to return home, and went to bed and read. Later she felt better, went about her usual tasks, and met a friend for coffee.

 

*Names have been changed

 

Symptoms

She began to feel unwell again, and wondered if she was getting the flu. ‘In hindsight, I remember I had a feeling of weight on my shoulders.'

 

She went to the theatre with her husband Paul that night, enjoyed a restaurant meal and returned home. Lying in bed watching television at about 10 pm she started to feel nauseous. She began vomiting, and thought it must have been something she had eaten. ‘I felt weak, so I decided to lie on the bathroom floor for a bit!'

 

Paul asked her what she was doing, and as Claire remembers, ‘He had the prescience to ask about chest pain. I said, "No pain at all, but maybe a little weight, like a kitten standing on my chest."' He rang an ambulance – but Claire still didn't realise she was having a heart attack.

 

Emergency stent

They were lucky to live near Royal North Shore Hospital, where the stenting program known as SALAMI had just started. The ambulance arrived within minutes, and rushed her to the hospital. ‘The doctor said I'd had a heart attack, and that I would be OK. Within an hour I had a stent, and was sitting up in bed feeling fine.'

 

An artery had been severely blocked, but there was very little damage to the heart because the treatment was so swift.

 

‘I wouldn't have picked any of the symptoms as a heart attack. I had no pain during the entire episode – apart from the adrenalin injection in the ambulance.'

 

Risk factors

Looking at her medical and family history, Claire can point to some risk factors. The men in her family have heart disease, and her total cholesterol was slightly elevated, but her blood pressure was lower than average. However, she was a smoker.

 

Lifestyle changes

So what changes did she make after her heart attack? ‘I stopped smoking at that instant! It's a no-brainer.'

 

She also attended the North Shore Cardiovascular Education Centre for exercise classes and weight management. ‘The cardiac rehab team do amazing work. And the best way to give up crisps, biscuits and other products was to see the actual amount of fat they contain!' Claire is now about 13 kilos lighter. ‘It was a gradual weight loss, which means it stays off – but I have to work at it.'

 

After believing she was indestructible, Claire thinks about her experience every day. Five and a half years after the attack, she is feeling great. She's walked part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Queen Charlotte track in New Zealand, and the City to Surf. ‘I'm much fitter than I would have been.'

 

Claire's health tips I always walk to the supermarket, and do a lot more incidental and programmed exercise. Wine with dinner piled on the kilos. Now it's often soda water with fresh lime juice. Very boring, but it works! Eating too little can slow your metabolism, which means you don't use up calories. An apple before lunch and dinner gets your digestion going, and you're not so hungry that you over-eat at mealtimes. LOTS of fresh vegetables with lunch and dinner.

 

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