How to recognise a heart attack or stroke!

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In today's society two of the largest killers are heart attack and stroke. These are health issues that concern a lot of people. Well, we all know the causes of these things; diets high in fat (and additives), excessive drinking, smoking, stress, insufficient excercise, obesity etc. But do we know how to recognise the symptoms? Recognising the symptoms is a crucial element in getting help in time to save a life. So I thought I'd start this discussion after responding to another discussion concerning it. So here are the main ways to recognise heart attack or stroke. HEART ATTACK 1. Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes 2. Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms. The pain may be mild to intense. It may feel like pressure, tightness, burning or heavy weight. It may be located in the chest, upper abdomen, nec jaw, or inside the arms or shoulders. 3. Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath. 4. Anxiety, nervousness and/or cold, sweaty skin. 5. Paleness or pallor. 6. Increased or irregular heart rate. 7. Feeling of impending doom. Not all symptoms occur in every attack. They can come and go. IF YOU NOTICE MORE THAN ONE OF THESE SIGNS IN YOURSELF OR OTHERS CALL EMERGENCY SERVICES IMMEDIATELY. STROKE 1. Weakness in the arm or leg or both on the same side: This can range from total paralysis to a very mild weakness. Complete numbness or a pins-and-needles feeling may be present on one side of your body or part of one side of your body. 2. Weakness in the muscles of the face: Your face may droop or look lopsided. Speech may be slurred because you can't control the movement of your lips or tongue. 3. Difficulty speaking: You can't speak, speech may be very slurred, or when you speak the words sound fine but do not make sense. 4. Coordination problems: You may seem uncoordinated and stumble or have difficulty walking or difficulty picking up objects. 5. Dizziness: You may feel drunk or dizzy or have difficulty swallowing. 6. Vision problems: You may develop difficulty with vision, such as double vision, loss of peripheral (side) vision, or blindness. (Blurred vision by itself is not usually a symptom of stroke.) 7. Sudden headache: A sudden, severe headache may strike like a "bolt out of the blue." Some people have called this the worst headache of their lives. 8. Loss of consciousness: You may become unconscious, stuporous or hard to arouse and could die.