Defibrillators

"The thing is, you just don’t know, I didn’t fit into the category of having a heart attack," she said.

For a free Heart Attack – Your Questions Answered booklet, phone the Heart Foundation on 1300-362-787 or visit www.heartfoundation.com.au.

Break out box?

The warning signs of heart attack vary.

The symptoms usually last for at least 10 minutes and you may experience more than one of the symptoms: • Pain in the chest: A heart attack usually causes discomfort or pain in the centre of the chest.

The pain may come on suddenly, or sometimes starts slowly, developing over minutes.

It may feel like tightness, pressure, heaviness, fullness, or squeezing.

The feeling has been described as: "like a steel band tightening around my chest", "like an elephant sitting on my chest" or "like a red hot poker in the centre of my chest".

The pain may be severe, moderate or even mild.

• Pain spreading: The chest discomfort may spread to the neck and throat, jaw, shoulders, the back, either or both arms and even into the wrists and hands.

• Discomfort in the upper body: Some people do not get any chest pain—only discomfort in parts o...

Read more...