Hello community. This is my first post. I’m 54 and last Tuesday was admitted to A&E with a mild heart attack. (Does mild make it any less of a thing?..)
3 blood tests showed troponin of 16, then 23 & 23, and I understand that means something did happen, even though all 4 ECGs looked ok. I was discharged without a conversation about what to do now, just with amlodipine, aspirin and a GNT spray. I can’t get to speak to my GP until 25th…
Thankfully I found the BHF website & the helpline. Jane was amazing & helped me feel normal. We’ve booked a private GP through BUPA, just to talk to someone.
I’m not really sure why I’m posting this, other than because I feel a bit overwhelmed and scared. We both do.
I’m 54, healthyish, only 1 stone overweight, never smoked and walk 10,000+ steps a day with our beautiful dog (my first goal is being able to join at least one of her daily walks again L)
All words of wisdom very welcome. Thank you x
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MLC2016
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hi and welcome to the forum. No doubt you are feeling shell shocked at the moment, that’s normal. You’ll find plenty of people on this forum who have been through similar and can share their experiences. You definitely are not alone and knowing that might help. Being kicked out of hospital without much information is, unfortunately, a regular occurrence. Do yourself a favour and don’t Google. The info is often not relevant to you and outdated. Stick to reliable sources like BHF and pumping marvellous. This is a very supportive site so if you have questions just ask. X
Hello
A heart attack is a heart attack mild as some are called means you still did have one but it could have been worse and doubtful it has left any damage
But what you do need is to now make sure you do not have another one which with the right lifestyle and medications should hopefully stop this happening again
I am surprised they did not keep you in for observations even if just a day or two and sending you out with no information but a few meds to me that is not very good at all not even a mention of making a referral to a Cardiac Consultant ?
I am glad you phoned the BHF helpline and they were helpful a positive and they are good and use them again if you need them even though sorry you cannot get a Doctors appointment till the 25th
But you are in a good position that you can go private through Bupa as feeling scared and anxious after this kind of event which we all mostly feel that way once you have had a Consultation with them I think you will feel a lot better about it all
Take the medications while you wait and eat healthy as well as exercise and you will get through this
Please let us know how you get on will be interesting to read what they have to say but you are not alone and can come and talk on here any time you want x
sorry should have added. A&E spoke to cardiology on the phone, while checking pain levels with me and I have now got a copy of the letter to my GP (went back to A&E reception yesterday) and it does say a referral to cardiology, so hopefully I’ll hear from them next week.
I was about to say..you should have had what is called a discharge letter with the information of what has happened, what they have done and what is the plan going forward.
I have congenital heart disease but never had a HA 🤞🏼🤞🏼 but mild HA I guess it means that it hasn’t caused any permanent/major damage but you will need to see the cardiology team and hopefully they’ll also do an echo to assess the general state of your pumping ability and maybe an angiogram to check the state of your coronaries. I would definitely ask for more tests to find out exactly why you had an HA so it can be fixed!
Well that is positive you have a referral and even when you are waiting for say a Bypass ( which you are not ) they send you home months for some on medications knowing you will be alright till they get to do the op and so while you are waiting to see the Consultant you will be more than ok and when you do see them there maybe not much to say except change your lifestyle a bit and stay om medications
Lot's of people have a heart attack and never have another try and tell yourself thank goodness it was mild they caught me and now I am under the radar I will be kept an eye on
I am surprised you were not admitted and further investigations such as an angiogram offered to determine the cause of your raised troponin blood levels.
However research has shown that women are more likely to have their heart attacks undiagnosed nor offered the same level of treatment as men.
I live with a rare type of angina due to my coronary arteries going into transient contrictions, this causes a lack of blood supply to my heart.
I sometimes have slightly raised troponin levels and ECG changes.
Untreated my coronary vasospasms can cause arrthymias or a heart attack.
I suggest you ask for a referral to a Cardiologist for a full review and further investigations.
I’m so sorry to hear you have had a heart attack. I just wanted to offer you an insight into my experience with an NSTEMI last year.
