stabbing pain and the shakes

[thepuppetman]

i was recently diagnosed with heart failure after having a heart attack 8 weeks ago

i have had a stabbing pain intermittently on my left side and after medication it gives me the shakes when walking particularly after wearing a mask for a short distance i am out of breath will the medication ease this ? any advice would be great as i wont see cardiologist untll 5th jan

[Sunnie2day]

Eight weeks isn't very long for recovery after a major heart attack (if it's left you with HF, it had to have been major) so perhaps you're expecting a little too much?

That said, stabbing pain on the left isn't the best sign of a successful recovery unless you were stented, many report some pain after being stented - but everyone is different in recovery periods from even a mild heart attack.

I know it's the weekend and Boxing Day on top of that but the pain should be reported to your medics. At the least you should give 111 a telephone call today to see what they suggest/advise.

Also very helpful is the BHF Heart Helpline and reading their current status page (with contact details, hours of manned support), it appears they are manning the phone lines today - the cardiac nurses may be able to give you just the advice you need the now:

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

Please keep us posted on how you get on.

[thepuppetman in reply to Sunnie2day]

hi it looks like the phone lines are closed until the 28th

[Sunnie2day in reply to thepuppetman]

Have you tried the BHF telephone number? If you scroll down the page at the link, past that huge and (to me at least) confusing notice box at the top of the page, you'll see the working hours listed and Saturdays until 4pm are manned phone line hours.

If the nurses weren't on today, it would have been listed, I'd think. Give it a go, and if they aren't manning the lines, then seriously consider calling 111.

Chest pain, especially the stabby sort, means someone with medical knowledge should be consulted with some urgency. Not to panic you by any means but post heart attack, stabbing pain could mean anything from 'no worries' to 'time for an A&E visit'. Only a trained professional is able to advise on that so it would really be best to telephone either the BHF lines or 111.

[Brandibell]

Hi, Stabbing pains can be anything from muscle ache to angina if they are not continuous I would go with muscle ache. But to be on the safe side I would ring 999 and let them check you over. Being breathless is part of HF depending on where you are on the scale. Tablets keep your heart steady. Masks will make it worse you are not on your own with that one as they restrict oxygen.Really you need to rest up. 8 weeks is nothing. Take care.

[thepuppetman in reply to Brandibell]

hi have rang the emergency doctor and he says it is muscle ache-i know 8 weeks is not a long time in my journey but i have no one else to talk to and reading google is not the best idea;i didnt know i had heart failure i wasnt told this until a few days before christmas and i wont see anyone from cardiac services until jan

[Brandibell in reply to thepuppetman]

Hi, i went from Mild to moderate in a year. I thought I was doing fine. I was on my stepper. Bang Moderate HF ejection fraction 35%. Didn't see it coming through me for a while. Now I just see it has my heart struggles a bit up the stairs I am not quite as fast as I should be or not. At 46 I can slow down. It is all about pacing it and not feeling guilty for having a rest.