Around two weeks ago, my mum and I were sat on the couch. My mum is 45 and very healthy. She eats all the healthy things and takes natural herbs and supplements. Suddenly, she told me to pause the TV because she was having chest pains and couldn't catch her breath.
I was fully prepared to call an ambulance but she would not let me. She told me I was overreacting. I finally persuaded her to see the doctor who gave her an ECG. They believe she may have had a mini one and she is being referred to Cardiology at the hospital. However, when we went to book her appointment, the 'earliest' appointment is JUNE!
This makes no logical sense to me because it is well known that once you have had one, you are at risk of having another. The doctor has told my mum that he cannot do anything about it and if she's having pains, she should go to A&E. Again, this is a contradiction because he CAN do something but doesn't want to. They tell you not to go to A&E but we have a doctor encouraging it.
Ever since the initial issue, my mum is tired all the time. She has chest pains sometimes and cannot breathe properly. I have seen the egregious neglect that doctors and nurses. This has frustrated me to no end because a heart attack is a serious thing, and waiting three months medically makes no sense.
Does anyone have any advice?
Written by
cherrymochi
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
If your mum gets chest pains again then get her to phone 999 as it is a potential medical emergency. Unfortunately routine referrals from a GP to a cardiologist can take a while. Chest pains and breathlessness are potential signs of a heart attack (or alternatively, angina) so it is better to not take any chances.
If your mum has any chest pains again - ring 999. If the symptoms are chest pains and shortness of breadth they will always prioritise the call and send an ambulance as quickly as they can - believe me I know - when I rang 999 and said I had pains like indigestion and was having trouble breathing - 2 paramedics and an ambulance turned up within 6 minutes.The NHS has been making a point during the pandemic that you should ring 999 in cases like this. It's better to get checked out by a ambulance crew/paramedic than ignore it - and if they turn up and it's not a heart attack they really will not mind - anything that has the symptoms of a heart attack requires a call to 999
Good morning. I agree with the much of the advice you have already received from others here. Your Mum's symptoms are a bit like those I had last year : I too was healthy and active and ate the right things (wholemeal bread/cereal, lots of veggies/salads, oily fish, not much red meat, avoided saturated fats etc etc) and suddenly I woke in the night with chest pains. My GP did an ECG and then referred me to my local hospital's Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic and I had an appointment within 24 hours. I was diagnosed with angina - and this sounds just like your Mum's symptoms. So it's vital that your Mum gets checked out....and quickly......because a heart attack could be next. Unfortunately it seems that your GP has a different view and I don't understand why. So I agree with the others that you should call 999 if your Mum has a severe attack. A&E is also an very sensible option or call 111 when your GP is closed (otherwise they will just refer you back to your GP again!) and they will probably call an ambulance. It's also worth checking out whether your local hospital has a Rapid Access Chest Pain clinic (most of them do) so that you can prompt the 111 team to get your Mum sent there. Just Google "Rapid Access Chest Pain" plus your local hospital's name. It's unfortunate that you have to bypass your GP but sometimes it has to be done to get the care you need. You should not wait until June.
Dial 999 and get an ambulance. Please dont wait. A and E is the place to be in such a situation. Better safe than sorry. Some hospitals have a rapid chest pain facility mine certainly does. Best wishes.
Last Wednesday I had chest pain. 999 called an ambulance. There in 10 mins. ECG straight to specialist cardiac unit 1 hr away, angiogram, angioplasty and stent. All in under 2 hours.Home the next day. It was a minor heart attack.
Don’t mess around. Next time she has any problem dial 999.
Morning Cherrymochi, I hope you have been able to take the good advice that has been given. Hope your mum gets the help she needs soon, keep being strong for her regards Sheena
Hi, 111 is the best way to go, similar to me had chest tightening pain and left arm and shoulder pain especially after having something to eat and also a feeling of needing the toilet they called for an ambulance taken to hospital stayed overnight they confirmed a mild heart attack, they then sent me to another hospital because the one I stayed overnight in didn't have an angiogram had to wait a couple of days because the time it happened was when I was sent home from work for 14 days because the person I worked next to had covid had an angioplasty and had two stents fitted because I had narrowing of the arteries and now on tablets that apparently I can't change because they are for what might happen in the future if I don't take them. Hope this helps 111 seems to be the way to go.
Go to A and E. I had to go due to chest pains/ aches due to trapped gas in the chest ,which I have had on and off since a H A last November.The staff there were adamant that for any chest pains they want people to go in
Hi, everyone here has said it and that's the way about it, even slight chest pain or just shortness of breath bring 999 and have it checked out for your and your mum's peace of mind, I know it's covid and that is no reason for docters or the hospital not to take people serious due to their health, covid can be on going for many years but that doesn't mean the world should come to a standstill because its covid.
