Author Topic: How To Survive A Heart Attack Alone (Read 474 times)

capt. apathy · « **on:** January 24, 2003, 09:13:16 PM »

Let's say it's 6:15 p.m. and you're driving home

(alone of course), after an unusually hard day on the

job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated.

Suddenly, 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 your home; unfortunately you don't

know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can

you do? You've been trained in CPR but the guy that

taught the course neglected to tell you how to perform

it on yourself. Since many people are alone when they

suffer a heart attack, this article seemed to be 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. The cough must be deep and

prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside

the chest. And a cough must be repeated about every 2

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. The squeezing pressure on the heart also

helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart

attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many

other people as possible about this, it could save

their lives! >From Health Cares, Rochester General

Vulcan · « **Reply #1 on:** January 24, 2003, 10:22:24 PM »

or lick ur fingertips and stick em in the nearest wall socket.

Maverick · « **Reply #2 on:** January 24, 2003, 10:27:30 PM »

Totally neglects the situation in which a searing pain in the chest prevents a deep breath much less a forcefull action like coughing.

Sounds like the start of another urban myth.

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #3 on:** January 24, 2003, 10:51:06 PM »

No Maverick. I have seen this information posted in my RC club flying field, often there are old people, likely hear attack victims, there alone flying their models and I wouldnt think the club would post a joke especially when the note was written by an MD and in a situation where our club friends lives are possibly in real danger, it also reccomended to chew on an aspirin which is also proven to help even during hear attacks.

NUKE · « **Reply #4 on:** January 24, 2003, 11:08:29 PM »

A heart attack can drop you in an instant too, nothing you can do about it, but if I have one and can remember, I will try to cough like hell.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #5 on:** January 24, 2003, 11:51:25 PM »

yet another use for medical weed too. that would get ya cough'n:D

Ike 2K# · « **Reply #6 on:** January 25, 2003, 12:50:40 AM »

this is another reason why im afraid to die at age 100:mad:

davidpt40 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 25, 2003, 04:50:43 AM »

Good advice. Even better advice is not to eat meat. Bacon, steaks, pork chops, 2% and whole milk, eggs, lard and other animal products clog up blood vessels with plaque and cholesterol.

StSanta · « **Reply #8 on:** January 25, 2003, 06:51:54 AM »

Just start skydiving.

All worries about old age disappear. One way or another.

Fridaddy · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2003, 12:38:51 AM »

As a Paramedic for the last 17 years and a cop for the last 21 years, the best way to survive is to dial 911 ASAP. (outside the USA, call your local EMS number) I, and my breathren Paramedics, would rather run to 100 false chest pain calls than to one real, cardiac arrest/ code blue.

My worst call.... Christmas day 1987, grandpa got up to go open presants with all the family downstairs, thought it was 'heartburn'.... dropped dead in front of the family.

I had A LOT of sleepless nights over that one.

The above info is good in one situation out of 20, if that.

ACTIVATE 911 ASAP, PLEASE....................... PLEASE

rod367th · « **Reply #10 on:** January 26, 2003, 02:06:54 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by davidpt40
Good advice. Even better advice is not to eat meat. Bacon, steaks, pork chops, 2% and whole milk, eggs, lard and other animal products clog up blood vessels with plaque and cholesterol.

Yeah tell that to my Grandfather & grandmother 100 and 96 years old living on thier own still. We have a big Jersey Farm had bacon & eggswere served every morning, only thing they didn't do was smoke. Its all in the genes bad genes you can eat like rabbit run everyday exercise die at 25years. good genes eat like pigs and live until only god knows. Great gamma lived to be 103, so who knows with todays meds.