Fitness coach, 22, who suffered a 'widow-maker' heart attack reveals 999 call handlers dismissed life-threatening illness for anxiety

A fittingness coach has told really 999 telephone handlers dismissed her bosom onslaught arsenic being 'anxiety'.

Faith Harrison felt a spot 'strange' aft playing successful a lucky lucifer connected January 6 – but ne'er considered it mightiness beryllium thing to do pinch her heart.

The 22-year-old, from Little Minsterly, Shropshire, revealed her limb 'just went numb and tingly'.  

Her chest, meanwhile, became very tight 'like personification was sitting connected it'.

Concerned astir her symptoms, she drove to her parent's location and instantly told her family and partner that 'something is wrong'. 

Her begetter past called 999 aft she began violently vomiting. 

Miss Harrison said: 'The telephone handler said it was astir apt worry aliases a panic attack.

'By this time, I knew thing was earnestly wrong.'

Miss Harrison's partner Sam and her begetter drove her to A&E at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

Doctors past decided she needed to beryllium taken to nan nearest cardiology master centre, astatine nan Royal Stoke University Hospital. 

Tests – taken 7 hours aft her symptoms began – revealed she had suffered a 'widow-maker' bosom attack. 

Medics said she was fortunate to beryllium alive.

The avid gym goer has been near pinch imperishable harm to her heart.

Miss Harrison is now calling for greater consciousness of bosom onslaught symptoms among younger group and NHS staff. 

Recalling nan time of her bosom attack, she said: 'After nan match, I conscionable didn’t consciousness for illustration myself. 

'I didn’t consciousness sick aliases ill, conscionable not for illustration me. 

'I sewage successful my car to thrust location and astir 30 minutes in, my limb conscionable went numb and tingly, and my thorax went very tight for illustration personification was sitting connected it.

'I did wonderment if thing superior was going on.

'But I could speak and move truthful I thought I was ok. I ne'er thought it could beryllium to do pinch my heart.'

Miss Harrison, who travelled complete an hr to play successful nan lucky match, decided to thrust to her parent's location because it was person than her own.  

'Somehow, I sewage there, but arsenic soon arsenic I walked in, I said "something is wrong"

'My parents, my partner Sam, and I each thought my humor sweetener was low.

'But I violently vomited up thing they tried to springiness me,' she added. 

Hospital tests revealed a humor clot was blocking 1 of Miss Harrison's coronary arteries by 90 per cent. It is 1 of nan awesome humor pipelines and tin beryllium fatal without urgent treatment.

Told she was fortunate to beryllium alive, she was besides diagnosed pinch a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a mini spread betwixt nan apical 2 chambers of nan bosom which usually closes aft birth. 

In very uncommon cases, PFO tin let a usually harmless humor clot to scope a coronary artery and create a blockage, starring to a bosom attack.

Miss Harrison had an emergency thrombectomy, a process to region a humor clot from an artery. 

But nan harm to her bosom was truthful terrible that she now has bosom failure. 

In nan UK location are astir 100,000 infirmary admissions each twelvemonth owed to bosom attacks. That's 1 each 5 minutes, according to nan British Heart Foundation. 

Symptoms of a bosom onslaught see thorax pain, dizziness, emotion sick and an overwhelming emotion of anxiety, nan NHS says. 

A bosom onslaught is superior aesculapian emergency. It happens erstwhile location is simply a abrupt nonaccomplishment of humor travel to a portion of nan bosom muscle. Without capable humor and oxygen nan bosom tin beryllium earnestly damaged. 

Although nan mostly of bosom attacks are successful older group pinch underlying conditions specified arsenic bosom disease, young group tin besides beryllium victims conscionable for illustration Miss Harrison. 

She said: 'Having nan bosom onslaught and being told I person bosom nonaccomplishment has been life changing. I had business goals, I had fittingness goals, I had life goals. 

'Now my goals are very different because my beingness and intelligence wellness has changed truthful much.' 

Latest figures show much than 400,000 group were waiting for a bosom test, operation, aliases different bosom process astatine nan extremity of January successful England – a emergence of 75 per cent since February 2020.

It’s estimated that location are tens of thousands much waiting for a GP referral, regular check-up pinch a specialist, aliases for aftercare specified arsenic cardiac rehabilitation.

Not knowing nan symptoms of bosom problems tin besides lead to delays successful group seeking urgent aesculapian thief for conditions for illustration bosom attacks and strokes.

The BHF has said that request for thief from its Heart Helpline has accrued by 75 per cent successful nan past year.

Many group who telephone are concerned astir not being capable to get an assignment pinch a doctor. 

Chloe MacArthur, a elder helpline caregiver astatine nan BHF, said: 'It’s concerning that truthful galore group we speak to are facing stressful and often frightening delays to their time-sensitive bosom care. 

'Just past month, personification told america they are facing a 72-week hold for bosom surgery, which would person been unthinkable conscionable a fewer years ago. 

'We’re besides proceeding that group are putting disconnected seeking thief because they don’t cognize nan symptoms of perchance life-threatening bosom and circulatory conditions.' 

There are 7.6 cardinal group crossed nan UK pinch a bosom aliases circulatory disease, specified arsenic a bosom attack, stroke, aliases bosom failure. 

Miss Harrison said: 'It’s been comforting to cognize nan British Heart Foundation is location for maine whenever I request it arsenic a assets of support. 

'Their leaflets were a lifeline to maine successful hospital, and I’ve utilized nan Heart Helpline to study much astir cardiac rehabilitation.' 

As a convey you to nan BHF, Miss Harrison raised £250 from her infirmary furniture which will thief to money nan charity’s lifesaving investigation into bosom and circulatory conditions. 

She said: 'What happened to maine was rubbish, but I’ve been fixed a 2nd chance and I want to do thing pinch it. 

'For me, I want to raise consciousness pinch young group that they’re not invincible and show them not to return life for granted. 

'Everyone, moreover young people, request to study nan symptoms of a bosom onslaught truthful they don’t hold seeking help. It could beryllium lifesaving. 

'It’s besides captious that healthcare professionals don’t presume that young group can’t person bosom attacks. I’m surviving impervious that they do.'