When you are alone and have a heart attack, what do you do?

Let’s say it’s 5:25 pm and you’re driving home after an unusually hard day’s work.  You are really tired and frustrated.  All of a sudden your chest pains. They are starting to radiate in the arm and jaw. It feels like being stabbed in the chest and heart. You’re only a few miles away from the nearest hospital or home.  Unfortunately you don’t know if you can make it.  Maybe you’ve taken CPR training, but the person running the course hasn’t told you how to help yourself.  How do you survive a heart attack when you’re alone when it happens? A person who is feeling weak and whose heart is beating hard has only about 10 seconds before losing consciousness.

But you can help yourself by coughing repeatedly and very strongly! Deep breaths before every cough. Coughing should be repeated every second until you arrive at the hospital or until your heart starts to beat normally.

Deep breathing gives oxygen to your lungs and coughing movements boost the heart and blood circulation. Heart pressure also helps to restore a normal heartbeat. Here’s how cardiac arrest victims can make it to the hospital for the right treatment.

FOR WOMEN: You should know that women have additional and different symptoms. Rarely have crushing chest pain or pain in the arms. Often have indigestion and tightness across the back at the bra line plus sudden fatigue.