Heart attack symptoms are often baffling

Dear Dr. Donohue: My husband died of a heart attack at age 42. I cannot stop blaming myself for what happened. He said he felt very tired, and he went to sleep in a recliner chair. I went to wake him for dinner, but he did not respond. He had died. I can’t forgive myself for letting this happen. How could I have known he was having a heart attack? — R.R.

Answer: You couldn’t have known. Highly trained medical personnel might not have recognized what was happening. Your husband’s death was a tragedy that was not preventable. You have my condolences.

Vague, nonspecific symptoms can herald a heart attack. A doctor friend recounted his heart attack symptoms to me. He was sitting at his desk and found he couldn’t keep his head up because he was so weary. He had to rest it on the desk. He had no pain at all. For at least half an hour he didn’t realize what was happening, and he was trained in these matters. How could you be responsible for not recognizing symptoms that a doctor did not recognize in himself?

The overwhelming fatigue that a heart attack can usher in comes from the sudden decrease in the heart’s pumping action. There’s a drop-off in circulating blood that saps a person’s energy.

Other so-called atypical heart attack symptoms include dizziness, breaking out in a cold, drenching sweat, or an attack of nausea and vomiting. The sudden onset of breathlessness is another tip that a heart attack could be occurring.

If a person experiences these symptoms without chest pain and has reason to believe they might be heart attack symptoms, then a 911 call should be made, and that person, if there are no contraindications, should chew a full-strength, 325-mg aspirin.

The heart attack booklet discusses all aspects of heart attacks. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 102W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.50 U.S./$6.50 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

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Dear Dr. Donohue: I need more fiber in my diet. I heard that dry beans have more fiber in them than do canned beans. But who eats dry beans? Some nutrition labels are confusing. Does half a cup of canned beans have as much fiber as half a cup of cooked beans? Or should we consume dry beans like vitamins? — J.H.

Answer: Anyone who suggests that you eat uncooked beans for their fiber advantage should be looked at with alarm. When fiber content is given, it is given for cooked or canned beans, unless otherwise specified, and I have never seen it specified otherwise. Don’t eat dry beans.

Half a cup of canned baked beans has 9 grams of fibers; of kidney beans, 7 grams; and of lima beans, 5 grams.