heart attack o muscle. please help

[Natasha006]

Could the following be heart disease Or a heart attack.
Lately I have been tired .. Really really tired. Sometimes I am so tired I can't actually work.
Now I have been having pain in my left side for about four days. It started with pain on my chest. Like a mislce pain that would come and go. Then it moved to a back pain when I lookeda breath noe it seems llike my heart feels tight or has sharp shooting pain Sometones it feels like its being ssqueezed.
My left shoulder blade and my arm hurt. Like I've pulled a muscle or was worming out but Ihhaven't been doingany of gthose things.

I'm really worried. I have no risk factors for heart attack but u never know
I'm scared right now. Last week I had am ECG that came back normal bit I wasn'thhaving all these symptoms that o now.

Am Isuffering a hheart attack.?

[ricardo]

Could the following be heart disease Or a heart attack.
Lately I have been tired .. Really really tired. Sometimes I am so tired I can't actually work.
Now I have been having pain in my left side for about four days. It started with pain on my chest. Like a mislce pain that would come and go. Then it moved to a back pain when I lookeda breath noe it seems llike my heart feels tight or has sharp shooting pain Sometones it feels like its being ssqueezed.
My left shoulder blade and my arm hurt. Like I've pulled a muscle or was worming out but Ihhaven't been doingany of gthose things.

I'm really worried. I have no risk factors for heart attack but u never know
I'm scared right now. Last week I had am ECG that came back normal bit I wasn'thhaving all these symptoms that o now.

Am Isuffering a hheart attack.?

So there is your answer. All your symptoms are anxiety related.I should know as I recently had a heart attack.

[Natasha006]

Hi Ricardo thabk u for the post..
Although the ECG came back normal the doctor did say that ecgs aren't that great at catching heart issues unless u are hhaving a problem then and there. So I'm worried that just becauseiI wasn't havinf a heart attack right at the moment it didn'txcatch it.
I've also read that wwoman have different symptoms than men and that it feels like anxiety. Back pain arm pain eetc. And that we can have symtoms for months... Its also the number one misdiagnoaed emergency in females.I'm just scared that I'm being overlooked.
Everyday the symtoms intesify. Perhaps I'd be dead already. But each day it feelslike iI'mchecking off a new ssymtom of a heart attack or pulmonary embolism

[Frenchy]

Although the ECG came back normal the doctor did say that ecgs aren't that great at catching heart issues unless u are hhaving a problem then and there.

That is not true at all and [not to call you a liar] I can't understand why any good Dr would actually say that. Whilst it is true that if you are trying to look for very specific occasional cardiac arrhythmias then a one-time ECG is less helpful as these ryhthms may only happen sporadically. In which case they would usually use a holter monitor to record over 24/48 hours. However ECG's are extremely good at picking up both electrical and physical issues with your heart.

For heart attacks - when you look at what a heart attack actually is - that is when a lack of blood flow (usually caused by blocked arteries in the vast majority of cases) causes a piece of your heart tissue to be starved of oxygen long enough to die and/or be damaged and scarred. This in turn almost always causes both electrical changes and permanent (or at least long term) changes in physical heart function - which is also visible on an ECG.

When a heart attack causes a piece of heart tissue to die, the heart chambers pump differently due to a piece of tissue no longer contracting like it should do. That would show as an abnormal ECG. Also, the electrical signals that flow accross a normal heart to regulate the beats and cause the chambers to contract would be interrupted in a heart that has gone through a heart attack, as these electrical signals do not flow correctly accross dead or scarred tissue.

I'm not a medical expert and noone on hear can give you medical advice about your condition. But I can say that an ECG would be highly likely to register evidence of a heart attack.

[ricardo]

That is not true at all and [not to call you a liar] I can't understand why any good Dr would actually say that. Whilst it is true that if you are trying to look for very specific occasional cardiac arrhythmias then a one-time ECG is less helpful as these ryhthms may only happen sporadically. In which case they would usually use a holter monitor to record over 24/48 hours. However ECG's are extremely good at picking up both electrical and physical issues with your heart.

