Denise Warner’s Unexpected Experience

Denise Warner, 57, living in London, United Kingdom, shared a gripping account of surviving a heart attack. Originally from the United States, Warner initially dismissed the symptoms as carpal tunnel pain. She described feeling a tingling sensation in her arms and hands while watching TV one evening in May last year. When the unusual feeling continued, she felt a constriction in her chest but lacked typical heart attack symptoms like severe chest pain or breathlessness.

Recognizing the Signs

Warner’s pivotal moment came unexpectedly. She felt hot and vomited without prior nausea. This triggered a memory of comedian Rosie O’Donnell speaking about heart attack symptoms. O’Donnell uses the acronym HEPPP to highlight symptoms in women: Hot, exhausted, pain, pale, and puke. Warner recalled seeing O’Donnell discuss this and realized her symptoms aligned. She woke her wife, Jem, and went to the hospital, confirming a significant cardiac event.

The Importance of Early Detection

Warner underwent angioplasty, a procedure that enlarges the space inside an artery for better blood flow. She thanked O’Donnell’s insightful message for helping her recognize the issue. O’Donnell’s comedy special, “A Heartfelt Stand Up,” shares this potentially life-saving information. In it, she amusingly explains the symptoms to educate women on heart attack signs.

Heart Attack Symptoms

Common heart attack symptoms include chest pain extending to the jaw, shoulder, arm, or back, breathlessness, weakness, dizziness, nausea, and excessive sweating, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Showing Gratitude

Warner reached out to O’Donnell, sharing her gratitude. O’Donnell responded warmly, expressing her happiness over the outcome and wishing Warner well. Warner described O’Donnell as an open and kind individual.

“If I hadn’t remembered what Rosie said, I probably would have chalked it up to something else and ignored it,” Warner noted.

Warner’s experience underscores the importance of recognizing atypical heart attack symptoms and the influence of public figures in spreading awareness.