Heart Attack Symptoms

[geauxtohell]

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...

I was referring more to soliciting medical advice from the forum. There are some people on here that have some rather strange beliefs about medicine.

At any rate, your gyn might have known something I didn't or maybe you missheard him.

 

[sherylbrane]

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 guess if walking and playing with dogs makes you feel better then I guess there is no thing to do with heart attack, there is no suck kind of symptoms. I think it might be anxiety. you should better walk to near by hospital, they will help you in real sense.

 

[Douger]

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?

I got those 4-5 times a year from 1992-2005. Saw cardilogisteins all over the place. They all wanted to sell me an ablation.Haven't had an attack since 2006.
Docs here solve problems rather than problem profiteering.

 

[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?

I got those 4-5 times a year from 1992-2005. Saw cardilogisteins all over the place. They all wanted to sell me an ablation.Haven't had an attack since 2006.
Docs here solve problems rather than problem profiteering.

What did they do to treat you?

 

[Jackson]

Bottom line...when inlaws are coming, get a housekeeper to clean the house the day before. Don't worlk to hard!

 

[Noomi]

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." : )

If you are getting palpitations that make you feel ill afterwards, get it checked out. Always get any kind of chest pain seen to. It doesn't matter if there is nothing wrong, its important to make sure you are in good health.

I had problems with my heart a few years ago. I would get palpitations, skipped beats, double beats, abnormal beats, the works. After an 'attack' I would get very tired and would sleep for hours. I got it checked out and it was found that the atrial and ventricular didn't 'fire' at the same time. They both send out an electrical impulse at the same time that makes your heart beat, and if they fire at different times, you get the funny heartbeats.

I've been on medication for three years now, and it took me months to see the doctor as I didn't think it was anything too serious.

So make that phone call! Even if it gives you peace of mind, which will mean you no longer stress about it!

 

[amrchaos]

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." : )

You may be suffering from Heart Failure and not a Heart Attack.

In any case, you may want to go see a Cardio for a check up and explain what happened.

The difference between Heart Failure versus a Heart attack is that your body begins to put extra work on your heart. Excessive fluid, Stress and other causes can lead to it. Pain in the region near or surrounding the heart are symptoms, and the pain can go away if yo do some activities, or even lie in a different position. I have had Heart failure before, and I noticed that walking tend to make me feel better. I didn't go to the hospital until I experienced edema in a place that should not swell!

Go and see a Cardiologists and get a check up. Heart failure can lead to Heart attack--also the failure of other organs such as the kidneys or liver. It can be fatal. It can dstroy your way of life.

 

[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." : )

You may be suffering from Heart Failure and not a Heart Attack.

In any case, you may want to go see a Cardio for a check up and explain what happened.

The difference between Heart Failure versus a Heart attack is that your body begins to put extra work on your heart. Excessive fluid, Stress and other causes can lead to it. Pain in the region near or surrounding the heart are symptoms, and the pain can go away if yo do some activities, or even lie in a different position. I have had Heart failure before, and I noticed that walking tend to make me feel better. I didn't go to the hospital until I experienced edema in a place that should not swell!

Go and see a Cardiologists and get a check up. Heart failure can lead to Heart attack--also the failure of other organs such as the kidneys or liver. It can be fatal. It can dstroy your way of life.

You had heart failure before or now? It's usually a chronic state. Or are you talking about a decompensated heart failure (i.e. an acute attack on top of a chronic condition)?

 

[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." : )

If you are getting palpitations that make you feel ill afterwards, get it checked out. Always get any kind of chest pain seen to. It doesn't matter if there is nothing wrong, its important to make sure you are in good health.

I had problems with my heart a few years ago. I would get palpitations, skipped beats, double beats, abnormal beats, the works. After an 'attack' I would get very tired and would sleep for hours. I got it checked out and it was found that the atrial and ventricular didn't 'fire' at the same time. They both send out an electrical impulse at the same time that makes your heart beat, and if they fire at different times, you get the funny heartbeats.

I've been on medication for three years now, and it took me months to see the doctor as I didn't think it was anything too serious.

So make that phone call! Even if it gives you peace of mind, which will mean you no longer stress about it!

The palpitations don't make me feel ill or tired afterwards. And they don't hurt, there's no pain. The little pain twinges I was having are entirely gone, I apparently just hurt myself a little lifting heavy stuff. That was unrelated to the palpitations.

It's easy for everyone to say "go to the doctor and get checked out." That will cost a fortune. I have medical insurance, but I have a high deductible.