For heart attacks - when you look at what a heart attack actually is - that is when a lack of blood flow (usually caused by blocked arteries in the vast majority of cases) causes a piece of your heart tissue to be starved of oxygen long enough to die and/or be damaged and scarred. This in turn almost always causes both electrical changes and permanent (or at least long term) changes in physical heart function - which is also visible on an ECG.

When a heart attack causes a piece of heart tissue to die, the heart chambers pump differently due to a piece of tissue no longer contracting like it should do. That would show as an abnormal ECG. Also, the electrical signals that flow accross a normal heart to regulate the beats and cause the chambers to contract would be interrupted in a heart that has gone through a heart attack, as these electrical signals do not flow correctly accross dead or scarred tissue.

I'm not a medical expert and noone on hear can give you medical advice about your condition. But I can say that an ECG would be highly likely to register evidence of a heart attack.


That is absolutely correct.

I have an intermittent, irregular but regular heart beat called bigaminy. Many people are born with that as in my case though I didn't know for sure as anxiety can cause missed beats but the specialists had to make sure after my H A so I also had the 24 holster monitor.

[Fishmanpa]

Having had two, there's no mistaking a heart attack.

That being said, I've had chest pain due to stress and reflux and there are some similarities. My 2nd heart attack felt like indigestion but that was just the warning sign. I had some discomfort, took some antacids and it eased. Then, about 12 hours later it came back and there was no mistaking it at all. It was excruciating pain.

My theory is... if you're asking if you're having a heart attack on an anxiety forum and waiting for replies, chances are pretty darn good it's not a heart attack ;)

Positive thoughts

[Davit]

No one ever mentions Chronic fatigue or Arthritis. Arthritis in the sternum is very painful and radiates. CF has a pain element to it but the fatigue is very real.

[Natasha006]

Hi everyone thank u very much for your posts
Sorry that I haven't had a chance to follow up. I was trying to try different coping mechanisms and trying to stay off the internet to see if it helps my "anxiety"
It doesn't.
Over the last couple of days I have developed extreme fatigue. My chest discomfort went from like a 6 to a 9
Every time I eat somethig my stomach balloons and I have severe burning pain
I constantly feel like someone is sitting on my chest
And to make matters worse I get pins and needles running up and down my arm.
Sitting here right this I can tell u at the moment when I take a deep breath ... I'll give u an example... Have u ever chewed menthol gum and then took a deep breath or drank cold water. .. .that's what it feels like
. . my heart misses beats. My stomach is bloated. And I have back pain. I'm extrmeley nauseated and my chest feels tight and I am fatigued.
I honestly dont know what this is. The doctors that I have seen aren't sending me for tests. But these symptoms.come out of the blue. They don't gradually build. . .
I feel worse. I know its not anxiety or a panic attack because these feel differently.
Usually with my panic attacks....I panic. My heart races I feel like I can't breath. I feel like my entire body is shaking .. I feel like in going to die.
This feels different.
I'm not sure what it could be :(

[Frenchy]

Hi Natasha

Again, I'm not a doctor - but I can say that every symptom you describe could be easily explainable as anxiety. In fact almost all of your symptoms are listed as some of the most common symptoms of anxiety. Pins and needles in your arms is not really a symptom of a heart problem (at least not one I have read about). Is it down both arms? That sounds more like it is either anxiety - or very possibly extreme muscle tension in your neck and shoulders (driven by high stress) that is making your back ache and may be pinching the nerves in your neck and shoulders slightly which would certainly cause pins and needles. I suffer with pinched nerves in my neck and shoulders and often have pins and needles.

Are you taking anything for the indigestion symptoms you are getting when you eat? If not, get some over the counter antacids and see if they work. Also, make sure you are hydrated and eat smaller meals for a while, keep your food on the blander/non-spicy side and avoid lots of salt and carbs - just until you (hopefully) feel better.