Man who had heart attack at 22 years old warns people of symptoms he felt during terrifying experience

A man who had a heart attack when he was just 22 told people about the symptoms he suffered.

You might think that heart attacks are for people who are older, unhealthier or just generally not you, but they can strike those who least expect it.

Quitting smoking, losing weight, cutting down on alcohol, getting regular exercise and a healthy diet will all help your chances, but you can't be 100 percent guaranteed that it won't happen to you.

TikToker Tom Birchy talked his followers through the terrifying tale, and made sure they were in no doubt as to the symptoms to watch out for.

"I was 22 years old working in a high stress job in the music industry, and I was using carrier bags," he explained, and at this point we should say that 'carrier bags' is TikTok slang for something else that I'm sure you can hazard a guess about.

"Too much, twice or three times a week, but it fit into the party lifestyle 'oh music industry I'm so cool'.

"I woke up one morning and my arms felt tight, the back of my elbow especially was numb. It went down my arms and I was banging them on the sofa and I couldn't be comfortable sitting up, lying down or standing up, and so I called the ambulance.

"The ambulance came and they said 'oh, you're not having a heart attack, we'll take you to hospital anyway'."

Tom said that when he got to the hospital they took some blood samples and once they got the result back they quickly injected him with something to stop his blood from clotting.

The 22-year-old spent a week in hospital hooked up to machines and he was 'so lucky my heart was not severely damaged'.

In the end, it had turned out to be a heart attack he'd suffered, and he felt a 'pressure on your chest and in your arms' as well as getting a 'fear of impending doom' where he felt like he was going to die.

Describing the ordeal as 'truly a terrifying experience', he urged people to understand they were 'not invincible' and 'not gonna live forever'.

He said: "If smashing the carrier bags every week end you think is a great idea, all it takes is one day for that to happen to you and you might not be as lucky as me."

According to the NHS some of the symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain, including feelings of tightness, heaviness, squeezing or pressure across your chest.

There may also be a feeling that the pain is spreading to other parts of your body, while you may also feel sick or lightheaded.

You might also experience 'an overwhelming feeling of anxiety' like you're having a panic attack, symptoms will vary from person to person but chest pain is the most common sign.

If you think you're having a heart attack, the advice is to call an ambulance and then if you have it, slowly chew a tablet of aspirin before swallowing it.