Heart Attack Symptoms

[Kooshdakhaa]

The past couple of days I've been having some symptoms that concerned me. A vague pain in the left side of my chest. Heart palpitations.

Now, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so if I called 911 every time I had a symptom I'd be calling 911 several times a year. And I've been concerned about my heart since I was in my twenties. I'm 59 now. I also have had problems with panic attacks and anxiety.

I took my blood pressure and it was like 125/75. I've heard that if you're actually having a heart attack your blood pressure would be very low.

I'm under a lot of stress right now because my husband's family (five people) are coming to visit and I am working my ass off getting everything ready. I've also been doing a lot of heavy lifting, and suspected that I had some overworked muscles that were causing the little pains.

This is what convinced me my heart was okay. Last night I took my five dogs out...we went to a large fenced field and ran around playing with balls and frisbees for about an hour. Then we took a very brisk 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. I felt much better after that. And still feel better today.

So I think I was dealing with anxiety and tight muscles, not a heart problem. I mean, the more I ran around playing with my dogs, the better I felt. The faster I walked, the better I felt.

I am a very good example of the saying..."A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once." : )

 

[koshergrl]

It has to be your call.

But if walking made you feel better, then probably it's not a heart attack. Sounds like anxiety to me.

But for the love of Pete, if you think it's a heart attack get your ass to the hospital.

 

[koshergrl]

BTW..secret my mom (ICU nurse extraordinaire, also ER nurse and paramedic, in her day) taught me..

If you are having heart palpitations and/or a big spike in blood pressure, sometimes (usually) it helps to take a breath and bear down.

I have panic attacks, heart palpitations and occasional high pressure spikes, and it works! And I watched one of those reality shows in the ER with a woman who was in with astronomical high blood pressure and palpitations, and that's exactly what they told her to do, and it immediately brought her bp down.

Go figure!

 

[geauxtohell]

Go to the ED. Better safe than sorry. You can't infer anything about ACS from your blood pressure.

 

[bobcollum]

It sounds like anxiety to me as well...but if you're really not sure it's a good idea to get to the doctor, for your own good.

It can be scary when your heart does stuff it isn't supposed to...I've got Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). One time before I got better at stopping it I got to the ER after about 3 hours, and I was at about 210 bpm.

 

[Mr. H.]

The in-laws can deal with your place the way it is.
Relax.

 

[geauxtohell]

It sounds like anxiety to me as well...but if you're really not sure it's a good idea to get to the doctor, for your own good.

It can be scary when your heart does stuff it isn't supposed to...I've got Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). One time before I got better at stopping it I got to the ER after about 3 hours, and I was at about 210 bpm.

Did you get the adenosine bolus?

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

BTW..secret my mom (ICU nurse extraordinaire, also ER nurse and paramedic, in her day) taught me..

If you are having heart palpitations and/or a big spike in blood pressure, sometimes (usually) it helps to take a breath and bear down.

I have panic attacks, heart palpitations and occasional high pressure spikes, and it works! And I watched one of those reality shows in the ER with a woman who was in with astronomical high blood pressure and palpitations, and that's exactly what they told her to do, and it immediately brought her bp down.

Go figure!

Bear down. Um..like you were trying to go to the bathroom? Just want to make sure I understand what to do. : )

My blood pressure is fine. I went through a huge crisis a couple of years ago, convinced that I had high blood pressure. Started getting some pre tty high readings and this caused me great anxiety, everytime I'd put on my cuff to check my blood pressure I'd be in a state of panic. : ) I never miss work because I'm ill, but I took a day off from work and just stayed in bed one day, convinced I was ready to keel over. The good thing was I immediately put myself on a diet, started excercising and lost quite a bit of weight in the months to come.

Turns out my 12 year old blood pressure device was malfunctioning. : ) I called the manufacturer with a question and they told me I probably needed to replace it. Got a new one and, voila, high blood pressure was gone. Went in and had it double-checked by my doctor. I don't think I ever had high blood pressure in the first place.

See...cowards die a thousand deaths, brave men only once. : )

 

[bobcollum]

It sounds like anxiety to me as well...but if you're really not sure it's a good idea to get to the doctor, for your own good.

It can be scary when your heart does stuff it isn't supposed to...I've got Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). One time before I got better at stopping it I got to the ER after about 3 hours, and I was at about 210 bpm.

