I am an ER nurse and this is the best description of this event that I have ever heard.Â
 FEMALE HEART ATTACKSÂ
 I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is description is so incredibly visceral that I feel like I have an entire new understanding of what it feels like to be living the symptoms on the inside. Women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have⊠you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor the we see in movies. Here is the story of one womanâs experience with a heart attack:Â
 "I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, âA-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.
A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when youâve been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like youâve swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldnât have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensationâthe only trouble was that I hadnât taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.Â
After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR).
This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. âAHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening â we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, havenât we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think Iâm having a heart attack!
I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldnât be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else⊠but, on the other hand, if I donât, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment.Â
I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics⊠I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didnât feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.
I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I donât remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like âHave you taken any medications?â) but I couldnât make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery.Â
I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.
Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.Â
1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual menâs symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didnât know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping theyâll feel better in the morning when they wake up⊠which doesnât happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that youâve not felt before. It is better to have a âfalse alarmâ visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!
2. Note that I said âCall the Paramedics.â And if you can take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER – you are a hazard to others on the road.
Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at whatâs happening with you instead of the road.
Do NOT call your doctor â he doesnât know where you live and if itâs at night you wonât reach him anyway, and if itâs daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesnât carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.
3. Donât assume it couldnât be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless itâs unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Letâs be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive to tell the tale.â
Reblog, repost, Facebook, tweet, pin, email, morse code, fucking carrier pigeon this to save a life!
I wish I knew who the author was. Iâm definitely not the OP, actually think it might be an old chain email or even letter from back in the day. The version I saw floating around Facebook ended with âmy cardiologist says mail this to 10 friends, maybe youâll save one!â And knew this was way too interesting not to pass on.
Female heart attacks are much different, and most people donât know it!
This is so much more helpful than the fucking lists that basically describe everything that happens during a really nasty panic attack and then tell you to go seek help as if you donât have an anxiety disorder that does this to you on a regular basis and can afford to go to the emergency room.
Auto-reblog.
Many women have silent heart attacks as well, where there are no symptoms at all until BAM! Then it happens.
Reblogging to add nausea and vomiting as a major symptom for female heart attacks – my mother had a major one a few years ago and that, pain and muscle weakness, and sweating were her major symptoms.
I also want to say that being an advocate for yourself (if youâre able) can be very important. She (my mom) suspected a week prior that she might be having one and was brushed off after a few tests at the hospital, likely because womenâs heart attacks present so differently than menâs.
normal people: I am from Russia/Brazil/Italy/Australia/etc đ
Americans, assuming studying the specific geography of their country was ever relevant to me: Oh I was born in iower but went to school in Oregano (My parents come from East Carolina though):~)
Someone finally said it itâs so annoying!
One day I was eating at a restaurant in Peru with the 3 guys who were volunteering with me and someone asked us where we came from. So I said France, the German guy said Germany, the Maltese guy had to say Italy because almost no-one in Peru knows where Malta is, and then the American guy said Portland, like he didnât even specify the state he just thought everyone knew where Portland is đ€
i canât tell whether this is better or worse than
european: where are you from
american: iâm italian
european: omg same! da dove vieni?
american: wait what lol i donât speak mexican i only speak english
and
european: where are you from?
american: (monolingual english speaker, white, never left Marietta, GA in 23 years of life) well iâm 1/5th irish, 1/7th german, 32% greek, 4/9ths native american, 1/12th swedish, a little bit filipino, my mother was a hamster and my father smelt of elderberries, but i just call myself african đ
The American comments on this post are so irritating. I think that some of them donât realise that the USA is just a country while Europe is a continent made up of different countries where you can find different religions, different autochthonous ethnicities, different languages etc; You canât compare a single countryâs diversity to the diversity of an entire continent.
âBut Texas is so different from Oregon! People need to know which state Iâm from because theyâre all so different!â We donât care. We are going to see you as an American, not as a Texan or a Californian or whatever, just like youâre going to see someone from Bavaria as a German, someone from Normandy as a Frenchman or someone from Piedmont as an Italian, not as a Bavarian, a Norman and a Piedmontese. European countries have regional differences too, even more than US states yet we donât feel the need to specify that to foreigners when they ask us where weâre from unless they ask us to elaborate.
âBut the US is so big! Some of our states are even bigger than your countries!â
Russia is the largest country in the world and undoubtedly more diverse than the US. If you were to ask a Russian where theyâre from they would say that theyâre from Russia, not Komi or Tuva unless theyâre speaking to another Russian or someone they know to be familiar with Russian geography.
Youâre not special nor does the world revolve around you, just accept that and move on.
