by Krystle R. on Thursday, September 13, 2012
Jacqueline Grantham-Watson Georgia
I had a mild heart attack at the age of 47 on September 15th, 2009. I experienced all the symptoms of a woman having a heart attack. It began with nausea, which escalated to vomiting for hours. But I didn’t know it at the time. I was so sick, lying on the bathroom floor using the tissue paper roll as a pillow. After hours of this, I felt a pain in my chest that I never had before. Around 7:00 am, I went and purchased a soda to try and calm my stomach. It did not work and I could not keep it down.
At 10:00 am, I was still holding my chest with what I thought was bad indigestion. Dr. Oz’s program came on the television showing the five warning signs of heart attacks in women: vomiting, hot and cold spells, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, and jaw or back pain (I did not have this symptom). This is when I realized I was having a heart attack! I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for thirty-four years prior. That day I quit.
I have never smoked a cigarette since. I do have a history of heart disease in my family; my dad had a quadruple bypass at 48 years old. Although heart disease is hereditary, I believe that smoking played a major part in my disease.