When I was 13 years old my father, who was 49, died of a heart attack. He was alone when he died and out of state. Consequently this forwarded email that i received today was welcome as forwards rarely are [my mailbox is overflowing]. Read it. It makes sense.

To: Special Friends
Subject: HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE


Subject: FW: How to Survive a Heart Attack when Alone

If everyone who gets this sends it to 10 people, you can bet that we'll
save at least one life. 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, and the cough must be deep
and
prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. Deep
breaths and a cough must be repeated about every two 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.
Tell as many other people as possible about this, as it could save their

lives!
From Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240s
newsletter AND THE BEAT GOES ON ... (reprint from The Mended
Hearts,
Inc.publication, Heart Response)
BE A FRIEND AND PLEASE SEND THIS ARTICLE TO AS MANY
FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE

Sherry Schlosser
Administative Officer for Montana
Ph# (406) 441-1044 ext. 245
Fax# (406) 441-1008
- posted by barbara @ 4/20/2002 12:09:00 PM