‘I Could Have Died of a Heart Attack at 26 —This Was the Sign That Saved My Life'
Age is a prominent risk factor for heart attacks, and men are typically younger than women when they have their first one. According to the American Heart Association, the average age for a first heart attack is 65.6 years old for men and 70 years old for women.
Channing Muller was 26 she experienced her first of two heart attacks in December 2011. Muller didn't have any other typical risk factors, either—no family history or lifestyle habits like smoking that can increase a person's odds of having a heart attack.
So Muller was caught off guard when she experienced a heart attack, but knowing something was off and taking swift action (with the help of a friend) saved her life. Muller shared the first signs she noticed, including treatment, recovery and life today.
"I have one singular goal: By sharing [my story], hopefully, it does not become anyone else’s story," Muller says.
Related: 8 Real People Explain Exactly What Having a Heart Attack Feels Like
First Signs Of A Heart Attack One Woman Noticed
Muller's initial symptoms of a heart attack left her feeling confused at first.
"The immediate sign I had is that my heart started racing uncontrollably," Muller recalls. She says it was like her heart had gone from 0 to 200, dashing outside of her body in an Olympic-style dead sprint.
"At the time, I had absolutely no idea what was wrong, but I knew something was off," Muller says.
Then, she lost all color in her face and felt nauseous. "I couldn't explain any of it," Muller says.
She thought she was going to be sick, so she ran to the bathroom. "I was never able to vomit," Muller says. "I started to feel really uncomfortable, so I just tried to get back to bed to see if I could focus on a spot to control my breathing and just curl up in a ball. My heart was racing so fast."
Nausea, lightheadedness and shortness of breath are among the warning signs of a heart attack, the American Heart Association reports.
After 25 to 30 minutes of not being able to regulate her breathing, Muller knew she couldn't continue to curl up in a ball. "I needed to get to the hospital because something was truly off," Muller says. "This wasn’t just an anxiety attack. I knew something was wrong."
Still, Muller would be surprised to learn precisely what was happening to her.
Learning The News
The race to find answers and protect her health was on. However, the answers took time. "It wasn’t until I got to the hospital that we ran a bevy of tests," Muller says. "Then, we waited for a while while we got results. We finally got an answer: Heart attack."
Given her age, sex and good health, the news came as a shock. “The tears just started falling down my face after that," Muller recalls. "I was 26 years old, and someone just looked at me in the hospital saying the words heart attack. I truly couldn’t comprehend anything else after that."
The next thing she knew, Muller was being strapped to the gurney and airlifted to another hospital. "I had no idea what was ahead of me, but I knew that coming back from it was going to be incredibly difficult," she says.
Related: 'I Almost Died of a Severe Artery Blockage—This Is the Sign That Saved My Life'
Making Strides To Heal
Muller had another heart attack about five weeks later. While the physical toll it took on her was harsh, the mental one presented an even more significant hurdle.
"I had been doing all the 'right' things," Muller says. "I was vegetarian, a runner and I didn't take drugs. My bloodwork was as it should be, and yet I had a heart attack. It took a long time for me to learn to trust my body again and believe it wouldn’t break down on me."
Muller credits cardiac rehab for helping with her recovery. "Going to cardiac rehab helped get that trust back as I learned the difference between 'This is hard because it’s beyond my current fitness level' and 'This is hard because something is going wrong again.' From there, I worked a lot on my mental health in equal measure as my physical."
Muller found that her physical and mental health were intertwined. "As my fitness came back—I ran a 10K within six months—I got better equipped to handle the mental worry," Muller says.
Going The Distance
"Thankfully, today life is great," Muller says. Running remains a crucial part of Muller's physical and mental health. In 2019, she ran her first half marathon, but she didn't stop there.
"In honor of my 10-year 'heart-iversary' in 2021, I ran my first full marathon, which seemed only logical," Muller says. "[It's] a true testament to my heart's fitness now. Since then, I have run nine more."
Muller hopes to hit double-digits in marathon finisher's medals this year. Muller is training for her 10th marathon, which is set for October. She also takes daily medications and has annual bloodwork and EKG.
Muller's prognosis looks positive, and the journey has shaped the person she has become today. "This is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through, and I would not wish it on anyone else," she says. "But the trust I have in myself and my body now is unreal. I don’t take any step or mile for granted because I know what it was like to not have any of them."
It's a road Muller is grateful to have traveled but one she wants to make easier for others, especially women.
"I want women to not dismiss their symptoms as an anxiety attack or think, 'I don’t want to make a fuss,'" Muller says. "Make the fuss. If something feels off, go to the doctor. If they will not listen to you or they try to downplay it and it just doesn’t feel right, then go to another doctor. We have to advocate for ourselves."
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Sources
2024 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association. Circulation.
Channing Muller, two-time heart attack survivor.
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. American Heart Association.