Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2018

10 | Winter 2018 CARDIOLOGY K eith Campbell really believed he was fine. The 55-year-old Army veteran was digging a post hole when his neck, shoulder and back started hurting. He felt kind of tired and a little short of breath, but he wasn’t having chest pain. There was no reason for alarm, he told his wife, Melissa. She was not convinced. “He’s always going, always moving, so when he said he was just going to lie down, I told him he needed to go to the hospital,” she says. Could this be a heart attack? You might think if you were having a heart attack, you would know — without a doubt — that something was seriously wrong. But as Keith’s experience shows, heart attacks can start slowly and cause only mild pain or discomfort. Symptoms can come and go over several hours and might not include chest pain. So it can be difficult to feel sure of what’s happening. Know the signs, and get medical help even if your symptoms disappear after a few minutes. Subtle as a No made-for-TV drama Melissa’s instincts were right. Although he didn’t feel too bad, Keith was hav- ing a heart attack. The classic symptom of heart attack is sudden, crushing chest pain. But not all heart attacks strike with made-for-TV drama. Keith soon felt better. The next day, a Sunday, he had another episode but still dismissed the discomfort as strained muscles. He went to work Monday morning — he’s a Range officer at If you are experiencing any of the following heart attack symptoms, call 911. Feeling unusually short of breath Feeling pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest Having discomfort in one or both arms, the back, the neck, the jaw, or the stomach Feeling lightheaded or nauseated, or breaking out in a cold sweat The symptoms may not be dramatic, but take a cue from Keith’s story — always get checked out. Fort Leonard Wood — and gave the new G3 Command sergeant major a tour of the Ranges. Then, just to ease Melissa’s concerns, he stopped at the Emergency Department at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital. That’s when he learned he’d had a heart attack. Not equipped to provide the level of care he needed, the hospital asked Keith where he would like to be trans- ferred. He chose Lake Regional Health