I have a long history of thinking there's something wrong with me and there's nothing wrong with me. My guests have been here and finally left last night. I had some palpitations while they were here, but so far today, no palpitations. Just a sense of profound relief.

Even my easy-going husband was stressed out by these visitors (HIS family).

I told one of the visitors, my sister-in-law about the palpitations. She knows I have panic attacks in some situations as well. She believes this is anxiety and is going to send me a book to read. She wants me to do deep breathing for 15 minutes three times a day, that sort of thing.

I'll try it, why not. She's a clinical psychologist by the way, she has several patients that get all worked up just like I do.

I am a perfectionist, everything has to be just so.

I will go for preventive checkup at my doctor here soon and tell him about this. Perhaps he will recommend further tests. Perhaps not.

By the way, whoever said exercise will relieve discomfort due to a failing heart...really? I mean REALLY? Where did you come up with that?

Exercise will relieve anxiety, but a failing heart???

 

[SeanBen]

The various symptoms of heart attack are Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach, shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort, sleep problems, fatigue (tiredness), or lack of energy

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Well, ever since my in-laws left I haven't been having problems. Even my husband suddenly announcing the other day that he'd quit his job wasn't as stressful as having the in-laws around for three days straight. : )

 

[Sallow]

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.

Get it done.

It will be the most painful thing you ever experience..but what you have causes sudden death.

 

[bobcollum]

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.

Get it done.

It will be the most painful thing you ever experience..but what you have causes sudden death.

I know there is one form that can cause death, but I don't believe that's the one I have. They all basically sound similar.

That was one of the determining factors of whether I'd do it now or not.

Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

 

[SeanBen]

The most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. This includes new chest pain or discomfort or a change in the pattern of existing chest pain or discomfort.

 

[bitterlyclingin]

I worked with a 27 year old physical trainer who happened to be going to school at night to be a PA. She called out from work one day complaining about stomach and chest pains. She was dead that night. heart attack.
Along with pain as if from an upset stomach, cardiac pain manifests itself as pain down the left arm, pain down the right arm, pain in the upper back, pain in the lower back above the diaphragm, chest pain, jaw pain either side. Sweating and palpitations are other manifestations. The heart does not feel pain itself, but the pain will be referred to and can be felt in any other area of the body served by the same nerves that serve the heart. Best reference would be a Gray's anatomy or similar. Usually, pain emanating from the area of the thorax below the diaphragm can be dismissed as from a different cause.
Age and physical conditions are the best indicator, although when they autopsied the bodies of soldiers killed in the Korean War, seventeen and eighteen year olds showed evidence of developing coronary artery disease. A recent study said those individuals with a waist/hip ration greater than one, ie your waist measurement greater than your hip measurement, are at greatest risk of sudden cardiac death, Mark Haynes, Tim Russert. The ones with the least risk are those whose waist hip ratio is less than .8.
One cardiologist offered the assessment that sometimes the first manifestation of coronary disease is sudden death itself. A lot of the cardiologists, in these days of the HMO are more inclined to rely on their machines ie usually a stress test, Although the only thing a stress test will show is the relative difference in the lumens of the coronary arteries, ie if all the coronary arteries are equally open or all the coronary arteries are equally blocked, the stress test will show up as normal. "There's nothing wrong with you! Go home and stop bothering me!" There are other cardiologists who feel the patient is the best indicator of disease and who will go in and take a look if the patient is com-plaining, ie an angiogram, where they actually look inside the coronary arteries by putting a scope into the arteries and visualizing any possible obstructions. They can also do an ultrasound of the wall thickness of the artery itself when they are in there to determine how thick the arterial wall is. The artery wall may be too thick to dilate and respond sufficiently to supply the increased blood flow required by vigorous exercise even though the lumen of the artery may be open adequately. You can try an aspirin or a single otc ibuprofen to see if that relieves the discomfort. If it does there may be an inflammatory process going on the arteries and inflammation itself is one of the suspected causes of plaque deposition. They did a study on Crestor, a cholesterol lowering agent several years ago where they had to stop the study and put all the subjects on Crestor because the death rate from those not taking the Crestor was highly excessive. They suspect that Crestors effect of lowering C-Reactive Protein levels, a substance that stimulates the body's inflammatory process, may have been the reason. If the pain persists by all maens see your doc, don't play around. If you manage to survive a heart attack, the cardiac muscle affected by it is dead and it never grows back or gets repaired. You've just suffered a equal loss of cardiac function. The first cardiac patient I ever studied was an elderly lady who only had enough cardiac function left to get out of her bed and move to the chair by the hospital window, three feet away.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

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!

