Cardiologist Who Survived a Heart Attack Shares 2 Surprising Symptoms Not to Ignore

Cardiologists experience heart attacks, too, and they can be surprised by the symptoms that lead up to the health crisis.

Dr. William Wilson said he was in “denial” when he first started feeling chest pain — the most common warning sign of a heart attack for both men and women.

He didn’t smoke, and didn’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. He had a healthy body weight and regularly exercised.

“I was thinking that this can’t be happening to me,” the cardiologist, who practices in in Fort Wayne, Indiana, previously told TODAY.com about his heart attack.

Wilson shared more heart attack symptoms he wanted people to know about:

Cardiologist Tip of the Day: Don’t Ignore Sudden Sweating or Feelings of Doom

Besides experiencing chest pain, Wilson noticed he was dripping wet — sweating like he had never perspired before even though he wasn’t exercising intensely or feeling hot, he said.

The doctor also felt like he was going to die.

“I had an unmistakable, intense sense of impending doom,” Wilson told TODAY. “I can’t really explain it much more than that.”

Why It Matters

Unexplained, excessive sweating or breaking out into a cold, clammy sweat can be a sign of heart attack, the Office on Women's Health warns.

The health crisis affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls bodily functions a person has no control over, like sweating, Wilson said.

That’s why people may also feel the need to urinate or defecate, he added. Wilson himself had an intense urge to go to the bathroom before he sought help.

Anxiety can be another warning sign, the American Heart Association warns, and the feelings can be similar to a panic attack.

How to Get Started

Pay attention to your body, seek medical help if you experience chest pain and be vigilant about other possible unusual heart attack symptoms.

The quicker you get help, the better the chances of minimizing damage to the heart muscle, which becomes starved of oxygen when blood flow is blocked during a heart attack.

Wilson received cardiac catheterization, and his heart attack — caused by ruptured plaque — turned out to be mild because he was able to get treatment right away.

“There are heart attacks that happen in people who are relatively low risk” like himself, the doctor said.

He still advises people to manage their weight, eat a nutritious diet, avoid smoking, and keep cholesterol and blood pressure in healthy ranges.