Still on my mind after all these years. 😞

[Jackdaw44]

Sorry for the long post. 😔

Ok, a bit of background first, I had lots of stuff going on. Dad had just passed away, family business gone, all the money gone, no job and more stuff besides, my life was down the drain. So lots of stressful things going on.

So one day sitting on the sofa, had a pain in the centre of my chest and went as white as a ghost, took some paracetamol and laid down, after that I felt a little better, but pain still there. I didn’t know what the pain was, but I just felt wrong somehow, I knew something was wrong.

So drove myself to hospital. 🙄 After a seven hour wait in A+E felt much better, tests came back as negative for HA, take some Gavescon they said. 😬 Next day went out, everything as normal, no pain nothing. Day after that, pains again, this time called 111 they got an ambulance. This time tests did show something, and was in hospital for 10 days, but only I think because I was waiting for a bed in another hospital to have one stent put in, but not sure about that, because no one ever told me why I was in for this amount of time?

To this day I don’t know if I had a HA or not, I suppose I did, but never given any information about it. Stent on Friday evening , chucked out Saturday morning, with a big of pills and a letter that’s it. 🙄

So if I may a few questions to ask, just in case anyone has had a similar experience and can shed any light.

1. If it was a day apart from the chest pains, is that one HA or two?

2. How could the pains completely go, or felt better in A&E after sitting for hours and show no signs of HA the first time?

3. After I was admitted, I was given a few pills and an injection in the stomach, every day but I had no more pains, so why was I in for so long? Was I waiting for a bed in another hospital or another reason?

4. How do I tell how damaged my heart is? I’ve asked at the doctors before and they seem to not really care, take your pills and get on with your life I was told.

5. Why can I just not get past this? It’s been years yet I still think about it every day, and I’m sorry to admit, I’m scared about the next one. 😔

Once again apologies for the long post. 😞

Thank you,

JD.

[Hidden]

Hi I'm really sorry youve had such an awful time. Have you asked your gp for advice? Usually they are given a report from the hospital. Might be worth a try. Good luck

[Jackdaw44 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Doora.

Yes I have asked before, but they just seem totally uninterested . The problem is now of course even speaking to a doctor, or getting an appointment. 😔

[Mijmijkey74 in reply to Jackdaw44]

You can request to see with own eyes your medical records. You may have to pay and each place that treats you has their own medical records about you. I want to see my whole local hospital medical file from birth and my gp medical records. They have forms available where you can make your requests to view. I was advised to specify on the form for all nurse/doctor/specialist hand writen notes, sticky notes, lose hand written notes/observations also be included. I have yet to do this. Also any mri/X-rays/ecgs ect you had done at various hospitals you can ring the departments and request copies. Same with blood tests. You may have to pay. All that will give you answers. Also if you are not happy with how you were/are treated/dismissed/fobbed off/ignored speak with Pals, log a complaint and demand you are provided with all the answers to the questions you have. Don't let any of them fob you off or treat you as a mithering pest. It is your body, your wellbeing and you have a right to know everything being done, has been done, going on and has gone on, goes on. Without them providing you with offhand flippant uninformative answers. Don't back down! Demand the answers about your own questions relating to your own health and body. Definitely speak with Pals, they do get action going/moving. Doesn't matter how long ago it all was, it has all clearly impacted and you needed those answers then and still may well need them. Doctors, nurses, specialists will try their best at fobbing you off. Don't allow that, but don't rant and rage. Good luck. 🤞

[Shockedwithstent]

Hi JD, I am sorry to hear you’ve been through so much. You will be pleased to know I have gone through similar experience almost 2 years ago. Yes, unfortunately it was a heart attack but it’s a shame that you were not attended to properly even though treated. hopefully it’s all past you now. The injection, meds given to you at the time was to thin your blood and avoid a heart attack( by the way I am not a doctor, just my opinion). Yes, the reason it took so long I assume was due to logistics and beds being available and allocating a cardiologist to do the procedure.In my opinion stress is a no.1 killer and from reading your post you have gone through tough times. I know it’s easy to say and it’s hard to move on but going through the same experience, my advice is to put it past you. You should have been enrolled onto a cardiac rehab program local to you. Please ask your GP to refer you. You will have a team of cardiac nurses, fitness instructors who are experienced and will help you get into shape/exercise. I would also suggest eating healthy. You can also call The British Heart Foundation who can send you more info.

