The most important thing to do if you think you are having a heart attack at home, and you are alone, is to waste no time in calling the Emergency Services which,
wherever you are in the modern world, will be well practised and equipped to deal with you. In UK call 999 in France, where I live, dial 15 SAMU (Service d'Aide Medicale Urgent); wherever you live you should be aware of the emergency medical call number.
POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS:
Chest pain, tightness, heavy sensation in chest,
burning feeling in chest. Pain in the neck, arms, jaw, back, upper abdomen...not neceessarily every site and varying in severity from mild to severe. Sweating. Feeling light-headed,. Short of breath. Nausea and perhaps vomiting.
WHAT TO DO:
Call the emergency services and sit quietly until they arrive. If you have, easily
to hand, soluble aspirin chew and swallow with water a dose of 300mgms.
WHEN THE AMBULANCE ARRIVES the staff will assess you, your BP and pulse and do an
ECG. Give you pain relief and oxygen if necessary and also give you a dose of aspirin (tell them if you have already taken one).
YOU WILL THN BE TRANSFERRED
TO THE NEAREST suitable hospital with facilities for dealing with coronary emergencies.
NOWADAYS the management of acute heart attacks has improved beyond measure. But there
are still many cases where the outcome has been less than optimal because of delay in calling the emergency services.