Did you get the adenosine bolus?

No, as I guessed it went back to normal as soon as the doctor came in the room. After I read about that stuff I'm glad I didn't have to.

Now I'm quite good at stopping it. The diver's reflex works best for me, dunk my face in cold water and it slows down drastically and I think enables it to fire back to normal sooner.

 

[geauxtohell]

It sounds like anxiety to me as well...but if you're really not sure it's a good idea to get to the doctor, for your own good.

It can be scary when your heart does stuff it isn't supposed to...I've got Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). One time before I got better at stopping it I got to the ER after about 3 hours, and I was at about 210 bpm.

Did you get the adenosine bolus?

No, as I guessed it went back to normal as soon as the doctor came in the room. After I read about that stuff I'm glad I didn't have to.

Now I'm quite good at stopping it. The diver's reflex works best for me, dunk my face in cold water and it slows down drastically and I think enables it to fire back to normal sooner.

I was on the sideline of a high school football game once and say a kid vagal himself back into a normal rhythm. Pretty cool. He was white before that though. None of the medical people knew he had (i suspect) aberrant conductions.

 

[bobcollum]

Did you get the adenosine bolus?

No, as I guessed it went back to normal as soon as the doctor came in the room. After I read about that stuff I'm glad I didn't have to.

Now I'm quite good at stopping it. The diver's reflex works best for me, dunk my face in cold water and it slows down drastically and I think enables it to fire back to normal sooner.

I was on the sideline of a high school football game once and say a kid vagal himself back into a normal rhythm. Pretty cool. He was white before that though. None of the medical people knew he had (i suspect) aberrant conductions.

Funny thing was I dated a girl for about 4 years that was born with a type of tachycardia, though I think it was a different form, but either way it helped out when it first happened to me about 2 years after we split. Had I never known about her condition I would've been clueless and freaking out.

It is crazy though, in just an instant you go from 90ish BPM to 180+bpm, and when it goes back to normal it's just as quick...like someone flipping a switch. I feel a little jolt when it happens, which sounds troubling, but it's quite welcome when it means an end to an episode.

I tried the vagal maneuvers, which basically amount to simulating the forcing out of a dookie(real mature), but I really didn't feel comfortable exerting in that way when my heart was going haywire...cold water face-dunk and lying down, maybe several times over the course of 10-30 minutes has been doing the trick since I started doing it thankfully.

 

[geauxtohell]

No, as I guessed it went back to normal as soon as the doctor came in the room. After I read about that stuff I'm glad I didn't have to.

Now I'm quite good at stopping it. The diver's reflex works best for me, dunk my face in cold water and it slows down drastically and I think enables it to fire back to normal sooner.

I was on the sideline of a high school football game once and say a kid vagal himself back into a normal rhythm. Pretty cool. He was white before that though. None of the medical people knew he had (i suspect) aberrant conductions.

Funny thing was I dated a girl for about 4 years that was born with a type of tachycardia, though I think it was a different form, but either way it helped out when it first happened to me about 2 years after we split. Had I never known about her condition I would've been clueless and freaking out.

It is crazy though, in just an instant you go from 90ish BPM to 180+bpm, and when it goes back to normal it's just as quick...like someone flipping a switch. I feel a little jolt when it happens, which sounds troubling, but it's quite welcome when it means an end to an episode.

I tried the vagal maneuvers, which basically amount to simulating the forcing out of a dookie(real mature), but I really didn't feel comfortable exerting in that way when my heart was going haywire...cold water face-dunk and lying down, maybe several times over the course of 10-30 minutes has been doing the trick since I started doing it thankfully.

You can also try carotid massage.

Are you a candidate for ablation?

 

[Billo_Really]

The past couple of days I've been having some symptoms that concerned me. A vague pain in the left side of my chest. Heart palpitations.

Now, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so if I called 911 every time I had a symptom I'd be calling 911 several times a year. And I've been concerned about my heart since I was in my twenties. I'm 59 now. I also have had problems with panic attacks and anxiety.

I took my blood pressure and it was like 125/75. I've heard that if you're actually having a heart attack your blood pressure would be very low.