I was fully conscious at the time of having my NSTEMI and a gut feeling told me that I was having a cardiac episode due to the pain in my chest, upper back, jaw and arm being absolutely excruciating, accompanied by vomiting. I remember looking at my friend and saying “I think I’m having a heart attack”.
My ECG after the event was absolutely fine, which was quite shocking to me due to the severity of pain which I felt. But by the time the ECG was performed, the severity of pain had decreased a little.
However, despite presenting with a normal ECG like yourself, my bloods later showed a raised troponin. My troponin came back in its 100’s, as it gradually released into my system over a couple of hours after the event.
Some doctors and paramedics have said that this was a “low risk” or “mild” heart attack (HA) as you describe it, and others say it was a significant episode for someone my age to have cardiac enzymes that high. Therefore, for me personally, I have found that doctors can be subjective in their opinion of what number constitutes to as as a “mild” “moderate” and “severe” HA.
However, my NSTEMI was investigated through an invasive angiogram. I am surprised that this wasn’t offered to you. I would ask during your next appointment whether you could have this test completed.
Apart from that, just know that you will be okay. Due to it being a completely new experience for you, I can sympathise with how you must feel at the moment. But it does get better and you will find answers.
Catching a coronary vasospasm in the act can be very difficult.
I had a lovely Nurse once who decided she was going to 'chase' my vasospasms.
She did consquecutive ECGs when I had chest pain. The shift in my ECGs could be clearly seen. Normal, then ST depressions followed by T wave inversions.
Hi and welcome,It's understandable that you are feeling somewhat overwhelmed and confused about what has happened.
A heart attack is a heart attack and causes do need investigating. It's good you've found out now, as sometimes mild ones aren't picked up if people don't go & get checked out at A & E. I am relatively healthy, never had high cholesterol or other risk factors, yet I too had a very unexpected heart attack. I thought it was reflux at first, I'm glad I got it checked, so am now on meds to prevent another heart attack.
Though I had no risk factors, my angiogram showed narrowed arteries and an echocardiogram was the ultrasound used to look at the extent of any muscle damage.
Take care and write all your questions down for the dr appt and of course ask on here anything you like.
Surprised that you did not have an angiogram to find out what happened. I had a mild HA one year ago, ECG ok, but troponin levels raised. After angiogram, diagnosed with SCAD (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection). See Beatscad for further information. Affects more women than men.
thank you. That is so helpful to understand the troponin levels!! I have emailed my gp direct now so am hoping that might trigger a call. Everyone is so stretched at the moment.
Hi both, The A&E Dr did speak to cardiology on the phone and checked I had no remaining gripping pains, so I think you are right and they had assessed me at a distance.
Hi MLC - I can't think of anything to add to the posts you've already received. Just wanted to welcome you to the forum (which, like myself, you probably never thought you'd need to join!). You'll find this to be a very welcoming, friendly and informative site and I do hope you get answers from your medical team very quickly which will hopefully put your mind at ease. Carol
I can't really add much to what has been said other than I was also told by the consultant in the Coronary Care Unit that I' d had a "mild" heart attack. When I mentioned that to one of the nurses later she was quite cross about the use of the word mild and said they are all serious. I did have an angiograph but wasn't stented because of my "interesting arteries" and the location of the blockage which would have required a kissing stent across the blocked and a healthy artery.All the best for your recovery.
I would echo all of the previous comments. My experience was similar and I eventually saw a cardiologist, had a 24-hour tape and cardiac MRI, and attended a cardiac rehabilitation programme. It does take a while but, as mentioned in another post, the meds will help to prevent a recurrence.
I'm almost a year on and that's all behind me (except the medication of course!). You will get there for sure. Good luck.