And if you do go to A&E be prepared to dig your heels in. They have a 4 hour turnaround target and in my experience (self and wife) they are all too keen to send you home with the advice to take that ‘wonderdrug’ paracetamol - before they really get to the bottom of things.
If you present with chest pains, there is no way you will be kept waiting for 4 hours. If you don't get seen quickly phone PALS at the hospital and explain the issue.
I don’t mean you’ll be kept waiting for 4 hours! They have a target to process you within 4 hours and my point is that sometimes compromises decision making. With me, they wanted to send me home but only at my insistence did they persist with investigation. They then decided that I had a blood clot on the lung!
When I went with chest pains a couple of years ago, after an initial ecg and Chest X-ray, I was left in a cubicle and totally ignored for the next 6 hours and then told to go home, take Paracetamol and see a GP. No other explanation. Despite strong family history of Heart Attacks and disease. Just made to feel a nuisance and a time waster.
An ECG will tell if you have had or are having a heart attack. The X Xra is likely to be done to see if you have Pericarditis (inflammation of the sac around the heart. Hence the advice about ParacetamolIt's unforgivable that you should be left waiting for as long as that, but it has happened to me
But a full explanation at the time would have put my mind at rest is what I’m getting at. They could have explained that as you have. 5 extra minutes in 6 hours wouldn’t have been difficult?
Yes you are right. The day after I was discharged after my mi I was readmitted into A&E with chest pains. I lay on a trolley for 10 hours after they worked out I was not having another mi.They were going to readmit me to the specialist ward I had been in.
I simply couldn't get anyone to tell me what was going on
Totally agree with advice given. I too had heart attack out of blue 5 months ago. Luckily my husband realised what was happening. Rang 999. It took 45 minutes though to get to me despite living very near to 5 hospitals so never hesitate to ring quickly. I had an anterior STEMI - no warning at all! I was rushed into hospital, stent fitted within hour of arriving. Unfortunately few hours later taken into lab again for another angioplasty due to clot in stent. A month later I had chest pains (not same as heart attack ) and breathless and admitted again. Further angioplasty and another stent 3 weeks later chest pains again. Another angiogram and challenge test during this diagnosed coronary spasms. So please don’t ignore chest pains. Just get to A & E.
Hi I hope your Mum is feeling better, if she is still having chest pains then as others have said get her to go to A&E or phone 999. My experience of hospital (in August) was that whilst the ambulance crew couldnt find any problem with my heart, they strongly recommended I went to A&E to have a blood test to rule it out completely. Although A&E was really busy, they treated me seriously and I ended up spending 5 days in hospital whilst they waited for various tests to be done - made worse because it was a Friday when I went and so they couldnt get an appointment for an angiogram! However at no point did they give me the impression I shouldnt have been there. If you do go to A&E you may need to be prepared for a wait quite a while as they need to do repeat blood tests. I hope she manages to get it sorted.
I understand your problem. I have had similar. First came a heart attack. I did recognise the symptoms and the NHS did what it does best got me in and treated me quickly.
Follow up appointments with Cardiologists are a different matter.
From what I read your mother really does need a cardiologist. The chest pains and other symptoms really need diagnosis and treatment, and that is the job of a cardiologist not an A&E doctor. I have had bad symptoms after my heart attack, and as with you the GP sends me to A&E. A&E tell me that it's not a heart attack (ECG, blood test and chest X Ray) and send me home.
Then the cycle repeats itself in a few weeks time. Problem is you really can't ignore chest pains.
So frequent visits to A&E is a potential waste of time.
A cardiologist can diagnose the issue via various tests. The most likely one is an angiogram which will show any blockage in the coronary arteries, and allow them to fix it.
After my heart attack, I managed to get 2 phone calls from the cardiologist assigned to me, and that was pretty much it.
I then paid to see a cardiologist privately.
I picked one who worked at the same hospital as I was treated, so if you went down this route, pick one who is based at your local hospital.
With any luck, the guy can assess how serious your mother's condition is (from the ECG your doctor did, so make sure he/she has access to it before the visit). He will write a report and that should either put your mind at rest until June or should get you more urgent treatment on the NHS.
A first appointment with a cardiologist should cost around £200.
The reason (for what it's worth) that cardiologist appointments are so difficult appears to be that during the last covid wave many specialists were taken off their normal work to treat covid patients. In particular cardiologists
Hi please can you tell me how you arranged to see a private cardiologist? I went to a and e last Sunday as I had chest pains while out walking, my tripolin levels rose from 11 to 29 in six hours and was told I’d had a mild heart attack! Sent home on Betta blockers and blood thinners and now feeling so worried and have so many unanswered questions follow up is 3 months time I can’t wait that long !
Firstly, find the cardiologist you want. Initially, I looked at my local hospital's website. I think most if not all hospitals have a section about hospital services. Look under cardiology and find one. Not all cardiologists do private, so then you need to google the name you have found, and find if he/she sees private patients.If they do, there will be websites (like the Nuffield) where the guy is listed along with a bio, or he might have a secretary who looks after his private practice.
