BILLINGS — The holidays can bring cold weather, stress and festive activities, but they can also bring heart emergencies. Global Medical Response has found that cardiac emergencies rise by more than 30% on Christmas Eve.
MTN's David Jay experienced this firsthand when he suffered a heart attack on Nov. 2 while out walking. What started as chest pain that seemed to go away turned into a life-changing medical emergency.
Watch David Jay talk about his cardiac emergency and AMR on how to respond:
"The actual heart attack happened on November 2nd," Jay said Monday. "It seemed like, okay, well, it's going away so everything's fine. But it wasn't."
After undergoing double bypass surgery, Jay is now in cardiac rehabilitation, working to rebuild his strength through stepping exercises, arm pedaling, and light weights. Part of his recovery includes taking 30-minute walks on days he is not in the rehab facility.
"I've been trying to go for walks and things like that and trying to build up and trying to get stronger here," Jay said. "I make it through and I don't think there's any worry about pushing myself too much on that."
Jay expressed gratitude for his medical team throughout the process.
"I'm just grateful to all the medical people. They've all been real kind and caring," Jay said.
Although Jay didn't call an ambulance during his emergency, AMR Clinical Education Specialist Amber Collins emphasizes the importance of seeking medical attention when something feels off.
"There's all kinds of different signs, but those classic crushing, sub-sternal chest pain, it might radiate to your jaw, neck, back, arms. You might have arm numbness or tingling," Collins said.
Collins stresses that knowing how to perform CPR is essential for bystanders who witness a cardiac emergency.
"If you are a bystander and you see somebody go down, start doing compressions and you will give them a much better chance of survival," Collins said. "Every minute counts."
The CPR process follows three simple steps. First, check for responsiveness by asking "Can you hear me?" If the person is unresponsive, have someone call 911 immediately.
Next, begin CPR by placing your hands in the middle of the chest. Put one hand on top of the other and push down about 2 inches, allowing the chest to fully recoil between compressions so the heart can refill with blood.
"You're gonna make sure that you push hard and fast," said an AMR responder. "Right at the nipple line, and you're gonna put your other hand on top of the other, and you're gonna push down about two inches, and when you come up, you want to let your hands, let the chest fully recoil, and then push back down so that the heart has a chance to refill out the blood before you push it down again."
While the thought of breaking someone's ribs during CPR may be concerning, Collins says it's often necessary for survival.
"It might be very disconcerting when you feel that happen, but please keep going, because those compressions are their best chance," Collins said.
Jay continues his recovery and rehabilitation, looking forward to returning to covering the news.
"They said February, but it could be sooner than that. But that's what I'm kind of planning on right now," Jay said.