I am sorry you are having a difficult time. You seem to be facing this really well. It took me 6 months to admit I was scared and log on to this forum ! I give myself small targets to aim for each week eg go to Yoga but do not feel guilty anymore if I can't go. My yoga teacher is brilliant. Just the relaxation techniques if I have pain. This saved me from my anxiety and stops me over thinking. You get so much info at he begining and feel like you are left hanging. I had a massive panic attack which I have never had. They surgery admin woman gave me a cup of tea and let me cry for 20m . That helped. Not sure all GP surgery's do that. This forum has loads of info. It just reassues me I am not alone and maybe can help others.
You've found the right place for extra support and virtual friendship. Take everything day at a time and don't study Dr Google too much, Dr Google has everyone already dead or turning into monstrous aliens 😂.BHF site offers very sound and sensible advice, the forum users mostly travel the same road so tips and lifting of spirits when we feel overwhelmed offered freely.
Hope you have a good GP and cardiac team who are the ones that will help you as an individual, do not be afraid to ask questions, write them down if you can't think at appointment time.
Exactly the same with me nearly 5 years ago. Two stents and a discharge letter that would have needed a medical degree to understand ( My GP translated it for me); a second angiogram to look at two other suspect blockages which were 64% blocked but deemed not to need stents. I was lucky to have an echo scan just before I Left and the nurse said " Oh good, there's barely any damage" and that was it. I never have seen a cardiologist and was refused rehab. It's an incredible shock. I think people should have psychological help to understand what has happened and how to prevent another. Rehab just gave me a book that said don't smoke and change your diet. Very helpful - NOT. 5 years on I'm still worrying about those two other blockages. All I can say is, if rehab is offered, grab it. It will work wonders on your confidence. Ask questions everywhere you can t hink of; write them down so you don't forget and look to see if there are any lifestyle changes you can make, especially diet. I totally cut out cakes and biscuits, crisp s, fatty foods, pies and most red meat which is all my husband wants. Lost 2 stone without trying. Look on it as a happy warning.
I hope that you are doing well today. I can’t say that I have any words of wisdom for you, but I do understand how you may feel.
When I first joined this forum, I read others posts and learned some things, and I was looking for possible answers to what was going on with me. But I never posted nor asked for help with how I was feeling. This sounds silly, but I was embarrassed to ask for help really. I had had a HA in March 2022, but I didn’t have stents nor a bypass. I didn’t know about the extent of any damage, and I couldn’t get an answer about why I had had a HA or what was “wrong” with me. I felt like so many on here had it much worse than I, and I had no real answers—plus, I have anxiety so I was scared to death.
You are doing much better than I did because you have asked for advice and support! That is a good thing
A HA is a HA regardless of severity Something is going off the rails, or we would not end up in the emergency room. Plus, I know that I had problems and symptoms for months following the HA. I felt like no one was listening to me nor trying to help. A year later, I am left with what my GP thinks probably caused the HA. I do have CAD, so she thinks that a piece of plaque likely broke off, formed a clot, and caused the loss of blood flow leading to my HA. That may be true.
I now take Atorvastatin, and my cholesterol has decreased quite a bit. I also have a beta blocker to lower my heart rate and that seems to help. Plus, I take a low-dose aspirin once per day. In the last week, I have had my BP meds changed due to some kidney blips (new scary problem). I am still trying to exercise more and eat more healthier. I am doing some better, but there are still some scary days.
As I stated, no words of wisdom, just some understanding. I hope that you can get the tests done and meds sorted that you need. It sounds like you already have some healthy habits in your life like weight control and 10,000 steps per day. Good job on that! Be blessed and let us know how you get on.
Hallo MLC2016 sorry to hear about your nstemi I myself had same experience last year I'm very surprised you were not kept in and given an angiogram I was in for 2 nights given it the morning after. My troponin were 65. I would definitely be ringing your doctor for follow up a heart attack is a heart attack however mild it is a warning sign to investigate further. I've had a mri scan as my angiogram showed no blockages push for a more in depth investigation. Take it easy now for a few weeks let your body and mind heal take short walks around your home and garden and eventually build up to walks with your wee dog....short ones at beginning I would advise. Any more pains ring hospital straight away you will feel over whelmed and worried ask about counselling and cardiac rehabilitation at your doctors your feelings are valid.
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