In June I had some stomach/ chest pains which I thought was indigestion and rang 111 and they advised me to go to A&E . When I got there they took my blood and ecg. My ecg was ok apparently.
I had my blood results and they said I’d had a heart attack. I was admitted to a ward and had a number of tests over the coming days.
I was put on Clopidogrel for a year.
when I read my discharge notes it said my pains were ‘ A typical ‘ I’m wondering how many have had a heart attack with non typical pains ?
Thanks.
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Oaks6
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I had a heart attack that was so serious { from the damage it left } that I shouldn’t have survived it. I knew nothing about it, truly not a thing.
I will always remember the shock on the Cardiologists face when I was called in from his waiting room, he thought that he had the wrong person as he was at the very lest expecting me in a wheelchair.
A year { almost } on and a triple heart bypass and a pacemaker done and I am here to reply to your post.
The forum is full of stories like mine and I find them all individual and fascinating.
Hi, I had chest pain, collapsed unconscious, ambulance men had to do CPR, taken to hospital, told it was only indigestion, typical attitude to women and heart attacks. The next year had massive heart attack, this time taken seriously, crash team were operating on me on the pavement before I even got into the Cardiac unit. Subsequently told I’d had 5% chance of surviving it.Left with EF of 25%.
Since then have had C and then last year Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, totally amazed I’m still here, beginning to think I may be the first immortal🙀
Oh my goodness, you’ve been through it! 5 years ago I had 3 stents fitted ,then this year I had a cancer op before my heart attack. I had my prostate removed which is a major operation. I’m wondering if the op caused the extra stress?!
I had no pain just a big pressure on my chest. I was really lucky. I walked into Airedale A and E which was heaving but I didn't even have time to sit down before I was whisked through and seen. I was taken very seriously. I was later transferred to Leeds for an angiogram and both hospitals were fantastic.
Oh yes. This is typical to what I had for a long time and it didn’t help that the pain went when I took Gaviscon. In fact the only reason I went to A&E after a bad episode was the feeling something wasn’t right this time. I had a mild heart attack and further tests proved I needed a bypass. I wasn’t overweight exercised frequently and had the odd pain which was put down as “muscular . Cholesterol was ok and blood pressure. However I had been through a very stressful time with my son near death with sepsis and my husband pretty bad as well. I attribute my situation to both hereditary and stress. I was lucky and I always advise anyone I know to not tolerate a symptom that you may feel is a bit “odd” .
Thanks for replying, it’s interesting that you had been through stress as I’d had a major operation for cancer before this. Plus I couldn’t walk far or exercise after the op.
Hi Oaks,Your symptoms are very typical for women. Unfortunately, a lot of the research is based on men, who commonly experience chest pain pre- or during a heart attack. The second unfortunate thing is that not all doctors accept that women feel different during a heart attack and still fib you off with: ‘It’s just gastroenteritis’. This is what I was told by a cardiologist, after coming into A&E, being on the waiting list for bypass surgery.
When I have a heart attack, I only feel nauseous, sometimes I feel like I have dry piece of bread stuck in my throat or further down my oesophagus. I have heard other women mention that they feel sick, or just have a strange tickle in their throat.
I would love to be part of some research that would investigate how women feel during a heart attack and would support more education for women about sex specific symptoms of a heart attack.
There is research already taking place.There is an acceptance that women experience heart attacks and angina differently.
Women are more likely to experience a Myocardial Infarction non obstructive coronary arteries MINOCA.
These types of heart attacks are thought to cause about 10% of heart attacks.
MINOCA's are caused by Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, microvascular dysfunction or vasospastic angina.
Microvascular dysfunction and vasospastic angina are types of angina/ischaemia non obstructive coronary arteries.
Often overlooked, under researched and under treated.
The symptoms of ANOCA or MINOCA are often described as being ' 'atypical'. Thankfully there is now a growing awareness that using the term atypical is outdated.
The Lancet Women and Cardiovascular Disease Commission Report published May last year highlights the problems women face.
Yes I’m female and I actually heard on the radio just before my heart attack , how different it could be for a woman. No drama like you see in films like clutching your chest etc. This is why I always tell people who have strange symptoms to get checked out.
The only pain I (male) suffered was in both arms during my heart attack as well as nausea and sweating, initial ecg showed an anomaly but later ecg's didn't show anything. Blood test confirmed heart attack, 2 angiograms and 5 stents followed.
