Thelma

Atrial fibrillation

Heart attack

Headaches warn of two heart attacks

After two very different heart attacks, Thelma discovered a third heart problem that was causing fatigue. Watch Thelma tell her story below.

In hospital after bowel surgery, all Thelma wanted was some panadol for a headache but when a nurse took her pulse, she hit the alert – Thelma was having a heart attack.

Her second heart attack also started as a headache, but developed into jaw pain, arm pain and sweating so she used her St John’s alarm to call for help.

Further down the track, Thelma’s fatigue was identified as atrial fibrillation, and she’s had to learn deep breathing exercises and to take it easy to get through these episodes of irregular heart beats. 

Shared March 2017

Sadly in October 2021 Thelma passed away. The Heart Foundation sends its condolences to Thelma’s family and friends. In accordance with the wishes of the family we’ve kept Thelma’s story our website so that it may be of support to others.