I'm under a lot of stress right now because my husband's family (five people) are coming to visit and I am working my ass off getting everything ready. I've also been doing a lot of heavy lifting, and suspected that I had some overworked muscles that were causing the little pains.

This is what convinced me my heart was okay. Last night I took my five dogs out...we went to a large fenced field and ran around playing with balls and frisbees for about an hour. Then we took a very brisk 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. I felt much better after that. And still feel better today.

So I think I was dealing with anxiety and tight muscles, not a heart problem. I mean, the more I ran around playing with my dogs, the better I felt. The faster I walked, the better I felt.

I am a very good example of the saying..."A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once." : )

I've been diagnosed with heart failure. I have found that when your heart is acting up, it puts out an enzime the doctor's can measure. I suggest you get stress test, when you are able, to see where your heart falls on that scale. Note: anything above .4, is cause to worry.

 

[bobcollum]

I was on the sideline of a high school football game once and say a kid vagal himself back into a normal rhythm. Pretty cool. He was white before that though. None of the medical people knew he had (i suspect) aberrant conductions.

Funny thing was I dated a girl for about 4 years that was born with a type of tachycardia, though I think it was a different form, but either way it helped out when it first happened to me about 2 years after we split. Had I never known about her condition I would've been clueless and freaking out.

It is crazy though, in just an instant you go from 90ish BPM to 180+bpm, and when it goes back to normal it's just as quick...like someone flipping a switch. I feel a little jolt when it happens, which sounds troubling, but it's quite welcome when it means an end to an episode.

I tried the vagal maneuvers, which basically amount to simulating the forcing out of a dookie(real mature), but I really didn't feel comfortable exerting in that way when my heart was going haywire...cold water face-dunk and lying down, maybe several times over the course of 10-30 minutes has been doing the trick since I started doing it thankfully.

You can also try carotid massage.

Are you a candidate for ablation?

I've heard about the cartoid massage, haven't really tried it though.

I'm also a candidate for ablation, but I'm a bit hesitant...maybe if it becomes a more common occurrence. Right now I probably have an episode on average about 4 or 5 times a year maybe, so it doesn't really interfere with my life overall...and I now actually have confidence in my method to stop it, which is probably what bugged me the most about it.

 

[geauxtohell]

Funny thing was I dated a girl for about 4 years that was born with a type of tachycardia, though I think it was a different form, but either way it helped out when it first happened to me about 2 years after we split. Had I never known about her condition I would've been clueless and freaking out.

It is crazy though, in just an instant you go from 90ish BPM to 180+bpm, and when it goes back to normal it's just as quick...like someone flipping a switch. I feel a little jolt when it happens, which sounds troubling, but it's quite welcome when it means an end to an episode.

I tried the vagal maneuvers, which basically amount to simulating the forcing out of a dookie(real mature), but I really didn't feel comfortable exerting in that way when my heart was going haywire...cold water face-dunk and lying down, maybe several times over the course of 10-30 minutes has been doing the trick since I started doing it thankfully.

You can also try carotid massage.

Are you a candidate for ablation?

I've heard about the cartoid massage, haven't really tried it though.

I'm also a candidate for ablation, but I'm a bit hesitant...maybe if it becomes a more common occurrence. Right now I probably have an episode on average about 4 or 5 times a year maybe, so it doesn't really interfere with my life overall...and I now actually have confidence in my method to stop it, which is probably what bugged me the most about it.

Cool. Good luck. You might want to look up material from a reputed source about carotid massage. It might be easier than dunking your face if it works.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

The past couple of days I've been having some symptoms that concerned me. A vague pain in the left side of my chest. Heart palpitations.

Now, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so if I called 911 every time I had a symptom I'd be calling 911 several times a year. And I've been concerned about my heart since I was in my twenties. I'm 59 now. I also have had problems with panic attacks and anxiety.

I took my blood pressure and it was like 125/75. I've heard that if you're actually having a heart attack your blood pressure would be very low.

I'm under a lot of stress right now because my husband's family (five people) are coming to visit and I am working my ass off getting everything ready. I've also been doing a lot of heavy lifting, and suspected that I had some overworked muscles that were causing the little pains.

This is what convinced me my heart was okay. Last night I took my five dogs out...we went to a large fenced field and ran around playing with balls and frisbees for about an hour. Then we took a very brisk 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. I felt much better after that. And still feel better today.

