Check your heart smarts

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Exercise and a health diet is supposed to help keep you from having a heart attack. Isn't it?

"It can happen to the best of us," Sandra Etheridge said, and she should know. Etheridge had one the first day of her retirement from the DMV. Then she had another one, five years later.

"That's why I like to share my story, because somebody may be going through what I'm going through here and just ignoring it," she said.

What she learned is that no two heart attacks are alike. The first time, "I wasn't in pain, I wanted to belch. If I could just burp, I would be fine," she remembered.

The second heart attack, "I got dizzy, I mean really dizzy," she said.

Dr. Sarah Joyner stresses the importance of knowing the signs:

The most common heart attack symptoms are pressure or pain in the chest, numbness in the arms or neck, shortness of breath, and nausea and cold sweats.

"Really important, that if you have any of those symptoms you call 911 or go to the emergency department," she said.




Sandra is doing everything she can to prevent another heart attack. She exercises, eats healthy and controls her blood pressure with medication--it's what the doctor prescribes for all of us, even if you don't think your at risk.

Joyner also says the number one thing you can do to decrease your risk of heart attack is to stop smoking.

If you would like to take the Go Red Heart check-up click on this Go Red For Women link.