heart attack ?

[Kmccluskey]

yesterday was the worst day of my life. and the worst feeling I've ever experienced. I was on the phone to my aunt walking when I suddenly got short of breathe, I felt stuffed warm and couldn't even speak for a second. I couldn't handle the discomfort and nearly passed out. I stormed into a and e and said I think I'm having a heart attack. they transferred me to majors who then told me they suspected one on the first ECG, wen I pushed for answers that was . hoser the next few ecgs were clear other than a racing heart. they transferred me to the cardiologist and he did blood tests and an x ray, he said I haven't had a heart attack and diagnosed me with anxiety and arritymia. They dismissed me the next morning and I felt like I had been fobbed off. what I experienced was not panic and I've been having on and off heart discomfort for the past 3 months. so basically I want to ask was it a heart attack as I felt so horrible and like I was a dead man, but not in a panic attack way. and for some1 to even suspect a heart attack is concerning as this coincides with the way I felt.

[nomorepanic]

They can tell if you had a heart attack from the ECG's and blood tests so if they were all clear then you didn't have one.

[Fishmanpa]

Having had two heart attacks, triple bypass surgery and most recently cardiac stents, I can assure you if you were having a heart attack you would not have been dismissed.

Troponin is an enzyme that is released into the blood during a heart attack. They did blood work and checked those levels. If they were even close to borderline high, you would have been held over and tested further. The first ECG/EKG most likely showed the arrhythmia which is why they held you over only to have been caused by the stress/anxiety.

I'm afraid that the diagnosis of the cardiologist was accurate and stress/anxiety related. I'm sure Nicola would back me on my info.

Good Luck!

[Dazza123]

Seriously, you'd know if you were having one. A panic attack scares the life out of you and gives you the symptoms that you think relate to a heart attack. However, if you were having one you'd just know, its different.

[Kmccluskey]

Nice one guys , means a lot . Have had to leave Uni because of recent events. I've only been concerned as it did not feel like panic, I felt so short of breathe, I couldn't even speak, didn't think I'd make it to a and e. Ad when a doctor tells you you've had a heart attack after feeling like that you can pretty much see why I feel like this. And it did feel different Dazza , that's why I'm concerned , but reckon it was a panic attack then guys?, my heart was at 120 all night. and thanks fishmanpa and Nicola for the reassurance

[Pipkin]

No, not a heart attack though I know the feeling you're describing very well. It can really feel like the grim reaper is knocking at the door but it's panic. The worst part is that the more you fear it's a heart attack, the worst it gets so you become even more convinced it's a heart attack.

Try to work on relaxation techniques and not to catastrophise when it starts. With practice, you'll find you can stop it in its track before the panic gets too intense.

Good luck

Pip

[Rennie1989]

A cardiologist, of all people, would not discharge you if you had any suspected heart problems (apart from the arrhythmia - which is a posh name for an irregular heart beat. Given his experience he would know if you had a heart attack, these are easy to detect with ECGs and blood tests and he would not be able to miss it. Besides if you did have a heart attack you would not be here to tell us.

Anxiety can cause uncomfortable chest pains, I often experience griping chest pains which make me stop what I'm doing to catch my breath. I've had them for years and I'm still alive and breathing. If you hyperventilate it causes muscle ache in your ribs, hence the discomfort. Try learning some relaxation techniques and retrain your body to breathe from your stomach (i.e. your stomach expands when you breathe in - it encourages deep breathing, rather than shallow that causes hyperventilation) - it takes practise but the more you do it the more you do it automatically.

[ankietyjoe]

Nice one guys , means a lot . Have had to leave Uni because of recent events. I've only been concerned as it did not feel like panic, I felt so short of breathe, I couldn't even speak, didn't think I'd make it to a and e. Ad when a doctor tells you you've had a heart attack after feeling like that you can pretty much see why I feel like this. And it did feel different Dazza , that's why I'm concerned , but reckon it was a panic attack then guys?, my heart was at 120 all night. and thanks fishmanpa and Nicola for the reassurance

It just feels different because it's different to panic attacks you'd had before.

If it makes you feel any better I've had exactly the same symptoms as you, but with a heart rate that went up to 160-180bpm. Even that wasn't a heart attack.

[Kmccluskey]

Il still not convinced I don't have a heart problem though, my pulse fluctuates all the time, and on Thursday it was just not panic,!i felt heavy, exhausted short of breathe BuT wasn't even hyperventialting. I felt like I was being squeezed and a horrible rush of warmth overwhelmed me, it was alMost like I was going to burst , in comparison with my other pani attacks, it was nothing like them

[nomorepanic]

All you can do really then is talk to your doc and they will decide if they need further tests etc.

[ankietyjoe]

Il still not convinced I don't have a heart problem though, my pulse fluctuates all the time, and on Thursday it was just not panic,!i felt heavy, exhausted short of breathe BuT wasn't even hyperventialting. I felt like I was being squeezed and a horrible rush of warmth overwhelmed me, it was alMost like I was going to burst , in comparison with my other pani attacks, it was nothing like them

I have felt that literally dozens and dozens of times, as I'm sure plenty of people here have too.

Panic attacks change, it's part of their nature.

But see your Doctor so you can stop worrying about it.

[Kmccluskey]

Thanks joe, I'm in hell right now.. I suppose a heart problem wouldn't come and go aswell, it would be there and you'd know about it. and yeah to be fair I didn't have a full blown panic attack in a while so maybe that's why this one was so bad. just anything to do with heart scares the shit out of me. can your mind really create such strong symptoms?

[ankietyjoe]

can your mind really create such strong symptoms?


Hell yeah

[Freaked]

I have had so many scary heart episodes. My rate can go very fast and I was actually given a drug to stop my heart for a second once. I've experienced things even more terrifying than what you described, and apparently none of them were heart attacks. Heart attacks have quite a specific cause. Was your arrhythmia SVT by any chance? That often goes with the feelings you described

[Kmccluskey]

I don't think SVT was my arritymia but I don't know what's wrong buddy, I get crunching and crushing pains in my heart, I got one today after I celebrated a goal in the football, what other heart pains do u get mate ?

[cactusjohn5]

i am currently new to panic attacks (3 weeks) and i have been "dealing" with the crushing chest pain for almost a week now, i went to the ER for the second panic attack and they did an EKG and blood tests and said your heart is fine, its anxiety and gave me pills! wow thanks sure doesn't feel like it.

The mind is so powerful, when you are having a panic attack it floods your entire system with chemicals, i have read that during a panic attack there is not a symptom anywhere that can not be replicated! kinda scary when you think about that.

[Kmccluskey]

Yeah it's true , do you get the crushing chest pain randomly or only in the midst of a panic attack?

[Rennie1989]

I get chest pains randomly, more so when I'm tense and anxious. I've had them all, griping pains, crushing pains, missed beat, double beat, shock-like and so on. I've had them for years and I'm still alive and healthy.

[Kmccluskey]

Thanks rennie, I was concerned earlier because I felt my pulse and there was an absent beat for 1 beat, and after I t I felt a pain in my chest and felt weird. When you get these pains do you feel it in your heart or just your chest in general?

[Rennie1989]

When I get chest pains I don't tend to focus on them so it's hard to say if it feels like it's my heart or chest muscles, could be either or a combination.