Michael Jacobs (at top with sunglasses and baseball cap) did not know he was having a heart attack in 2000.

When you're having a heart attack, you don't have time to second-guess your symptoms.

 

Seventy-year-old Michael J. Jacobs did and it could have cost him his life.

 

In 2000, Jacobs, a retired federal government employee, suspected his excruciating elbow pain was caused by lying on his back under the sink while installing a new kitchen faucet.

 

"I had my first heart attack at age 57 on the way home from work," said Jacobs. "This began about a week earlier after I had been at home installing a new faucet in our kitchen. When finished, I was tired and sore and my elbows hurt. I ignored the pain. By the next morning, the discomfort was gone."

 

Later that day, Jacobs was raking leaves and after about a half hour, his elbows hurt again and the pain was enough to stop him. Again, he rationalized he had done too much that day for a man his age and physical condition. He ignored the signs again.

 

"As I arrived home from work a few days later, I began to experience a throbbing in both elbows," said Jacobs. "I had done nothing strenuous for the previous five days."

 

Jacobs knew something was wrong and had his wife drive him to the emergency room. It turns out there was blockage and Jacobs' heart had been giving him red flags for several days.

 

"My doctor believed that overweight, high cholesterol and smoking again after quitting for seven years were the likely causes of my heart condition," said Jacobs. "He believed that based on several tests, including an echo cardiogram, I had a mild heart attack that could be treated with a balloon and/or medication."

 

After three days in the hospital and an angiogram, Jacobs underwent a quintuple bypass at the Washington Heart Institute. He is fortunate to be alive, as cardiovascular disease death rates are usually higher for men than women, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including ischemic heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, hypertension and atherosclerosis. CVD is the leading cause of death in Georgia and accounted for 30 percent of deaths in 2008 and 15,669 were related to heart disease.

 

In a 2006 Georgia heart attack and awareness survey conducted by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), there were 1.3 million Georgians or 19 percent of Georgia adults who did not know the signs of heart attack and more than two million Georgians or 30 percent who did not recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack and call 911.

 

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, heart attack symptoms include:

• Chest pain or discomfort. This involves uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center or left side of the chest that can be mild or strong.
• Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, upper part of the stomach.
• Shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort.
• Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.
• Symptoms may include sleep problems, fatigue (tiredness), and lack of energy.

William and Elizabeth West enjoy the three youngest of 12 grandchildren, Rhyse, Rylie and Rowan. William West experiences medical symptoms that mimic a heart attack.

Austell resident William Howard West, 78, a retired federal entomologist and businessman, is faced with the dilemma of experiencing symptoms that mimic a heart attack, though he's not having one. In recent months, his doctor has seen him several times for negative symptoms.

 

In one instance, West's elbow pain lasted for several hours and his wife drove him to the emergency room.

 

"I had symptoms but did not have a heart attack," said West. "I had severe pain in my left arm and shoulder that would not stop."

 

West's daughter is concerned that his symptoms look like a heart attack even though he is not having one.

 

"I'm afraid my dad will ignore the serious medical emergency the next time," said DPH senior graphic artist Ginny Jacobs, who is also Jacobs' daughter-in-law. "It's difficult to tell the difference."

 

West's doctor speculates the elbow pain may be caused by sciatic nerve pain. With his doctor's approval, West takes an aspirin daily as a precaution to lower risk of heart attack.

 

Medical experts advise seeing a health professional if you think you are having a heart attack -- even if it is a false alarm.

 

"Thanks to modern medicine, my cholesterol is well within the guidelines," said Jacobs. "I watch my diet but I still struggle on and off with smoking but have made a commitment to quit this month. I'm 80 percent retired and live at the beach so my stress levels are down considerably."