I was the same with awful pain in both ams,sweating and just a feeling of being really unwell . My biggest problem is that I have R Arthritis and often get similar pains in my arms which resulted in many visits to A&E at the beginning,but I may get it wrong one day .It’s a worry
When I last went to A&E with back pain ( I was suspicious it could be my heart ) they had a ( suspected ) diagnosis of Myosotis, which I never found out until I got a copy of the A&E report. I’ve also got osteoarthritis and have high CK levels due to my statins. I feel like I’m going round in circles with so many diagnosis and symptoms!
I had a similar experience. Indigestion (or so I thought) and an ache in my right arm. When I climbed into bed, my heart rate dropped to mid 30s (normally mid 50s). I was happy to ignore it but my wife called 111. Long story short, paramedic arrived, BP was high but ECG fine. Thought it probably was nothing serious but had me admitted to check my troponin levels. These turned out to be very high = MI therefore admitted to CCU. Angiogram showed some plaque deposits but no blockages and echocardiogram indicated normal heart function. Cardiologist advised that some plaque had probably been dislodged which caused a transitory blockage. Now on all the usual meds (including Clopidogrel for a year) and cardiac MRI has confirmed the diagnosis of a mild (level 1) heart attack. I feel lucky that it was caught early and before a more serious outcome! You're certainly not alone with this kind of experience. I feel no different and am now on the cardiac rehabilitation programme. All the best.
A few on here are suggesting it's mostly females who experience this kind of attack, but I can confirm that it's also men like yourself.
Earlier this year I suffered a few nights with indigestion, which is unusual for me.
I took a couple of Rennies but they didn't seem to make any difference. Eventually I forgot about it until the next time my ICD was interrogated, when they told me that it had actually fired on those occasions although I hadn't felt it apart from that indigestion feeling.
In other words I had been having a heart attack without knowing it.
Men are affected too. Everyone should have the access to appropriate care.
However unfortunately as the BHF research and other research shows 50% of women have their heart attacks misdiagnosed and don't receive the same level of care as men.
I’m just listening to Womens’ Hour and they have had a Professor Luscher from the Royal Brompton, London saying that women aren’t diagnosed with heart attacks as much as men , their symptoms aren’t recognised. You can get this radio 4 programme on podcast and I think on iPlayer. Strange coincidence.
I had a silent heart attack. I had a pain in my neck, which my doctor said was an injury that would heal itself. But the next day I knew something was really wrong so I called an ambulance. The paramedics did an ecg, etc and everything was normal. Got on the ambulance and promptly had a heart attack for which I had a stent fitted
Heart attacks can, unfortunately, come in many flavors, as all of us have discovered. One thing about your question that set off mild alarm bells: Have you gotten more details? Was it due to a blockage that built up over the years, or a one-off dislodging of more or less stable plaque? Do you have any damage to the heart muscle? What about your ejection fraction? Rehab? These are all good information that you should know. What is the long term care plan? Statins? Stent? Not trying to be a PITA but just "clopidigrel for a year" isn't really a care plan.
I think it was a one off dislodging. I had a echocardiogram, that came back ok, and then an angiogram. I’ve got 3 stents from 5 years ago and they were ok. From the discharge notes my visual estimated LVEF = 55-60%.They put me on Clopidogrel. I had stage 3 rehab, im returning to stage 4 rehab that I was doing for 5 years since my stents were fitted.
Im wondering if having a major op a few months before my heart attack had anything to do with it.
Oh I did; most certainly. I had 3 days of really bad indigestion. I was living on Rennies and ginger tea. It wasn't until day 3 that I felt a mild tingling up my left neck and down my left arm. At that point I rang 999. The ECG showed a slight change, just enough to makethe paramedics be suspicious. However in A&E, after a quick check by a nurse, she decided that, since I wasn't grey and sweating or clutching my chest, it couldn't possibly be a HA and i was left on a corridor for 5 hours until I finally kicked up a fuss and got the blood test. I was taken into A&E around 11pm and it was 10 next morning before the blood test results came through and I was admitted at about 2pm. Angiogram and stents the next morning. My treatment was wonderful but A&E was appalling.
