Would you know if you were having a heart attack? the answer may not be as simple as you think.

After a recent bout with the flu, 49-year-old Scott Conner thought his flu symptoms were lingering when he experienced chest pains at 4 a.m.

“the proverbial elephant was sitting on my chest that morning,” said Conner. “I thought it was just really bad congestion from the flu, or maybe indigestion. the pressure lasted about two hours.”

Conner said he continued to feel lousy all day but, convinced it wasn’t a big deal, didn’t want to go to the doctor. He had suffered similar heavy feelings in his chest off and on for the past couple of years. Conners shrugged off the earlier signs, figuring he was just out of shape.

“my wife insisted that I go see a doctor, and she made me the first appointment she could find available,” said Conner. “I went to Dr. Joseph Gibbons at 3 p.m. that day.”

“his story and symptoms were classic and consistent with problems of the heart. a lot of people believe they are experiencing indigestion, when really it is a heart attack,” said Gibbons.

According to Dr. Gibbons, keeling over from a massive heart attack is not as common as people may think. What is much more common is what’s known as “silent M.I.” silent myocardial infarction typically leaves people unsure of what, exactly, is wrong.

“a lot of times people will feel chest pressure or think they have indigestion,” said Gibbons. “Typically people will go through periods of feeling bad and, after resting, they will feel a little better.” This falsely leads people to believe that symptoms they’re experiencing aren’t associated with their hearts.

After examining Conner, the doctor sent him to the emergency room at FirstHealth Richmond Memorial.

“they told me I had suffered a heart attack,” said Conner. “I got sent to ICU and, while I was there, my chest started hurting again. my left arm was hurting too.”

Conner was transferred to Moore Regional for an emergency catheterization and had two stents placed in his heart. He said he started feeling better as soon as 11 p.m. that night.

“I received great care,” said Conner. “the doctors and staff at FirstHealth treated me with dignity, and gave me the best care possible. I’m grateful to them all for taking such good care of me.”

Conner is now incorporating regular exercise into his life, and has changed his eating habits. He claims that eating less sugar, saturated fat and salt isn’t as hard as it may seem. his nutritionist advised him not to deny himself the things he craves, but to eat less of those while eating more whole foods. it seems to be working because he’s lost about 25 lbs.

“I’m making a great recovery and feel better than I have in years,” Conner said. “Sometimes you don’t know how bad you felt until you feel good.”

Conner hopes sharing his story will help increase awareness about heart attacks.

“who knows what would have happened if my wife hadn’t insisted that I go to the doctor,” said Conner. “I didn’t think what was happening was that big of a deal – I was determined to ignore it.”

So, how do you know if you’re having a heart attack? the pain of a heart attack can feel like bad heartburn. some other symptoms that may, but don’t always, accompany a heart attack are: chest pressure; sweating; dizziness; nausea; pain in left arm or left side of jaw; tightness in the chest; shortness of breath for more than a couple of seconds; feeling weak or faint; or sudden overwhelming fatigue.

If you think you may be having a heart attack, don’t attempt to drive yourself to the hospital. Chew an aspirin while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Risk factors associated with higher risk of heart attack include: smoking; diabetes; age; high cholesterol; high blood pressure; family history; atherosclerosis; lack of exercise; stress; and obesity.

“Knowing the risk factors is key,” said Gibbons. “It’s important to coordinate with your physician to try and manage the risks before they cause a problem.”

Staff writer Kelli Easterling can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 18, or by email at