Teresa takes health warning to heart
TERESA Chandler’s brush with heart failure may have been fatal had it not been for an early warning sign which she initially ignored.
Mrs Chandler, 68, said for several years she did not have a lot of cardiac symptoms except for a hard lump in the centre of her chest which she thought was indigestion.
“It really was only when I was walking the dog and when I got to the corner and I felt this really hard lump in the centre my chest which was making it not so much hard to breathe, but making me feel really uncomfortable,” she said.
“When I got home I told my husband Ray, I thought I had a horrible bout of indigestion.
“Although we didn’t call the ambulance, I’m one of the lucky ones, but I did see my doctor who referred me to the Cardiac Unit at the Townsville Hospital.
“The problem was blocked arteries along with high cholesterol and one artery had almost closed.”
Open- heart surgery was not required because an expandable metal tube called a stent that was inserted into the offending artery via the groin while Mrs Chandler was awake, watching on a monitor.
“I was in hospital one day and out the next,” she said.
“The moment I felt the stent go in I felt almost one- hundred per cent again not realising how ill I was.”
“Like a lot of people we tend to associate a heart attack with pain and not a lump and that it will alert you even in an odd spot,” Mrs Chandler said.
“If the pain lasts more than a few minutes, call for medical assistance.”
Heart Foundation research shows that people who are treated within an hour of experiencing symptoms such as chest, shoulder, neck and back pain, have the best chance of surviving their heart attack and continuing to have a good quality of life.
But as in Mrs Chandler’s case, it was important not to ignore a lump in the chest as this could also be a precursor to a heart attack.
Today she follows a strict diet regimen with plenty of exercise and walking Red the family cattle dog.
The affable long- term real estate agent, mother of two boys and four granddaughters has a new lease of life and said she planned to be around for quite a while yet.
For a free heart health checklist and information visit www.heartfoundation.com. au or phone 1300 362 787.