In the few months before I'd seen the gP about breathlessness but it was put down as muscular. He did book an "urgent" stress test but I had the HA long before the stress test was due. It was a locum doctor in Urgent care who was the ONLY one to ask about family history and he told my GP to book the stress test. My grandfather was the youngest of 13 children and the only one to live beyond 50.
It's a general thing in teh medical profession that they are not taught that women's symptoms can be different to men's. If you don't tick the box, you don't have it.
Glad to hear it. The recent programmes on TV have, I think opened a lot of eyes about "women's complaints" that were never spoken about but it doesn't go anywhere near far enough. 30 years of chronic unbearable pain following damage cause during a hysterectomy and I am STILL being told it's all in my head. ( It's either mesh or adhesions but I can't even get a scan). I spent 10 years trying to get a diagnosis of Maigne syndrome which was "all in my head." My breathlessness and subsequent heart attack were just muscular and lack of hormones. I wasn't even asked about family history. My granddad's 12 siblings all died of "dropsy" before they were 5 0. My mum had heart failure for 40+ years. The lack of knowledge is still killing women.
Interesting thread. I am female (middle aged) and had a heart attack earlier this year. I had a few days of mild intermittent indigestion that responded to gaviscon but one night the feeling of indigestion came and never went. I had a burning/acid feel of chest pain that I knew wasn’t right but I thought it might be a stomach ulcer or similar gastro issue, I hadn’t considered a HA.
Fast forward to A&E where an ECG showed a Stemi HA (worst kind). My Troponin levels were off the scale and I had an emergency stent fitting in the LAD. I’m left with severe heart damage and heart failure, oh and a blood clot too, just for good measure. I am lucky to survive this but the outcome could have been very different.
I think there certainly needs to be better research and education (for all) as to the different presentations of heart attacks and also to ditch the pre conceived ideas of stereotypical heart attack victims. When I tell people I’ve had a heart attack they are mostly floored and say that I don’t look like someone who would have one!
Hello! Yes I had what I thought was indigestion I also had a pain in my arm but because I had no chest pains I went to bed 😂 in the morning I got up went to work as usual but still had a funny arm pain. Anyway during the following weeks I had a few chest pains so went to the doctor and got referred to the hospital cardiogy department, they did an angiogram. It was then they told me I had heart failure. After 4 months of medication I had a heart MRI which showed I had had a heart attack and also have cardiomyopathy. So no I had no clue I had had a heart attack it was a total shock. I wish you well on your heart journey X
I had a heart attack when I was 65 and it just felt like a big pressure on my chest. I didn't have any pain at all. My ECG was normal but my troponin levels were raised so I was admitted , monitored, had an angiogram and discharged after 3 days on the usual shipping order of meds!
Same here for me. No pain, just pressure in my chest. I was a bit short of breath too.I sat on the floor just trembling all over but I thought it was a panic attack, although I didn't know what that would feel like.
Ambulance to A&E but ECG was normal but troponin levels raised. I had angiogram and stent fitted in RCA and sent home with the usual bucketful of meds, that was 8 months ago.
Hello Oaks6.I had a MINOCA heart attack. I had gastro problems for years, so when it felt like a sliding hernia pushing up in my chest for a few weeks, I tolerated it. One evening I had a terrific chest pain and thought my gall bladder had burst, it literally felt like my soul had left my body. A week later I called an ambulance because I couldn't stand the chest pain any more. Hospital found raised troponin levels, and admitted me for 5 days.
I felt I should have known, but when you have other health issues going on the lines get blurred.
I still find that Minoca heart attacks are not taken very seriously. The cardiac rehabilitation team where I live let me down. A gastroenterologist at Colchester hospital, wrote saying I had a Minorca !! Consequently I'm taking care of myself, only take an aspirin a day, and a statin every other night.
I am not overweight, I don't smoke, or drink alcohol, and my blood pressure is always low, so I'm no an 'ideal candidate' for a heart attack, according to the cardiologist. I never did get a diagnosis as to why I had a MINOCA.
We are all different, but in future I think I will call an ambulance sooner.
I must admit I didn't realise what mine was for 3 days. I thought the indigestion was a hiatus hernia until I got a prickling tingling up my neck and down my left arm. Even then I wondered if it was coming from my badly damaged left shoulder or two herniated cervical discs. LInes do get blurred. I'm just very thankful t o two incredible paramedics who thought there was something not quite right with the ECG.
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