Woman says she got in the bathtub for period cramps and dialed 911 with clawed hands convinced it was a stroke, then learned what it was

Believing that you’re in the middle of a medical emergency is a frightening experience. It can also be embarrassing for some people who might be in a vulnerable position when they have to call for help.

For Ava Marie (@ava.mari3), the morning she had to call 911 on herself was one that she now considers to be the scariest moment of her life. Not knowing what was happening to her likely added to that fear.

Ava reported during her video that she was now feeling better, as it had been a couple of days since the incident. She didn’t share details about what happened after the paramedics came to help her, aside from replying to a comment and saying that she was told it was a panic attack.

Ava’s hands were frozen in a claw shape

To begin her story, Ava said that on the morning of this event, she got her period and took her meds on an empty stomach, which she said was likely a bad idea. While getting ready for the day, she felt like she was going to pass out, started to break out in a cold sweat, and she had severe cramps.

Ava moved to the bathroom and was on the phone with her mom, whom she asked to call 911 for her as she started to feel tingling in her arms from the elbows down. With the feeling that she might pass out or throw up adding to her discomfort from cramps, Ava ended up in her bathtub, trying to soothe the cramps with warm water.

It was while she was in the bathtub that Ava realized her hands were in a clawed position and she was unable to move them. At that point, she said she was sure that she was having a stroke, heart attack, or seizure, so she called 911 for herself from the bathtub with her clawed hands.

While she was scared that she was experiencing a medical emergency and took the steps to get help for it, she admitted that it was a little embarrassing when the paramedics came. Since she was still in the bathtub, they had to cover her with a sheet as they helped her.

Commenters worry about Ava’s health due to her pupils

Commenters shared that they experienced similar symptoms during panic attacks. One said, “Ugh! Those same things happen when I’ve had panic attacks. The fingers are the weirdest thing. My boyfriend has to pry my fingers open; it’s so embarrassing.”

Other commenters pointed out that they were worried because Ava’s pupils appeared to be different sizes to them in the video. One commenter said, “Wait. Are your pupils normally like that? Forgive me if I don’t know, but one looks way more dilated.”

Ava was thankfully not diagnosed as experiencing a serious issue, but the symptoms of events like a heart attack can be different in women, and that could lead to them seeking help later than they should. When you experience something like a heart attack or stroke, you want to get treatment as soon as possible.

According to the American Heart Association, “Even though heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S., women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions such as acid reflux, the flu, or normal aging.” Several symptoms on that list, including arm and abdominal discomfort, nausea, lightheadedness, cold sweats, and weakness, overlap with what Ava described, though she said she was told her episode was a panic attack.

It can be easy to dismiss symptoms as something minor, like fatigue or a common illness. However, it’s good to know which common symptoms might signal that something more serious is happening so that you can get treatment as early as possible.

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