On behalf of the defensive Americans, I apologize. We really are basically taught through our culture that America is the country that “really” matters. Also it’s amusing to me that Europeans find the unsolicited explanation of minute percentages of a person’s entire geneology annoying, cuz American poc generally agree entirely lol. I think part of it is cuz poc have labels like African American, Asian American, Native American, etc (which is actually kinda racist cuz we have to specify our ethnicity with American while white people don’t). European descended people who are more recent immigrants or who society treated poorly also sometimes use similar labels – tho it’s usually a conscious choice (eg Irish American, Polish American, etc) – especially if their family still has a lot of cultural remnants of said European country. And then white Americans who dont have that same cultural aspect feel left out or something and feel the need to know and say their family history.
(personally I think it also has to do with a sense that just being American isn’t enough of a descriptor, whether cuz of diversity in America or our short history as a white-dominated nation. I think there’s a sense that just being American is lacking somehow and I think there’s even a longing for one’s personal “origins” in cultural and other aspects. I’ll admit, even as a white and Asian mixed person, my dad’s (white) side feels abstract and amorphous. The vague interest I have in his family background is cuz I know much more about defining and what being half Japanese means (for me), than what being half random-mix-of-European-countries means. And cuz we as Americans tend to be ignorant in international interactions we assume other people will know what we mean/will be interested. Of course if you ask white Americans this they’ll likely deny it. There’s just not much shared history since other than Native Americans and some Latine people, everyone here came from immigrants, and families came over all at different and relatively recent times. So there’s a want to define oneself by more than just “American”. Cuz we don’t even really know what that means to us however much our culture likes to brag and beat our chest like a child. None of this is to say the behavior is fine and excusable. Just my thoughts on why Americans (especially white Americans) be like this.)
A picture of Freddie Oversteegen, a Dutch girl who was the unsuspecting killer of dozens of Nazis. Along with her friend Hannie and her sister Truus, the girls worked with a team from the Dutch Resistance to lure men into the woods for a promised kiss. Once they reached a remote location, the men got a bullet to the head instead.
Freddie passed away today on the 5th of September 2018, one day before her 93rd birthday.
srsly tho this is absolutely a thing that dudes do all the f***ing time
like where if he knows a girl doesnât necessarily want to give him a hug, he will trap her in this position in front of witnesses where she has 2 options- both of which are undesirable for her, while simultaneously desirable for him
if she doesnât want to hug him, whatever she does, it will suck for her.
she can 1. say nah and be the fucking asshole in front of other ppl or 2. forsake her corporeal boundaries and allow unwanted intimate contact
itâs a f***ing trap
F***ing hate dudes forreal.
too many f***ing times ugh
Story time.
One day I was on the MAX (basically a giant street car that goes all over the metro area) on my way to meet up with a few friends. I didnât look at anyone, I didnât speak to anyone, I just stood to the side on my phone making sure I wasnât going to be late to my meeting.
Out of no where, this guy comes up to me and starts to chat me up. Me, being who I am, am absolutely terrified to tell this guy to f*** off. He was at least half a foot taller than me, and was way too bulky for me to fight back. So I suck it up at humor him, say hello. Before introducing himself or asking me for my name, he asks me out on a date. Not wanting to piss him off I try to make light of the situation and I laugh, telling him that my boyfriend wouldnât like the idea, but thank you for the offer. He just shrugs and says, âHe doesnât need to know.â
At this point Iâm scared out of my mind. Thereâs this guy who, after seeing me run two blocks to catch the train, comes up to me and has made it perfectly clear that he wasnât going to leave without getting something out of me.
I deny him a second time, saying, âI donât even know youâre name. Weâre strangers, I donât know you.â He finally introduces himself and asks me for my phone number. I tell him I donât give my number out to people Iâve just met and he says, âFine, but at least take mine so we can meet up later.â So he watches me plug his number into my phone (which I deleted as soon as I knew I was safe and away from him) as weâre pulling up to my stop. I tell him I need to leave and switch trains and he tells me, âOh, Iâll wait with you. I donât have any plans, so Iâm in no rush.â Itâs important to note what at this point he had previously told me that he was late to a job interview, but he has all the time in the world because he still hasnât gotten what he wanted from me; a yes.
I get off of the train and he follows me, and waits at the platform with me for over ten minutes until my train arrives, asking me all sorts of personal questions about where I live and where I was going that day. As soon as the train pulls up he grabs for me and says, âDo I at least get a hug before you go?â
I was terrified. I was embarrassed. This dude, who before even asking me for my name asks me out on a date and then continues to harass me after I tell him I have a boyfriend, asks me for a hug only fifteen minutes after meeting. People around us were staring at me, as if I was being rude for denying him, and every inch of me was mortified. I wanted to run, but I felt like if I had done that he would have chased after me and things would have gotten worse. So I did, and he squeezed me so tight I felt like I was going to burst. It took me a good ten seconds to get him to let go and I ran to the train car just as the doors were closing. He was trying to get me to miss my train so I would have to wait with him even longer. I would have been stuck there for over a half an hour until the next train came by, and the platform (aside from the few buses coming by) was now COMPLETELY EMPTY. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and he knew EXACTLY how to get me alone with him.