In answer to your question re: if it will happen again and reassurances. No one can guarantee the future. However, you should request your GP to refer you to a cardiologist and request for a stress MRI. That’s the closest to angiogram that can give cardiologist an indication if everything is ok.

Hope this is helpful.

All the best.

[Jackdaw44 in reply to Shockedwithstent]

Thank you for your reply. 🙏🏻

Unfortunately I didn’t go to cardiac rehab. Another part to the story,

my mum was diagnosed as having breast cancer and was in hospital at the time, she wasn’t given long to live so instead of going to rehab I spend ever day with her.

At one time we were both in the same hospital . 😞

I do try to put things behind me, but eventually my mind always comes back to the same thing. Thinking about what happened, and thinking about if there is going to be a next time. 😢

[Calm2]

Hi, can totally relate to what you are saying. Had heart attack nearly three years ago, had a stent, spent 2 days in CCU then home. Never saw a cardiologist just got told by a nurse that if anyone had to have a heart attack then mine was the one to have, something about it being low down and on the best side? I had one appt to have an angiogram, never heard anymore. So, like you, I take my pills everyday and worry myself sick about it happening again. The one positive was definitely Cardio Rehab, it gave me confidence and took away my fears yet unfortunately 3 yrs on and they have crept back again. So I sympathise and want to say put it out of your mind yet I know that’s pretty impossible. You are not alone if that helps at all?

[Jackdaw44 in reply to Calm2]

Thank you for your reply. 🙏🏻

It’s a constant worry isn’t it. They fixed the HA at the hospital but mentally it’s getting over it, that myself and so many others struggle with.

I wasn’t lucky enough to do the cardio rehab, as I was with my mum most days who was very ill with cancer, and didn’t have long to live. So basically I was left to fend for myself, so like yourself I just take the pills and worry everyday. 😞

[Shockedwithstent in reply to Jackdaw44]

I am very sorry for your loss. It must have been so tough on you. I know how you feel, it’s very hard to pick up the pieces whilst trying to look after your heart at the same time. You can still contact your GP and they can. refer you to Cardiac rehab. They are a team of specialist who will monitor your heart rate whilst exercising. You will slowly build that confidence to move on.

All the best

[Jackdaw44 in reply to Shockedwithstent]

Thank you. 🙏🏻

[Mijmijkey74 in reply to Shockedwithstent]

I had biventricular heart failure discovered accidentally as a shocker of a unexpected discovery on what was a normal chest xray whilst I was in a coma from a severe asthma attack. I never received Cardiac rehab of exercising on machines and heart rate monitored. They had all that stuff available, I saw it all when I did my asthma lung function tests. They tell me my biventricular heart failure has gone. Yet speaking with bhf and other foundations plus other doctors they say heart failure doesn't go away. I was given a big heart failure pack and put on statins and abruptly told "when alone without support" that my life expect had been shorted. I eventually stopped taking those statins after repeatedly being told the heart failure had gone. I want all those scan results to actually double and triple check for myself as I have no faith left in anyone outside of the ICU setting in hospital or gp surgeries anymore. Can probably diagnose myself more accurately than them if provided with all my files, results and scans. I went to my parents house after being told my life expectancy had been shorted. I was in my early 40's not over 44 yrs old. Told my parents and nothing from them, no look of shock, no hug, no comfort, no gasp or sharp intake of breath. They just all looked at me horribly with looks on their faces of - yeah right stop lying! Not caring looks at all, no hug or empathy, nothing, absolutely nothing. They didn't give a sh💩it!!!