If he seems suitable, get in touch with the secretary to make an appointment. The secretary is likely to be fairly knowledgeable about cardiology.
You might need a referral, which you can get from your GP.
It's best to choose a cardio in your area (my case Surrey). Out of area means you have to travel, and access to your medical data is more difficult (but not impossible).
It's also true that cardiologists are v. busy with NHS work just now, because of covid when many were not doing their day job.
I ended up with a cardiologist in papworth heart hospital, largely because of the name. Not sure it was the right decision.
Thankyou I will look at my local Nuffield hospital and see if they’re seeing patients at the moment! I just wasn’t sure if they could access my nhs records to see results from tests they did ? I think £200 for a consultation is not too bad I’ve paid it for dental treatment before and this is way more important!
I think that now Nuffield hospitals are no longer contracted to the NHS so are available. I meant look at your local NHS hospital website for a cardiologist. Initially I saw the guy who treated me initially for my MI. I saw him 2-3 months ago at the Nuffield near me
Sometimes Cherrymochi calling 999 is the only way and fastest way to get your mum ( into) the system, an admission into hospital will give her immediate attention from a cardiologist, we live in strange times, and we have to have a (workaround) the clogged up system we have at the moment, I hope this helps 👍
You have been given good advice. The thing that might be missing is getting your mum's agreement beforehand or just telling her what you will do if she has chest pains again. I brushed off several episodes until my husband said he was calling an ambulance next time no matter what - as a result ended up being admitted with a HA & having 2 stents. Also, your mum's GP can refer her to a rapid assessment chest pain - there should be one in your area.
Chest pains should always be checked out.no matter how old you are or how healthy your lifestyle...especially after the gp saying "may have had a small one already"just dial 999 and they will make sure your mum's in the right hands no matter what...do not wait xdebx
In 2019 - at the age of 45 - I suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest. I'd been enjoying a lazy weekend; walking the dog, cooking a Sunday roast etc. Early evening, my shoulder started to ache, so I had a shower. I was fine until I came out. I felt as though something dreadful was about to happen and I should lay down on the bed. I wasn't in any pain but my husband called 111. By the time the ambulance arrived 10 mins later, I had severe pain down my left arm and jaw. I remember the x2 female paramedics coming through the door and attaching wires/a monitor and then...nothing...I woke up on the floor, with a male paramedic I'd never seen before, straddling me! If the paramedics hadn't been onsite, providing CPR/using defib I wouldn't be here today and there would be 2 teenagers without their mother. Tell you Mum that if it happens again, she must call 999. I was incredibly lucky.
When I experienced problems breathing and strange chest sensations I had never had before, I got concerned and eventually decided to get some advice so phoned 111 at 5.30 in the morning. As soon as I described the unusual sensations in my chest, they took me very seriously, put it through their system and sent out an ambulance. I felt bad because I was concerned in case I was just panicking but they said not to worry as they felt I should be checked over. It turned out I did the right thing as tests at A&E discovered I’d had an nstemi heart attack due to blocking of arteries caused by a genetic condition I had no idea I had that had not been discovered a few months earlier when I had 5 day monitoring test which proved my heart was okay (the problem actually being arterial). As a result I was sent to Trent Cardiac Centre where they found I needed emergency bypass surgery - without which I had less than two years left. So, as they requested, I stayed in hospital - until the earliest available slot for what turned out to be a triple bypass 18 days later. I now realise just how lucky I was to get diagnosed and treated - all as a result of the 111 call. I would say that if your mum is concerned by chest pains it’s worth calling 111 to get advice just to be on the safe side or put her mind at rest. If they’re in any doubt, they may send an ambulance so she can be checked over at A&E which, despite a possible wait, should either clear her worries or lead to further treatment if necessary. I wish her well and hope she’s soon sorted and feeling much better.
Hi Cherrymochi, Your mum is lucky that she has a chest pain which is an indicative of a heart condition and that would prompt you to get to A&E centre without asking any question. However, others who do have atypical heart pain is likely to be dismissed by non suspecting G.P. or even by some cardiologist as tension and anxiety causing muscle pain, severe heart burn, heavy indigestion, dental problems leading to jaw pain, pain on the inner side of left arm, left shoulder pain. Experienced cardiologist will agree what I have said and I learnt this by attending a cardiology conference on ischaemic heart disease and why people of ethnic minority can confuse clinicians by having these unusual symptoms but can happen to ethnic majority and should not be dismissed. Your mum is probably a very laid back person and these sort of personality can get into trouble because they don't want to make a fuss for nothing.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Heart Failure diagnoses but 6 month wait for the clinic!
No Doctor is listening or beleive me I am waiting to have a heart attack
The Hollywood Heart Attack
Waiting forever for Heart MRI
