Listen to your Body – Terri’s Story
On October 14, 2020, Terri (an alias name) was shocked to discover that she was having a heart attack.a
Fifty one year old Terri though that she was healthy. She was not overweight, and had never experienced high cholesterol or blood sugar. Although Terri had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 26, her symptoms were well-controlled with medication. Terri had developed high blood pressure in recent years but this, too, was successfully regulated with medication. Two years earlier, Terri had some concerns about her physical health but all of her test results were negative. Although she had experienced some recent family stressors, she did not see herself as a candidate for a heart attack.a
One morning two months before her heart attack, Terri fell when she got out of bed. She didn’t think she was unwell and simply wondered if she had gotten up too quickly. As the day progressed, she began to feel an intense sense of weakness. This passed, and it didn’t occur to Terri to seek medical intervention. In retrospect, she believes that this was the first symptom of what was to come.a
On a hot day one month later, Terri found herself in the car feeling that she needed more air. She raised the air conditioning and then felt a pain in her chest, which passed. Once again, Terri decided against seeing a doctor. “I keep busy and have an active life,” Terri said. “When I don’t feel well, I tend to take it in stride and just wait for it to pass.”a
Terri continued to feel weak and unable to move once she returned home, but this passed after about an hour. She continued her errands, occasionally feeling the need for more air. She assumed this was because of the hot weather.a
On the morning of her heart attack, Terri woke up early and noticed that she “didn’t feel 100%.” She felt she could manage, though, and continued with her plans to travel to another neighborhood to visit her mother and help her around the house. A few hours later, Terri felt she needed a break. She didn’t notice any particular symptoms but felt the need to go home and rest. a
Terri soon felt better and continued her activities, but her exhaustion returned that evening. She went to bed and began to feel much worse, including a severe headache, nausea, and dizziness. She couldn’t get comfortable and began to feel pain in her jaw. Though initially reluctant to call an ambulance, she finally decided to do so.a
At the hospital, Terri discovered that she had been experiencing a serious heart attack. One of her arteries was entirely blocked. After the hospital staff performed a catheterization, Terri felt some relief from her headache. A short time later, she felt better overall.a
Terri feels that her story is a lesson to women everywhere. “If you feel something isn’t right, keep checking even if medical staff tells you you’re fine,” she said. “If you’re not feeling right, then your body is telling you something. If your tests come out negative, go for more tests. Had I continued going for medical tests two years ago when I thought something was wrong, they would have discovered the blockage in my artery earlier and I could have been spared this heart attack.” Terri also noted that she tries to take stresses in stride now. “I really think that my health was affected by some things I was going through at the time,” she said. “I’ve learned since to think more positively and not take things so hard. I believe that’s important for my health.”a