People, if you are in a situation like this do not feel obligated to give in. If someone is making you uncomfortable and asks to touch you in any way, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SAY YES. Make excuses, be blunt, just straight up say ânoâ. If possible, go to someone else near by who you think can help you and ask them to help you. Itâs important for guys to learn that they canât get what they want just by asking over and over again.
I got lucky. But not everyone does. Please, everyone, Be Safe.
SECOND STORY TIME
So I was on the transit bus alone one time. This was my first time riding, and so already I was PETRIFIED. I sit down, pull out my ipod, and begin to play some games. This guy sits down next to me, and begins trying to have a conversation. I donât really respond, I donât even look at him, just give half-hearted âmhmâs and âohâs, as I donât want to be rude if he was just striking up a friendly conversation. He then asks me on a date.
Now, as I stated before, I already was absolutely petrified. My heart stopped and I didnât know how to answer. So I just didnât. He didnât let up and I could feel his eyes on me. I quietly stammer out a âno thanksâ and my stop HAPPENS to be coming up, so I pull the string thing to let the driver know I want to stop there, and once we stop and the doors open I get up and he asks me, âWell, can I at least have a hug before you go if you wonât go on a date with me?âÂ
This makes me break. There are now people staring, as we are the only people standing up and not getting off⊠So I just start crying. Hell, I am bawling almost instantly. He looks so fucking freaked out and people are now getting up to come over and comfort me/question him. I donât stop crying, and he keeps trying to comfort me by touching me, and people are yelling at him for that.Â
AND THEN. AND. FUCKING. THEN. THE GOD DAMN BUS DRIVER. A VERY EASILY 6 FOOT BURLY MAN. COMES OVER TO US. PULLS THE GUY AWAY. AND KNEELS DOWN. HE THEN ASKS, IN THE MOST CALM VOICE, âDid you request the stop?â I very slowly and shakily nod, as I am still crying my eyes out. He then asks, âDo you want to get off?â I give a quiet âmhmâ and nod once again, and he offers me his hand. I take it, he stands up, and he escorts me off the bus. He asks me questions such as where I was going next, if I was going to meet someone shortly, if I was going to transfer buses from there. He was very polite and waited for me to answer the entire time, and my friend (who I was going to be meeting there) showed up. He asked me if this was someone I knew, I said yes, and he said alright, have a good day. He then told me- and this is something stuck in my mind forever, so it is word for word-
âIf some guy EVER starts harassing you like that again, do exactly what you did there. Cry. Cry and scream and have a temper tantrum. Not only will it throw him off, but it will get others to notice. They might not interfere, they might, but you will have gotten their attention and if you happen to go missing the next day the search for you will be a hell of a lot easier because everyone in that location will have seen you screaming and crying with a guy now very awkward with his actions. They will know. That is what my daughter did, and three days after she went missing she was back in my arms. I pray for you and every other person like you who has this done. You stay safe now, okay?â And after I began blubbering again, I nodded and he left.
So this is the second lesson for yall. If you can not have the courage to say no or make an excuse, cry. Let out those sobs and tears and cry your heart out. Because it is going to make people notice and make people aware.
Reblogging for that second story. This might save a life.
I just wanna note that bus drivers can be really amazing and good ones do look out for their riders.
Also, as an additional tip (in case you cannot cry on command or such), you can say, âNo, because youâre creepy/creeping me outâ and if he persists or tries to laugh it off, say âI do not want to be touchedâ and look at one of the strangers/persons that is watching.
It: 1. Gives them a sense of urgency in the situation, as the eye contact is a way to make them feel as though you are personally asking for their help and it is now their obligation to help. 2. Contains words so that if youâre in a public place but people arenât necessarily watching, then they (as natural evesdroppers) can overhear the attention-grabbing words and then notice the situation. Note, this does NOT mean that they will come for help, but you might be able to look someone in the eye (as previously mentioned) or just get some peopleâs attention. 3. It shows that you have fight in you. As with rapists, those who are physically aggressive (ie. these huggers) choose women they see as an easy target. The moment you show them you are going/willing to fight them, they are less likely to continue. Sadly, this is not always the case, but every little bit helps.
Hopes this also helps, guys, and Iâm so sad that this has to even be a post we need.
Dudes who follow me: 1) reblog this 2) donât be the creepy guy who asks random women for hugs 3) be aware of your friends or random creepy dudes and call them out if they act gross towards girls/womem
Ok, I wasnât going to comment about this, because there was no way of doing it without talking about a part of my life I really didnât want to. But fuck that, there be young girls out there who need a hand.
