How To Survive A Heart Attack Alone

Let's say it's 6:15 p.m. and you're driving home
(alone
> > of course), after an unusually hard day on the job. You're really tired,
> > upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in
your
> > chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You
> are
> > only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home; unfortunately
> you
> > don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do?
You've
> > been trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course neglected to tell
> you
> > how to perform it on yourself. Since many people are alone when they
> suffer
> > a heart attack, this article seemed to be in order.
> >
> > Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly and who
> > begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing
> > consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing
> > repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before
each
> > cough. The cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum
from
> > deep inside the chest. And a cough must be repeated about every 2
seconds
> > without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be
> > beating normally again.
> >
> > Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze
the
> > heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the
heart
> > also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims
can
> > get to a hospital.

WOW!!! I would never have known that. Thank you! I hope no one here or their loved ones ever have to use it but if it happens this is a great piece of information.

A VERY good thing to remember!
Thanks for sharing with us!

Very helpful and I learned something new!!

I work at a nursing home/hospital. A couple of years ago a man was driving alone in his car on a busy highway when he had an apparent heart attack. He managed to get off the highway safely when he got to my town, and he did make it to the hospital parking lot. One of my co-workers was outside at that time, and she said when the man got out of his car his face was blue, and she realized he was already in respiratory arrest. She helped the man lie down on the ground and then she ran back inside to alert the necessary people. The doctors worked on the man right there in the parking lot, but unfortunately, he didn't survive. (This happened in a very small town and at a very small hospital.)

Thanks for the helpful hint. It could save a life someday!

Thanks for posting this! I had seen this before, but it is good to be reminded!!!!!