Lynnette Salvador

Angina

Heart attack

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

From acid reflux to heart stents

Lynnette, a 53-year-old mother of two, mistook her heart attack symptoms for acid reflux until she was diagnosed and received two stents. Now focused on a healthier lifestyle, she emphasises the importance of listening to your body and getting medical advice when something feels off.

At 49, Lynnette, a wife, mother of two and an assistant accountant, never thought she would face a heart condition.  

“I didn’t want to believe there was something wrong with my heart,” she says. “I would always just try and brush it off like it was something else that wasn’t so important.” 

Originally from the Philippines, she had managed her high blood pressure and cholesterol with medication, though not always consistently.  

“I've always had high blood pressure,” she admits. “I've got high cholesterol as well. I think it runs in the family on my dad’s side, and my GP has always tried to keep that low.” 

But when she began feeling a tightness in her throat and neck, she attributed it to acid reflux, something she had experienced before. 

"I was walking one cold evening, and my throat felt dry, like it was very tight. I thought it was just the weather," Lynnette recalls. 
 

The feeling that something isn’t right

Over the next few months, the symptoms worsened, and she found herself short of breath after walking even short distances or climbing stairs.  

“I would walk maybe 100 metres, and I would be really short of breath,” she says. “Then when I was out at our friend’s daughter’s 21st that weekend, and I thought, ‘Oh, I'm having acid reflux again’. And I would have tea, coffee, and it wasn’t going away, and then it was waking me up in the evening as well. When I went to bed, I would wake up in the middle of the night, and then I'd have hot water to make it go away, then I'll go back to sleep, and it went on like that for a while.” 

Still, she thought it was acid reflux. But two weeks before her hospitalisation, Lynnette’s condition intensified.  

“It’s something that’s hard to explain,” she recalls. “I was sweating, short of breath, and feeling weak, but I didn’t want to make a fuss.”  

She eventually visited her GP, who found no heart issues and recommended treatment for acid reflux. But one night, the pain became unbearable, radiating from her left shoulder down her arm, and her husband rushed her to Auckland Hospital. 

“When I reached Aukland hospital, I said to the lady there, ‘I have shortness of breath, and I have a weak feeling radiating from my left shoulder to my arm’. So, I was quickly taken in and had blood tests. 

“I think from what I remember, my ECG was normal. It was all normal, but when they took the second blood test, the troponin levels were high.” 

Cardiologists found that the tests revealed Lynnette had been experiencing small heart attacks. She was shocked.  

"I thought heart attacks were sudden and severe. I didn’t know they could happen like this, so gradually."  

The following day, an angiogram confirmed two blockages in her arteries—one at 70% and another at 80%. She underwent angioplasty and had two stents placed.

Recovery and lifestyle changes

“After the stents I felt good again,” Lynnette says. “The chest pain was gone, and my tight neck and jaw pain were all gone.” 

Her recovery was challenging, but the turning point came when she attended cardiac rehab sessions.  

"The rehab was amazing. It taught me about the importance of medication, diet, and exercise," she says. Lynnette made significant lifestyle changes, cutting out sugar from her coffee, reducing rice intake, and walking more regularly. 

Although she feels much better now, the event has left her more cautious.  

“Whenever I feel anything, even acid reflux, I get scared. I always ask myself, ‘Is it my heart?’ 

“I feel like my tolerance for pain is really high after everything I went through, especially having the condition for so long and not knowing what it was. So, if I feel something isn’t right now, I always check with the doctors.” 

She now takes her medications diligently and has worked with her GP to adjust any that cause side effects. 

“I also have to monitor my weight regularly,” she says. “I never used to do that before, but all these little changes are important to stay healthy.”

Family support and advice

Her family has been her rock throughout this journey.  

“My husband, daughters, and extended family were all there for me. That support made all the difference. They were always with me. My husband took me to hospital and my youngest daughter was always there during the week I was hospitalised, and then my eldest daughter as well, and her husband. They're all there to support me and it makes me feel better knowing I have them.” 

Lynnette urges others to listen to their bodies and not dismiss unusual symptoms, no matter how small they seem.  

“Go to the doctor if something feels off. Don’t just assume it’s nothing. And if you’re on medication, take it regularly—it could save your life.”