How to Survive a Heart Attack If You're Alone
Posted On Friday, September 3, 2010 at at 9:38 AM by Owner`He who saves the life of one, is as if he has saved the life of Humanity` - Quran
How to Survive a Heart Attack If You're Alone
Many heart attacks are survivable, especially if you've taken the time to prepare yourself. Anyone who thinks they're at risk for a heart attack should get a complete medical evaluation as soon as possible. The information below is far from everything you need to know, but it's enough to point you in the right direction.
Instructions
Be prepared
Listen only to doctor`s advice. A widely circulated e-mail recently advocated a procedure called cough CPR as a way to treat a heart attack. The American Heart Association does not recommend that the public use this method in a situation where there is no medical supervision but with medical supervision this may be attempted. `This one is serious... Let's say it's 4:17 p.m. and you're driving home, (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job. Not only was the work load extraordinarily heavy, you also had a disagreement with your boss, and no matter how hard you tried he just wouldn't see your side of the situation. You're really upset and the more you think about it the more up tight you become. All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest you home, unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do?
HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE: Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed in order.) Without help the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel Faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.
1. Limit your risk.
2. Listen to your doctor and make changes in your lifestyle to lower your chances of a heart attack.
3. Stop smoking,
4. Get regular exercise,
5. Improve your diet
6. Reduce stress.
What to do
1. Recognize heart attack symptoms. Shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest, and pain in the neck or radiating down the arms are all associated with an attack.
2. Pull over if you suffer an attack while driving. You may only have seconds before you lose consciousness. Don't try to drive to the hospital no matter how close you are.
3. Call an ambulance and describe what symptoms you're feeling and where you are located.
4. Take an aspirin (325 mg) at the first sign of an attack. Aspirin makes blood platelets less likely to stick to each other, assisting blood flow and reducing clots. Chew it up if no drink is readily available--the time and oxygen you waste in waiting to get a sip of something isn't worth it when you're acutely symptomatic.
5. Take a beta-blocking drug immediately upon feeling an attack. This is a prescription-only drug; if you have a heart condition, you probably already have this medication.
6. Administer oxygen to yourself. You are likely to have bottled oxygen available only if you have a diagnosed heart condition.
7. Thump yourself on the chest as hard as possible. This is very effective when administered by someone else but can be hard to do to yourself.
thanks for telling us that.
i might need that advice if i ever do get a heart attack.