So I think I was dealing with anxiety and tight muscles, not a heart problem. I mean, the more I ran around playing with my dogs, the better I felt. The faster I walked, the better I felt.

I am a very good example of the saying..."A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once." : )

I've been diagnosed with heart failure. I have found that when your heart is acting up, it puts out an enzime the doctor's can measure. I suggest you get stress test, when you are able, to see where your heart falls on that scale. Note: anything above .4, is cause to worry.

I know there is something that shows up in bloodwork that will indicate whether you've ever had a heart attack or not. Had some bloodwork done about five years ago and my doctor said, "Well, you've never had a heart attack." He could tell by looking at the results of the blood tests.

 

[geauxtohell]

The past couple of days I've been having some symptoms that concerned me. A vague pain in the left side of my chest. Heart palpitations.

Now, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, so if I called 911 every time I had a symptom I'd be calling 911 several times a year. And I've been concerned about my heart since I was in my twenties. I'm 59 now. I also have had problems with panic attacks and anxiety.

I took my blood pressure and it was like 125/75. I've heard that if you're actually having a heart attack your blood pressure would be very low.

I'm under a lot of stress right now because my husband's family (five people) are coming to visit and I am working my ass off getting everything ready. I've also been doing a lot of heavy lifting, and suspected that I had some overworked muscles that were causing the little pains.

This is what convinced me my heart was okay. Last night I took my five dogs out...we went to a large fenced field and ran around playing with balls and frisbees for about an hour. Then we took a very brisk 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. I felt much better after that. And still feel better today.

So I think I was dealing with anxiety and tight muscles, not a heart problem. I mean, the more I ran around playing with my dogs, the better I felt. The faster I walked, the better I felt.

I am a very good example of the saying..."A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once." : )

I've been diagnosed with heart failure. I have found that when your heart is acting up, it puts out an enzime the doctor's can measure. I suggest you get stress test, when you are able, to see where your heart falls on that scale. Note: anything above .4, is cause to worry.

I know there is something that shows up in bloodwork that will indicate whether you've ever had a heart attack or not. Had some bloodwork done about five years ago and my doctor said, "Well, you've never had a heart attack." He could tell by looking at the results of the blood tests.

It's troponin, but they generally drop back to normal after 72 hours. I don't think there is any marker in blood to indicate if you've ever had a heart attack. BNP indicates heart failure, but only elevates during an acute event.

In any case, I wouldn't rely on the internet for medical advice.

 

[Mr. H.]

I divorced my chest pains 18 years ago.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

I've been diagnosed with heart failure. I have found that when your heart is acting up, it puts out an enzime the doctor's can measure. I suggest you get stress test, when you are able, to see where your heart falls on that scale. Note: anything above .4, is cause to worry.

I know there is something that shows up in bloodwork that will indicate whether you've ever had a heart attack or not. Had some bloodwork done about five years ago and my doctor said, "Well, you've never had a heart attack." He could tell by looking at the results of the blood tests.

It's troponin, but they generally drop back to normal after 72 hours. I don't think there is any marker in blood to indicate if you've ever had a heart attack. BNP indicates heart failure, but only elevates during an acute event.

In any case, I wouldn't rely on the internet for medical advice.

Actually, I didn't read that on the Internet. My doctor told me that, in person. Quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me to think my doctor doesn't know what he's talking about. I don't know why he would have said that if it's not true. Oh, well, he's a gynecologist, not a cardiologist, but still...

 

[Ringel05]

I know there is something that shows up in bloodwork that will indicate whether you've ever had a heart attack or not. Had some bloodwork done about five years ago and my doctor said, "Well, you've never had a heart attack." He could tell by looking at the results of the blood tests.

It's troponin, but they generally drop back to normal after 72 hours. I don't think there is any marker in blood to indicate if you've ever had a heart attack. BNP indicates heart failure, but only elevates during an acute event.

In any case, I wouldn't rely on the internet for medical advice.

Actually, I didn't read that on the Internet. My doctor told me that, in person. Quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me to think my doctor doesn't know what he's talking about. I don't know why he would have said that if it's not true. Oh, well, he's a gynecologist, not a cardiologist, but still...

It all depends on where you keep your heart........