This is the most irresponsible thing I have ever read. You are not qualified to give medical advice. Even if you were a cardiologist, you would not be qualified to give advice like this.

What you describe is a variation of the valsalva maneuver and very dangerous under certain conditions. Someone else described what we used to call the dunky duck - face into a basin of ice water. Also potentially very dangerous. Both can be effective but both can cause a fatal arrhythmia. Ask mommy - she will tell you the same thing. She will also tell you that even if she was standing in the CCU/ICU, no one would diagnose a patient without lab tests. You might also ask her about those patients who were found in the bathroom, unconscious or dizzy from straining to pass stool.

I guess if walking and playing with dogs makes you feel better then I guess there is no thing to do with heart attack,

Not necessarily true. Actually, exercise can mask symptoms because of vascular dilation.

OP - this isn't worth waiting around to see what happens. Heart attacks can have an amazing number of different symptoms. People report such an enormous number of different symptoms that we used to believe is now considered to be hogwash. Do not depend on the old set of symptoms. So-called "silent" heart attacks are much more common that we used to believe. I don't know if you are a man or a woman but that makes a big difference.

Please do not ask for or take advice from a message board. Go to your doctor or, if necessary, urgent care or the ER.

Its a standing joke in emergency rooms, sadly repeated, that a lot of people die from gas. You will be a long time dead but, heart disease is very treatable these days. Its simply not something you want to take a chance on.

See a real doctor, get the basic tests - EKG, chest radiograph, electrolytes. They will show whether or not you have muscle damage (have had a heart attack or Myocardial Infarction).

Its your life you're playing with.

Do this now. Do not wait.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Forgot to say ...

Take an aspirin now.

No more exercise, no heavy lifting until you get the okay from the doctor.

When you get to the doctor, tell them how many aspirin you have taken. One a day, 81mgs, won't hurt you in the short term but they do need to know you have taken them. More is not better. If you don't have 81mgs on hand, a regular aspirin is fine. Just don't take more than one a day.

Aspirin is not an anti-coagulant but it slickens the blood, making it more difficult for clots to form.

I hope you'll post after you have seen the doctor.

Better safe than sorry (dead). Really. Its easy to treat but not unless you see a real doctor. NOT an internet board wanabe.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

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.

Don't even consider carotid massage on your own.

These things that people are saying to do are done BY A DOCTOR WHILE YOU'RE MONITORED.

Really, I'm just stunned that people think its okay to just toss off advice like what I've read here. I really hope that people will see a doctor or go to the ER/urgent Care.

(Frankly, you couldn't pay me to to go to Urgent Care with chest pain.)

 

[Toro]

A friend died of a heart attack recently. He deeply cut his left hand six weeks prior that wasn't healing properly. He started having pains up and down his left arm that he attributed to his wound. He went to several doctors and had an MRI but no one could find what was wrong. He had an impending sense of doom, giving the EA emergency contact numbers in case anything happened. In his last days, he complained about being unable to sleep. Then he died.

He had all the symptoms of a heart attack but we all missed it. We were all distracted by his cut.

The moral is if you have the symptoms, don't be fooled by distractions. Had I or anyone had the sense to recognize what was staring us all in the face, he'd be alive today.

 

[geauxtohell]

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.

Don't even consider carotid massage on your own.

These things that people are saying to do are done BY A DOCTOR WHILE YOU'RE MONITORED.

Really, I'm just stunned that people think its okay to just toss off advice like what I've read here. I really hope that people will see a doctor or go to the ER/urgent Care.

(Frankly, you couldn't pay me to to go to Urgent Care with chest pain.)

I liked your saying about gas. One of the first patients I saw last month came in with chest pain that didn't really sound cardiac in nature. They were belching up a storm and their intake EKG was normal. I went ahead and ordered a troponin and presumptively treated them for acid reflux. The first troponin was negative which really argued against a heart attack. At that time, with a negative EKG and first troponin and the patient improving after being treated for acid reflux, it was looking pretty much like "gas". I went ahead and ordered a second troponin to be sure. It came back massively elevated. I repeated the EKG and the patient was having a heart attack. They ended up having a good outcome. We must have caught it virtually as it happened.

Glad I ordered a second troponin. Anyways, physical symptoms of a heart attack (despite what people say on here) are notoriously unreliable. If a person gives a good history, It makes a heart attack more likely. However, a bad story doesn't make it impossible.

The best thing to do is to go see a doctor that can actually lay their hands on you, look at an EKG, and draw labs.

The worst thing to do is listen to people on an internet message board who want to tell you how Aunt Millie did things back in Pig's Knuckle, Arkansas.