Sharon's Story: I was 38 when I had my heart attack in 1983. We were living in Wisconsin, and I had a 10-year-old son, a 16-year-old daughter and a husband to take care of. I had not been feeling great for at least a year. The doctor told me I had a few palpitations and to "learn to live with it." A year later I was waking up at nights, leaning over my pillow, trying to breathe. After one of those bad nights, I had plans to go shopping with my friends the next day. My husband didn't want me to go because he knew I didn't feel well. I went anyway because I was feeling better. It was about 20 degrees that day, and as soon as I got out of the car into that cold air, one whole side of my face started to hurt, along with my jaw and my shoulder. But when we went into the warm air of the shops the pain would go away. I acted like nothing was wrong but my friends could tell something wasn't right and we cut our shopping trip short. I was feeling pretty good by the time I got home, but my husband insisted I call a new doctor and get in by the next morning. I did, and I had my heart attack in the doctor's office. The doctor didn't believe it was a heart attack, but he put me in the hospital overnight. It didn't take them long to figure out it was my heart, and a few days later I had another attack. I was in the hospital for a month. They put me on lots of medication, and 22 years later I am still here. I think doctors listen to women now better then they did in 1983. At that time there weren't many women my age who had heart attacks. My symptoms were heart palpitations, cold sweats in the morning, late night breathing problems, a feeling of having a toothache, or pain in my ear, left arm, back and shoulder. By late afternoons I was feeling so weak I couldn't take another step, and there was swelling in my feet and hands. I have to say in my own defense that I did try to get help. I saw three different doctors and they didn't pay attention to my complaints. I finally gave up, thinking like they did that it was all in my head.