Women, know the signs of a heart attack: It may feel like the flu
GVLtoday
Did you know? Heart disease is the leading killer of women and takes the life of one woman every 80 seconds. But, for many women, it’s not obvious they’re having a heart attack. Many times, women experience subtle symptoms, not unlike the flu: nausea, tiredness, and fatigue.
Stephanie Brown, a Greenville resident, knows this first hand. She was in a life-threatening situation for an entire week during July 2015 without realizing it. Her “flu-like” symptoms mixed with extreme breathing episodes were actually heart attacks (up to twelve times a day, sometimes).
She had a catheterization during her hospitalization and ultimately a cardiac stent was placed.
Now, she is a spokesperson for women’s heart health for the American Heart Association in the Upstate.
St. Francis currently treats heart attacks within an average of 32 minutes from the time the patient arrives at the hospital. The national standard is 90 minutes.
