Every 40 seconds, someone has heart attack in US; How to recognize when you’re in cardiac arrest

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack.

One in five of them are silent, meaning the person having the heart attack doesn’t even know they’re having one, according to the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

BJ Troup, a heart attack survivor, said that listening to your body is key.

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“They told me that if I didn’t go to the hospital, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” Troup said.

Troup told Greer that he feels lucky to be alive after a trip to the emergency room after a championship hockey game.

Doctors said Troup was having an active heart attack, but without any of the classic signs.

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Instead of chest pain going into his jaw or numbness in his arm, Troup said it just felt like he had heartburn.

“The whole day I’ve been having like a burning in my chest,” Troup said. “I didn’t think nothing of it, you know, acid reflux. I got home and I was still having it and I couldn’t get comfortable.”

Being a former emergency medical technician, that’s when Troup decided to go get checked out.

By the end of the day, and two stents later, he was on his way to recovery.

Troup’s doctor, cardiologist Monael Shah, said it’s a problem every day.

“We see people coming in with heart attacks every day,” Dr. Shah said. “The presentations can be different.”

Shah said there are some less common symptoms to look out for that could mean you’re having a heart attack.

“It could be a burning, it could be nausea, it can feel like something almost in the abdomen, or sometimes people just don’t feel well,” Shah said.

He said if you feel something unusual, don’t dismiss it.

“If it is something just new and severe that you’ve never experienced before, you should certainly not chalk it up to just acid reflux,” he said.

Women in particular can have more subtle symptoms when having a heart attack, according to the doctor.

Troup said he hopes that sharing his story means more people will stop ignoring when something feels off, so they can get the help they need.

“You know your body better than anybody,” Troup said. “If something’s wrong, go to the hospital, get checked.”

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