Went to A&E yesterday morning with chest pain that had gone into my back. It started the afternoon before. I have AF and HF and am always being nagged to go to A&E if I get chest pain. Every time I go I go through the same raft of tests which always come back negative and find that once again I have cried wolf and gone with muscular pain. It's so hard to tell the difference but yesterday they said I must still keep going as the one time I don't it will be my heart.
What I find so hard is that the NHS is short of money and I feel I am seriously wasting resources
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Nanne
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This sound so like me nanne. I had a heart attack in February and had 2 stents in a single vessel. Iv recently been diagnosed with unstable angina at a&e and given isosorbate(I think that's what you call it).my cardio nurse told me not to take it as she doesn't think it's angina as I only had single vessel disease. I'm really reluctant to go back to a&e but I'm getting pains in chest radiating round my back, both shoulders more regularly. Don't you feel as if your just a number. That's where I am emotionally at the moment
This could so be me too, i have been on numerous occasions but they think it is anxiety but it feels like I am having a heart attack. I have cardiomyopathy and a LBBB, it makes you feel so scared, because what if??
Keep going though, god forbid it could be something worse xx
Going to A&E with chest pain is NEVER a waste of time. Even the doctors can’t tell the difference unless they do tests so it’s important to get it checked out. When I was last in A&E I think I was one of about 3 genuine cases. The other 30 plus people appeared to be slightly the worse for wear!! It was a Saturday night though! Even though my tests came back negative they still said to always come back with any kind of chest pain. Just to be sure. Take care. Zena x
I actually had this conversation with my GP, that when you go to casualty even if its not said you can here them discussing bed issues. When I was kept in last week overnight and the on call duty doctor said there is nothing wrong with you you can go makes you feel you are a time waster. I try not feel guitly, but I do. Hoowever, given my current medical problems I should over ride it.
I've had similar problems. Tightness round the chest and pain in back. Last week I was admitted again and they started me on Ranexa for angina pain. The pain in my back has now gone and the tightness muchly reduced so it's never a waste of time.
I know where you are coming from Nanne People go to A and E with some of the most trivial things so I hate going for anything as they are so over stretched. The night my husband took me in 7 weeks or so ago with severe palpitations etc the waiting room was solid. As I'll as I felt, I felt so guilty about being there. I was treated as an emergency as soon as my husband checked me in and gave them my symptoms. After a quick ECG I was rushed in to resus my heart rate was hitting 200bpm plus and I was kept in there for 5 hours as they couldn't get my rate down.
The consultant went mad at me for leaving it 24 hours before I went for help. He said if you know your body well enough you should know when it is time to go. He did say that with heart conditions in particular some people do not deal with their anxiety issues and will go in for every little thing but that the majority of people had learned to become in tune with their bodies and knew the difference between needing hospital or not.
I should have known better because 6 years ago I nearly lost my life to multiple blood clots on my lungs etc through not wanting to waste NHS time. It's a sad day when people who need the NHS will not seek help because they feel it is already being overstretched by people going in for trivial little things that 111, a pharmacist or a walk in center could help them with.
We live in Spain, and where we are you go to a local health centre first, and a doctor sees you does an ECG and assesses you. He starts any treatment and sends you by ambulance to hospital if needed. It is a good system because you are seen by staff who you know and know you, we have never felt we are wasting anyone's time. The pressure in the UK health service is a cause for concern, but you should never wait if you have serious problems with your heart.
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