Heart Attack Symptoms: What Does a Heart Attack Feel Like?

Heart Attack Symptom: Chest Pain or Discomfort

The Symptom:
Chest pain or discomfort

Real-Life Story:
Sharon Fellersen awoke in the middle of the night in 2003 to a sharp chest pain-her warning sign that she was having a heart attack. But as quickly as the pain arrived, it was gone. As she tried to relax and get back to sleep, Sharon's left shoulder began to hurt, a dull ache that lasted only a few minutes.

"The next day I felt fine," Sharon says. "It never dawned on me that it could be something more."

Doctor's Notes:
Serious heart attack symptoms (even chest pain) are sometimes dismissed, says Curtis Rimmerman, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C, Gus P. Karos Chair in Clinical Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

In terms of chest discomfort, most health and medical sources use the term "chest pain," but in his book The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Heart Attacks (Kaplan Publishing, May 2009), Rimmerman says the word "discomfort" is more accurate: "If you ask a patient who is experiencing a coronary artery event, 'Are you experiencing pain?' the answer may be no. But if you ask the same patient, 'Are you experiencing discomfort in or around your chest?' the answer may be yes."

What You Can Do:
Call 911 immediately: Paramedics will be prepared should you have another heart attack on the way. When your doctor asks if you're in pain, don't answer with a simple yes or no. If what you're feeling is more uncomfortable than painful, describe exactly what you're feeling.