“Doctors said my heart attack was just anxiety”

Katherine Juergens knew the pain and tightness in her chest were a sign of something serious—but it wasn’t until she was in the hospital that she finally got the help she needed

- Cailey Griffin

“IN NOVEMBER OF 2021, I woke up with a feeling as if someone were slowly pushing a knife into my chest,” recalls Katherine, 48. “The pain lasted 15 to 30 minutes. At first, I thought it was a one-off—until it happened again and again.

“At the time, I was president of a health marketing agency, and aside from dealing with migraines, I thought I was in good health. Still, I reached out to my doctor and he said it was just anxiety and panic attacks.

“He prescribed anti-anxiety medication, but I knew it wasn’t anxiety. I know the signs—and I'd never been an anxious person.

“If you were to scroll back in my online patient portal, you'd find several messages from me telling my medical providers, ‘It feels like I'm having a heart attack’ and getting the same answer. For three months, I experienced chest tightness and pain almost daily.

“I have an 11-year-old daughter, and I didn’t want to worry her. So I put on a brave face and tried to push through the pain so I could move along with my day.

My chest pain got even worse

“On January 5, 2022, I took my daughter to school and hopped on a video call. Then I experienced the all-too-familiar feeling. This time, it was more intense and lasted longer. I was trying to act normal, but the pain got to the point where I had to take myself off camera. Next, I felt pain shoot down my neck into my left arm and I was sweating.