Had a "strange feeling" when he was on vacation. After all, it was a heart attack
Kathryn Seaward is just 37 and admits she initially didn't think she could be having a heart attack.
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Mundo País de Gales
A 37-year-old woman suffered a heart attack while on holiday with her family in Tenby, Wales, after experiencing a "funny feeling".
"Something just didn't feel right", Kathryn Seaward told Wales Online, explaining that it felt like something "really heavy was sat" in the middle of her chest.
She admitted feeling "silly" calling the emergency services as she thought she was being over the top and wasting their time.
"My left arm started to feel funny, like it wasn't really mine. I have no history of heart problems and I'm fit and healthy so I felt stupid calling 999 but I knew it was better to be safe than sorry," she said.
Kathryn said she felt like she was "wasting everyone's time" in the ambulance on the way to hospital. But she followed the advice of the paramedics and had blood tests which showed up abnormalities.
She ended up staying in hospital for 10 days. "It was really stressful being away from the children for such a long period of time," said the mum, who was diagnosed with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD).
"When I was finally discharged from hospital I was so grateful to be back home with my family but I was so exhausted I couldn't do much other than sit with them reading or having something to eat before dragging myself back to bed when the children went to school or nursery," added the mum-of-two, who took another 14 weeks off work.
Following her heart attack, Kathryn decided to raise money for Beat SCAD, a charity which supported her during her recovery. She also signed up to run a 10k race, having previously completed two half marathons.
"It is so important people are aware of the impact SCAD can have on sufferers and their families. I was lucky that I recognised the signs and ignored my feelings about wasting the NHS's time. Some people dismiss their symptoms as tiredness or a bug but it's vital they get checked out," she said.
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