At 38, heart problems were probably the last thing on one Malaysian woman’s mind when she suddenly began experiencing what felt like severe gastric pain.
However, what she initially thought was caused by something she ate turned out to be far more serious.
Sharing her experience on Threads, Liyana revealed that she had suffered a heart attack at just 38 years old.
Thought it was severe gastric pain
According to Liyana, the pain started mainly around her upper abdomen, or “ulu hati”, which led her to believe she was simply experiencing a bad case of gastric pain.
She even suspected that something she had eaten might have triggered it. However, the pain did not go away and she eventually started vomiting.
That was when she decided to head to the hospital to get herself checked.
She later explained that an ECG and blood test, particularly her troponin level, indicated that something was wrong with her heart.
Hearing the words “heart attack” was when everything suddenly became very real for her.
‘At 38, you think you still have time’
Liyana admitted that before the incident, she never imagined she would end up in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors, nurses and machines.
“At 38, you don’t really think about your heart giving up on you. You think you still have time,” she wrote.
She said people often assume there will always be more time to work, travel, watch their children grow and live the life they have been putting off.
The experience, however, made her realise just how fragile that time could be.
She added that there were still more tests and decisions ahead, and she was still trying to process what had happened.
Doctors say stress could be one possible contributing factor
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Liyana shared that doctors are still investigating what may have caused the heart attack and whether she has any underlying risk factors.
She said stress was mentioned as one possible contributing factor, although she stressed that it has not been confirmed as the cause.
What really shocked me is that I’m only 38. I never imagined that I could have a heart attack at this age,” she told WeirdKaya.
Like many others, Liyana said she previously associated heart attacks mainly with older people.
The experience made her realise that being younger does not necessarily mean someone is free from heart related problems.
Still in hospital and waiting for an angiogram
Liyana also revealed to WeirdKaya that doctors diagnosed her with an NSTEMI, a type of heart attack.
Following the diagnosis, she was admitted to hospital and placed on medication, including blood thinning treatment. As of today, she remains hospitalised and under observation.
Doctors are conducting repeated blood tests to monitor her cardiac enzyme and troponin levels to determine whether they are continuing to rise or beginning to fall.
She is also currently on the waiting list for an angiogram, which will allow doctors to examine her heart arteries and check for possible blockages.
Liyana said she has not undergone the angiogram or received a stent so far, with doctors continuing to monitor her condition before deciding on the next course of treatment.
Physically, she said she is feeling better compared to when she was first admitted, although she is still trying to process what happened emotionally.
“I’m taking things day by day and following the doctors’ advice,” she said.
As she has yet to be discharged, Liyana said she does not want to speculate about her long term treatment plan until doctors have completed their assessment.
Wishes she knew heart attacks could feel like this
Looking back, Liyana said one of the biggest things she wished she had known was that a heart attack does not always present itself as the crushing chest pain often portrayed in movies.
In her case, she experienced what felt like severe gastric discomfort, accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
“My first thought was that it was a really bad case of gastric. I never imagined that it could actually be my heart,” she said.
She hopes her experience will encourage others not to immediately brush off severe or unusual symptoms as gastric problems, stress or tiredness.
She also highlighted that women may not always experience symptoms that fit what people typically expect a heart attack to look like.
“If something feels unusually severe, different from your normal symptoms, or simply feels wrong, please get yourself checked,” she said.
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