Aida Turturro says she mistook 2018 heart attack for a hernia

Aida Turturro said she initially dismissed symptoms of her nearly fatal 2018 heart attack as a hiatal hernia, even though she had been having chest pains for a while. A friend suggested calling an ambulance, but she declined, noting that a hiatal hernia can imitate a heart attack.

After a cousin gave her a doctor's number, the physician advised she see a cardiologist. At the cardiologist's office she was told she had suffered a heart attack, was rushed to emergency and underwent a quadruple bypass when doctors found 88 to 99 percent of her arteries clogged.

She quipped that she is now "bionic" and said she could have died. Turturro, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2001, warned that diabetes is the number one cause of heart disease. Closing the episode, she urged listeners to take better care of themselves and their families, saying you cannot help others if you do not first look after your own health.

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