HEART ATTACK

                           DOCYOU: HEART ATTACK

Hi guys! I had left the story incomplete in my first blog. So, here I am with a disease which is responsible for 1/5th of the total deaths in India at present. But, it is high time we get over the fear of heart attack and vanquish it from our lives. How? DOCYOU is here for your rescue!
                      

                                                         WHAAAAAAAT IS IT? 

Imagine your heart to be person. When a person suffers from an ailment he experiences distress, pain, becomes restless. Similarly, when heart does not get its blood supply by the arteries due to  a blockage or an obstruction (most of the times) , it screams! This screaming of heart is nothing but the pain that you experience.

                                             WARNINGG SIGNS!
                                                  

1. Sudden shortness of breath/ inability to breathe all of a sudden.
2. Pain :

• TYPE OF PAIN : Feels like a big stone kept on your chest, something squeezing your chest.
• SITE OF PAIN : Left side of chest, left arm and forearm, lower jaw, left shoulder, back (rarely)
•  The victim usually makes a fist of her/his left hand and presses it upon the chest. (classical during an attack)
• NOTE : Diabetic patients and elderly people may not necessarily experience pain during a heart attack. 

       3.  Sudden nausea and/or vomiting.
       4.  Sudden tiredness, headache, dizziness.
       5.  Sudden sweating profusely.

IF YOU EXPERIENCE OR NOTICE ANYBODY EXPERIENCING SUCH SYMPTOMS, MAKE SURE YOU CALL FOR HELP AND/OR AMBULANCE IMMEDIATELY.

The ALL INDIA AMBULANCE HELPLINE NUMBER IS 102. Make sure you also have the nearest hospital's emergency number saved in your mobile phones. YES, google it now and save it!
                                                                                            

HIGH  RISK CATEGORY:

1)  Men above the age of 45 years and post menopausal women (above 50 years of age).
2)   High blood pressure patients.
3)  Type A personality ( aggressive, competitive, workaholic ) people.
4)  Previous history of heart attack.
5)  Obese people.
6)  HIGH cholesterol, triglycerides levels, LOW high density lipoproteins in the blood ( lipid profile test should be done every 6 months above 45 years of age!)
7)  Stressful lifestyle. 
8)   Addictions like smoking, alcoholism, tobacco consumption in any form. (important factor)
    
  People who fall into the above category need not be scared and worried about an attack all the time. But, of course should be extra diligent about the warning signs and should try to minimize the above mentioned factors to prevent the occurrence of heart attack.

                                                             SELF HELP!
6 TIPS TO DEAL WITH A HEART ATTACK ON THE SPOT! 

• Make the victim lie on the ground in open space and DO NOT PANIC.
• Try to keep the patient awake.

•  Men above the age of 55 years, post menopausal women and the people falling in the high risk category should always carry 4-5 tablets of a drug called GLYCERYL TRINITRATE (GTN) 500 mg dose ( note it down, it is available over-the-counter). This tablet should be immediately placed below the tongue (sublingually) till the heart attack pains go away. the tablet then should be spat out to prevent headaches.

• In cases where the drug glyceryl trinitrate is not available, look for ISOSORBIDE DINITRATE or even a mere ASPIRIN tablet ( only in cases of emergency) can also produce similar effects.
• CPR ( cardiopulmonary resuscitation) :  Providing chest compressions, ideally by a trained person is a very effective method to pull in time till the help arrives.

( A template on cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR will be posted soon!)

• It is also said that repetitive coughing movements and applying pressure on the chest by the victim herself/ himself helps the patient survive a heart attack till help arrives.

                                                           MYTH-O-LITH!

Always remember, having an heart attack is not the end of your life! No power in this world can stop you from getting away with a heart attack if you STAY ALERT AND READY (and if you've read DOCYOU properly!).

 Don't get anxious every time your chest starts paining. Most of the times, it is just because of indigestion or gas accumulated in your stomach. 

    

BLOGGER'S PLEAD: Tell me what you want next in the comments below.
Spreading awareness will play a major role in uprooting such tormenting diseases.

 Much power to you guys, DOCYOU!

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