Lessons from a heart attack - Part 1

    I had a heart attack recently. A pretty bad one. Quite an experience. Because the signs fooled me completely.
    Since I'm in the high risk category, I've always looked out for chest pains, shortness of breath, sweating, intense headache, etc. I didn't have any of these. Instead I had shoulder pains [left], neck ache and heartburn. The same symptoms of scapulocostal syndrome [sakit belikat] - of which I suffer from regularly. So I didn't think much of it.
    Until I had spasms along my left arm and left side of my face during prayer. Funny enough, all the pain I had suffered for more than a week, disappeared. I felt totally fine after that bout of spasm.
    But I was so sure I had a heart attack! Somehow.......
    I slept well that night.....after a trip to Giant after isya'.
    The next morning I gaily trotted off to the nearest government clinic for a consultation. The doctor was initially sceptical when I told her.....until she saw my ECG. She sent me off to HKL in an ambulance pronto!
    I must have been the most unlikely "critical" patient in ER. I forgot what code I came under, but there were at least 6 doctors there with me. Plus several nurses. They hooked me up to several machines. They poked, prodded, drew blood, asked the same questions over and over again.
    I got rejected by IJN because I was more alive than dead. So I got sent off to CCU after an X-ray was taken. I spent the longest and most boring time of my life there. I wasn't allowed to step off the bed. I could only sit up for meals. The sound of beeps from various machines kept me company. The place was almost devoid of human sound as most patients had oxygen masks over their faces.
    Now I get a different set of specialists "visiting" me. A different set of medical "tazkirah" too...........

The 1st lesson:

Women are most likely not to experience chest pains. So be wary when you get a combo of neck ache, shoulder pain and heartburn!!! Nina, a doctor friend, said that her aunt thought she had toothache.....when it was, in reality, a stroke.

Get to a doctor on the double if you experience what I did. Get to a doctor within 3 hours of the attack. According to the MO, that would really help them treat the condition.