So I used to be hot when I was young. I mean, model hot, because I actually used to model. Even now, Iâve let myself go on purpose because I was tired of the harassment. But I fit a UK size 6 with a pert ass from volleyball and a cup c breast. As you can imagine, I couldnât wear anything or go ANYWHERE without being harassed. I sometimes even happened in church.
Anyway, Iâm not a shrinking lily, and when I get angry enough I can do some crazy shit. So here are some of my coping mechanisms:
1) find a matronly looking lady, run up to her with âaunt may! I havenât seen you in ages! â then whisper âplease help heâs harassing me!â. 99.9 times out of 100, she will be scandalised and help you anyway even if sheâs annoyed or in a hurry. If no older lady is available, find a younger one, or a nun, or a trans lady. We of the sisterhood know what it is to be harnessed, and I guarantee if you look frightened enough, they will help.
2) If you are out alone at night, and someone is following you, spot a house or apartment where the lights are on and knock, asking âmumâ or âdadâ or âjohnâ to let you in. Even if the people inside are annoyed, odds are they wonât turn you away, and you can phone someone to pick you up, or phone the police from a safe space
3) Make noise. Cry and scream loudly, call them out âi donât know you and you are terrifying me! Please get away from me!â if there are people around. Even if they donât help directly for fear of their own safety, someone around you is calling security or 911.
4) speak a foreign language. If you know it, speak the language to them fast and incessantly, like you have just met someone you knew and youâre just giving the best performance rant of why your OTP is the best OTP. Make yourself ANNOYING. Think about what would be awkward and annoying to you and make it what you do to them. If you make them think YOU are something to get away from they will leave you in peace.
Now beware, the following ones are the CRAZY ones and may not always work. But they are a valid last resort:
5) stare at them. Stare at them like youâre hungry and they are a hapless deer youâre going to tear to pieces. Like yours the girl from the ring emerging from the TV to kill them. Donât smile, donât change your expression. DONâT BLINK. Hold their state like youâre Wednesday Adams about to do unspeakable things to a spider, and they are the spider. Even the most courageous of stalkers balk at this, but if they donâtâŠ
6) Use the Hannibal Lector. After staring at them for and extended period of time (imagine all the things that have made you scared, imagine you could get revenge on them for putting you here, thatâs the thought you need to have), if they are getting closer to you, whisper something like âi would fry your liver in garlicâ. Even the hardiest ones will be taken aback, but keep it up while making sure you donât let the others hear you. Things like, occult star readings requiring blood, wondering whether he is the offering the spirits sent. If youâre on this site youâve read some weird shit at least once. Tell him that. Tell him you would like him to meet your lord, Vlad the Impaler, who requires much blood to be appeased. Be a stereotypical âcrazy bitchâ like they see in the movies. Believe it or not, this has worked for me twice.
Above all, banish the notion that you have to be polite.
They were impolite by approaching you. If you can, ignore them. If you are not alone, pointedly put headphones in your ear, and donât make eye contact, wait for them to realise that âyoure a bitch anywayâ and move away. If you are alone, evade and find places and ways to fix that as soon as POSSIBLE.
And if all else fails, summon Satan.
Something I have learned at work:
Never underestimate the power of a good âEXCUSE me????â
Legit. It makes people STOP IN THEIR TRACKS. This is the one I whip out when people start swearing at me over the headset and always, without fail, they stop what theyâre saying, shocked.
Go for offended, and go for loud. Not yelling loud, but giving-your-best-presentation loud. âEXCUSE me??? You approached me two minutes ago, I donât even know your name, and you want WHAT? Creep.â
For one, the presentation will shock them. For another, that indignant tone? EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS GOING TO WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS JUICY SHIT.
Now the second key here is, DONâT LET HIM JADE (justify, argue, defend, explain). He smiles and goes âI just wantedââ FUCKING INTERRUPT HIM. Firmly. Irritably. âI heard what you wanted, and Iâve already declined once. Maybe you should go back to kindergarten where they teach you no means no.â Run right over the fucker. Heâs not respecting your words, you donât need to respect his.
A further note: if youâre an iPhone user, you can use Siri to call 911. (I know Android has a similar function, but I donât know what it isâplay with your AI and find out.) If youâre in a secluded area, this works well; I used to walk home from work at 2am and had to do it twice. Make eye contact with your harasser, activate Siri, and loudly, firmly say âSiri, call 911.â Siri will immediately reply âcalling emergency services.â (It actually takes five seconds to activate, but thereâs a Call Now button if you need it.) Almost ALWAYS the person harassing you would rather take off than wait for you to get a dispatcher on the line.
As they say on the podcast, My Favorite Murder:
Fuck Politeness.
This is NOT the kind of thing I usually post on here, but this is something that every female [or, every person honestly, harrassment isnt a one way street]needs to see. This is a fairly active blog, so I hope to see numerous reblogs.
Who cares that this isnât Harry Potter itâs important
Disheveled Mess 