Woman on heart attack: 'I felt like I was going to die'
BOISE, Idaho - Lynne Wade loves to travel and the book of Italy that sits on her coffee table is one of her favorites.
You'd think a vacation abroad might be daunting, but it was a trip across town that scared her the most.
"I suddenly felt very weak, abruptness and weakness, and slowness in my walk," Wade said.
It was midnight, July 3 of 2011, at a Boise apartment complex.
Wade was leaving her friend's place, when a heart attack struck.
"And I continued to cry out for help, but it was at that point, I realized I may die, that this may be the end of me at 64 years of age," she said.
Paramedics rushed her to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
After a few days of rest, a cardiac catheterization indicated she needed open heart surgery. Just weeks later, doctors replaced her leaky aortic valve with a pig valve.
Wade said the whole experience was a shock, because women's symptoms aren't the same as men.
"I didn't have the classic chest pain," she said. "I didn't have the pain running up and down my arm, I had the sweating and was unable to breathe, that kind of thing."
The American Heart Association statistics show Wade's case is not unusual.
Studies show more than 42 million American women live with cardiovascular disease.
35 percent of women who die over the age of 20 have cardiovascular disease, and women are less likely than men to get treatment after a heart attack.
That's why Lynn has a message for all women.
"So another aspect is to listen to your body - what your body is trying to tell you!" she said. "Go have that check-up and examination by your physician."
For Wade, what happened to her was a life-changing experience.
"I think I look at life from the perspective of how fragile life is and the fact that you have to be thankful for each day you're given, for each breath you take."
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The American Heart Association has information for women that highlight the signs and symptoms of heart disease.
You'd think a vacation abroad might be daunting, but it was a trip across town that scared her the most.
"I suddenly felt very weak, abruptness and weakness, and slowness in my walk," Wade said.
It was midnight, July 3 of 2011, at a Boise apartment complex.
Wade was leaving her friend's place, when a heart attack struck.
"And I continued to cry out for help, but it was at that point, I realized I may die, that this may be the end of me at 64 years of age," she said.
Paramedics rushed her to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
After a few days of rest, a cardiac catheterization indicated she needed open heart surgery. Just weeks later, doctors replaced her leaky aortic valve with a pig valve.
Wade said the whole experience was a shock, because women's symptoms aren't the same as men.
"I didn't have the classic chest pain," she said. "I didn't have the pain running up and down my arm, I had the sweating and was unable to breathe, that kind of thing."
The American Heart Association statistics show Wade's case is not unusual.
Studies show more than 42 million American women live with cardiovascular disease.
35 percent of women who die over the age of 20 have cardiovascular disease, and women are less likely than men to get treatment after a heart attack.
That's why Lynn has a message for all women.
"So another aspect is to listen to your body - what your body is trying to tell you!" she said. "Go have that check-up and examination by your physician."
For Wade, what happened to her was a life-changing experience.
"I think I look at life from the perspective of how fragile life is and the fact that you have to be thankful for each day you're given, for each breath you take."
-----
The American Heart Association has information for women that highlight the signs and symptoms of heart disease.
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