Young TikTok users are sharing shocking stories of having heart attacks and strokes - and being dismissed by doctors

• Young, healthy TikTokers are sharing their experiences with strokes and heart attacks.
• One heart attack survivor ran almost daily and another woman's stroke was dismissed as dehydration.
• Heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women every year.

A 44-year-old TikToker suffered a heart attack, despite otherwise being in "perfect health," eating well, and running almost daily.

The woman, who goes by mccrast, said she experienced an intense ache in her chest, left arm, and jaw, but no shortness of breath. "It was very obvious it wasn't right," she wrote. She said her arteries were clear, but that she suffered a stress-related coronary artery spasm in which the blood vessels to the heart constrict and block blood flow to the heart.

Followers commented by sharing their own and others' stories of suffering unexpected heart problems despite being young and active. One person said they had a heart attack at 36 - the day after winning their age group at a half-Ironman triathlon. "That's what is hard to process," mccrast wrote, "when you do the right things to lead to a healthy lifestyle."

While maintaining a healthy lifestyle can lower your risk for heart problems, no one is immune - and women can be especially vulnerable. Insider has talked to a 30-year-old professional dancer, a 36-year-old professional soccer player, and 27-year-old recreational volleyball player who all suffered heart attacks or strokes.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women every year, and they're deadlier than all cancers combined. Here are two other TikTokers' stories.

One pregnant woman's stroke was misdiagnosed as dehydration

A TikToker who goes by bridgetclariceaz said she felt a "pop" in her neck at 24 weeks pregnant. Doctors misdiagnosed her with dehydration and sent her home, but in reality, it was "a massive stroke," she said. The stroke was caused by what she describes as "a tangle of blood vessels in my brain."

"Just here to remind you, don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Especially if you are pregnant," she wrote.

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, an American Heart Association Go Red for Women volunteer medical expert and cardiologist in New York City, previously shared a similar message with Insider. "So many times I hear, 'I was listening to the doctor. Maybe they're right,'" she said. "No one knows our bodies as well as we do. Nobody is living in our bodies. We know when we're not OK."

Jennifer Wick suffered two strokes, which she says was related to birth control

Jennifer Wick, a mom who posts about her healthy lifestyle on TikTok, said she had two strokes that she's completely recovered from now.

According to her website, Wick's first stroke was in 2001 at age 24. She noticed her eyesight waning, and soon her memory became fuzzy too. Doctors diagnosed a blood clot in her brain, and told her it was likely related to her birth-control pills. She was also classified as morbidly obese, she wrote, and a few years later underwent gastric bypass surgery, which she's since had reversed.

It's not clear when Wick suffered her second stroke, which she said on TikTok was a brain hemorrhage. "My weakest moments have given me more strength than a perfect life would ever," she commented.

Courtney Fullmer is celebrating 2 years of recovery from her stroke at age 19

Courtney Fullmer's story went viral in 2019 when, at age 19, she began documenting her stroke recovery on TikTok. Fullmer was vacationing on a lake with her family, when she got knocked off a tube and began feeling "really, really weird," she said.

She had trouble controlling the right side of her body, couldn't speak, and her aunt noticed her face drooping. She was rushed to the hospital, where they found she'd had an ischemic stroke, or when a blood vessel to the brain gets blocked. "The doctors were so confused," she said, "because only elderly people have ischemic strokes."

Fullmer was in the hospital for a month, re-learning how to walk, grasp items with her right hand, and talk. She recently wrote on TikTok how thankful she is for all of her followers' support, two years later.