Fingernails and heart disease - worried!

[ChrisMayo]

Hello all,

I haven't posted for a few weeks, as my stomach symptoms have been getting better.

However the last few weeks I've noticed I've been getting out of breath occasionally after walking up big flights of stairs (I'm 25 years old), I walk very quickly everywhere, but only get out of breath if I'm rushing up a tube escalator or something.

I've had so many ECGs over the years, and nothing has come back as abnormal.

I get chest pain when I'm stressed, and at the moment, I've been coughing for the last couple of weeks with a bad cold, and that's caused my chest to hurt.

What I'm worried about now, is that I noticed a tiny little bump under my finger nail on my right thumb, and noticed the white moon crescent looks bigger, and that when I push down on all my finger nails, they go red, with a bit of white at the top.

I've never ever paid attention to my fingernails, and now everything online is saying, it can be caused by heart disease!

My nails don't look abnormal to me, because I've never really compared them to anyone, but now they look a bit red, and the nail bed goes red when I put pressure on them, I'm convinced, with everything else i've got heart disease that has been left un-detected.

I'm going to go to the Dr's on Monday, but I don't know if I'm over-reacting, or if this is normal.

Would appreciate any thoughts, as I'm in a bit of a panic at mo...which in turn is making my chest hurt more :(

Thank you

[xtremx]

Hi ChrisMayo,
From what you have said about your fingernails I would not worry to much because everyones fingerbed (under the nail) turns red when pressed it just goes to show that the blood is reaching your nails. It is a comman quick test a doctor does anyway to show blood circulation.

Also the white moon you speak off is the Lunula and that is nothing really to worry about if anything they say if you Lunula vanishes that points to heart problems.

But the if you constantly study your nails you will start to see what you want to see.
So stop checking and relax.

I am a fellow chest pain worryer.

[Em.ma]

The above poster is right by constantly checking you will notice things that you would never even of thought about for for example it's the same with a mole or something like that. I get out of breath like you as well and I'm 19 :)

[ChrisMayo]

Thanks guys,

It may be just a normal colour for my fingernails, but I'm still freaking out a little bit.

Going to check it out at the Doctors on Monday, but hopefully it's just me looking too much into things.

Anyone else got anything similar?

[xtremx]

Hi ChrisMayo, I have and partly still going though the same thing as you.

I have had loads of ecg's and 2 stress tests also 2 trips to a&e (lights flashing). Also have had 2 chest X-rays and bloods done to check for damage to the heart all have come back normal. I'm due to have a heart echo done in the next month ( to hopefully put my mind at rest).


So all in all the doctor says that all the test I have had done show nothing wrong with my heart.


My symptoms started when I was 36 and I still get chest pains daily and yes it still scares me. And yes I have done the old nail thing as well that started after I had a stress test and the nurse who did the rest looked at my nails and pinched one of them and I never asked about it so wondered why they done it so it lead me to do it and because it was something I had never looked at before it worried me until I googled it and found out it was a quick simple test to check that blood was being circulatated around the body properly and that was it nothing sinister.


You are doing the right thing getting you doctor to check you over! But as you said you get out of breath only sometimes when climbing a flight of stairs will I would of thought if it was heart related it would be all the time. Also a small bump under one nail well that happens mate you can injure a nail without even knowing it and it may not show ip for a few days.


I don't think you have much to worry about. Try to relax and enjoy you Sunday

[ChrisMayo]

Hey,

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I've had my chest listened to, had several ECG's over the last couple of years (2 about a month ago when I had chest pains), a recent chest X-Ray, blood tests for pretty much everything, blood pressure, etc etc, all of which have come back normal.

My nails definitely look purply, but I don't know if this is a "suspicious" purple, or just how they have always been. I'm quite thin, and easily cold, so, it could just be the way I'm built, but who knows.

Easy to notice something when you're freaking out about it.

Hoping with all the negative tests, it isn't anything serious, but the breathing issues, makes me worry, when it happens.

Seeing the Doctor tomorrow, so fingers crossed.

Thanks for the info.

Chris

[xtremx]

Hi Chris, how did you get on with the doctor? Hope all was ok.

[ChrisMayo]

Hey,

The doctor said that my breathing and airwaves were all clear, that she wasn't concerned about it being cardiac related at all, and the fact I had an ECG and Chest X-Ray in A&E last month which were both clear shows nothing is going on.

I mentioned my purple fingernails and she didn't think it was related, and said it could just be the cold weather. She checked my pulse and listened to my chest and checked blood pressure and said everything was healthy and normal.

She said it's likely my virus is lingering and the coughing is causing pain and making the breathing tighter.

I've been given a temporary inhaler to help when I feel tight chested, and said if that helps, I could have underlying asthma, but that she wasn't concerned about it being anything heart related, and if it was, it would be obvious.

So...fingers crossed...I can relax a bit!