Call 999 or leave it....

[Manhattan1]

maybe this is a strange question.but.... has anyone ever felt ill.. chest discomfort, breathless and dizzy but put up with it.. putting off calling 111 or 999 because they don’t want to feel daft and waste their time.. gone to bed and then wake up feeling better and glad they didn’t make that phone call?

[lettingoffsteam]

Why, has that happened to you?

[Manhattan1 in reply to lettingoffsteam]

last few days..not pain as such.. discomfort.. low heart rate but that’s not new.. dizziness and breathless.. last time i called 111 they sent an ambulance.. but as i said it seems to lessen off next morning and you feel glad you didn’t call them

[stargazey in reply to Manhattan1]

Yes, frequently. I have hiatus hernia and bile reflux and think it's related. Wearing a 24 heart monitor next week. I live alone, hospital miles away and doniwant to keep "crying Wolf". Is this you too?

[Manhattan1 in reply to stargazey]

we’re only 5 mins drive from Forth valley royal hospital.. i just hate calling fir help

[stargazey in reply to Manhattan1]

Talk to your GP and ask advice. Maybe some tests they can do. Sometimes I think I'm having the longest heart attack in history!

[Shoshov]

many times manhattan. i think most of us have. through time you get better at judging when you need to go in or ride it out. on the other hand if your at all worried you should always call at least 111. it’s never a waste of time with cardiac problems. medics will tell you they’d rather send you home well than you not going and something happens. i’m actually in hospital just now as symptoms on sunday we’re more extreme than usual and that’s when i pop over to a&e. have a word with your go about your concerns but never be afraid to go if your instinct tells you otherwise. hope this helps. take care❤️shiona

[Manhattan1 in reply to Shoshov]

thanks Shona.. i’m just waiting to have an angiogram carried out in the next 14 weeks..hopefully that might fix things up👍.. Cardiologist wasn’t too happy with ecg plus i had an ultrasound of my heart a couple of years ago and he said it wasn’t very clear.. said there’s a possibility i might’ve had a previous heart attack and not known about it

[Sunnie2day]

I'm with the others replying here - talk to your medical team to work out a plan for these events.

I have 'soldiered through' - and regretted it despite waking the next morning 'feeling fine'. Last spring (2019) I soldiered through several times over a two month period.

Making what has become a long story short, 'soldiering through' brought me perilously close to cardiac tamponade and only my dentist noticing how desperately unwell I was when I arrived for a root canal treatment saved me progressing to the point of needing a pericardiocentesis.

I understand not wanting to ring 111. I get not wanting to become known as a cries wolf patient. I even (all too well!) get avoiding procedures that can be terribly unpleasant so 'soldiering through' is preferable. But I'm glad I've talked to my GP, cardiac nurse, and cardiologist as to when to soldier through and when to ring for help.

[Manhattan1 in reply to Sunnie2day]

yep this has been going on for about 4 or 5 days now.. i need to do something about it

[84green in reply to Manhattan1]

Manhatten1.

Sorry to hear but as you can see, you’re definitely not alone.

Following my recent diagnosis of mild and moderate narrowing of two arteries following an ECG, echocardiogram and CT cardio angiogram, I have felt all sorts of tingles, flutters and pains in my chest That weren’t there before, as well as occasional dizziness. I do suffer from anxiety relating to medical stuff.

I would recommend discussing it with your GP or calling 111.

However, I would also flag up the role that anxiety can play in creating physical symptoms. Did your pains start before or after you were referred for an angiogram? I’ve certainly noticed that my flutters tend to come on when I’m quiet and my mind starts focusing on them. It seems to build from there.

Please take proper advice but I’d also recommend looking at ways to relax.

Also, as someone on this forum quite rightly and helpfully pointed out to me - if they suspected anything urgent or serious, you wouldn’t be waiting 14 weeks.

Best wishes

[Manhattan1 in reply to 84green]

hi.. no was experiencing those symptoms before angiogram was arranged.. that’s why hospital referred me back to Cardiologist.. im feeling quite calm about angiogram.. the chest heaviness and dizziness had disappeared for a couple of weeks.. but started up again over the past 4 or 5 days.. if it gets any worse i’ll give 111 a call👍