by frank on November 1, 2009
If you or anyone you know is a senior, pay special attention to the following signs of a possible heart attack. Any one or more of these symptoms could indicate a heart attack, so act quickly: you could save your own or someone else’s life.
The most common symptoms are:
- Pain spreading from your chest to your arms or jaw, or down both arms, the neck, or shoulders
- Discomfort in the chest with sweating, lightheadedness, nausea, fainting or shortness of breath
- Uncomfortable squeezing, fullness, pressure or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes
Less common symptoms:
- Cold sweat, palpitations, or paleness
- Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
- Feeling dizzy
- Unusual chest, stomach or abdominal pain, could feel like heartburn
- Unexplained weakness, fatigue or anxiety
According to the American Medical Association[1], you are probably not having a heart attack if: the pain worsens when you breathe in, the pain changes when you move, or feels sharp like a knife.
The symptoms may subside with rest, but even so, you should Call 911 if you observe or have any of the symptoms above. The American Heart Association suggests chewing an aspirin to counter blood clotting, as blood clotting may be the cause of the episode. Stop all activity or tell the person having an attack to stop all activity, and wait for help to arrive.
[1] Panju AP, Hemmelgarn BR, Guyatt GH, et al.Is this patient having a myocardial infarction: Journal of the AMA
by frank on October 7, 2009
Some Facts and Funny “Senior Moments”
1. Using the stairs in your two story house, once you’re half way there, you stop to catch your breath. Then you can’t remember whether you were going up or down the stairs.
2. When John McCain, United States presidential candidate, can’t remember how many homes he owns.
3. You are in the driver’s seat of your car, which is parked at your home, and you’re holding the car keys. Then you can’t figure out if you’ve just returned from an outing or if you’ve just gotten in the car to go somewhere.
4. You are becoming very stressed because you seem to be having more and more memory lapses and brain fogs. Then you learn that stress is a major cause of a weakening memory. Isn’t that ironic?
Pick up food, pick up food...
5. A highly respected Buddhist monk explained that he would often say to himself over and over again what task he was doing at the present time. Such as, “going to the bathroom, “turning on the lamp”, “picking up the food” and so no. However, it seems his reason for doing this was to stay in the hear and now, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. But this method works great for avoiding senior moments as well, and perhaps the senior moment is a sign that one is living in the past a great deal and thus cannot recall what is going on in the here and now.
6. Lack of sleep can bring about more senior moments. The power nap is a good way to keep the mind sharp and assure that you will remember where you are, why, and what you are supposed to do next.
7. Famous senior moments:
Q. Have you seen my keys?
A. They are in your hand.
Q. Have you seen my glasses, hat, shoes, and purse.
A. They are on your face, it is on you head, they are on your feet, it is hanging from your arm.
8. A man goes to his doctor. ”Doc”, he says “I have this terrible problem, I keep forgetting very important things. What do you think I should do?” And the doc replies, “Pay me now.”
9. A man age 85 goes into a bar. He sees an elderly women, looks about 87 years old. He sits next to her. She says hello and asks him his name. He says, “My name is Robert, and you are…?” She replies, “Ester”. Then he says “So, do I come here often?”
10. And of course, we’ve all walked into a room and forgotten why we are there. Seniors, don’t feel so bad. Plenty of 30 and 40-year-olds do the same thing. It can happen to anyone if experiencing a lot of stress or lack of sleep.