Hi
I have a question that I can't find the answer for so I am hoping that members who have had an HA will be able to help me. My question is this:-
When you had your HA with subsequent chest pain, if you put your hand or fingers to the area of pain did it make it worse (hurt more). I hope I have phrased this correctly.
Thanks in advance.
Hello 
This is an interesting question
The only chest pain I got was a sudden crushing pain in the middle of my chest only lasted a few seconds so I would not have had time to find out what you asked but I had pains that went down both arms and touching them did not make it any better or worse
Sorry I cannot be of more help but will be interesting to see what others reply
Hope you are keeping well x
Thank you for the reply. I'm doing ok but struggle sometimes to understand what's going on in my body. It's probably just me but I'm never clear what to expect from a 'squeezing' pain or as indeed you have described a 'crushing' pain. (Hence the original question)
Hello
I hope you will get some replies that will make it clear what the difference feels like x
For me it was a no.
Usually when I get chest aches due to weight training I can prod with one finger and feel the exact area of pain and I get pain feedback from the site.
With my heart attack the throbbing ache was much deeper inside and I instinctively put my whole hand to my chest and it made no difference in intensity.
I had no pain in arms, shoulders, neck as you think/ are told to look out for but my eardrums were absolutely killing me.
The cardiologist thought the eardrum pain was weird as he's never heard anyone say that before.
I had loud intense ringing in my ears at the time of mine. Also get this quite a lot since and woth my heart failure.
Hello GoldfishPond,
Simply put, no. I'd had pain in a specific area of my chest the day before, but that soon passed and may have been due to heavy-lifting. During and after the ticker attack, there was no such specificity, and no 'sensitivity'.
Being concerned about the possibility of a HA can make you very aware of chest and other pain. Such a concern, along with unexplained symptoms, and quite natural health anxiety are issues that your GP may be able to help with.
Sorry I can't help further. Wishing you well 🙂🦉
When I had my heart attack I had an aching constant pain in my back between my shoulder blades , along with feeling faint, so no I couldn't touch it.
That's what my mum had too.
I would echo the “no, couldn’t touch it” answers, but the location of the pain seems to vary considerably between individuals. One thing I was told by a cardiac nurse about distinguishing between heart pain and other pain was that if it is heart pain, nothing will ease it (except perhaps GTN spray) until it is treated (HA) or rest means it passes (Angina). Other muscular skeletal pain can usually be eased by a different position, massage etc. don’t know if that makes sense? That said, my STEMI HA manifested as pain in the upper abdomen around my liver. I subsequently felt exactly the same persistent excruciating pain five weeks later which I was sure could only be another HA, but turned out to actually be a liver problem!
Hello, If you press an area of your chest or your arms and it hurts it is almost certainly caused by sore muscles. Chest muscles often become sore due to the tension caused by anxiety, which all of us with heart problems tend to experience from time to time. But, as others have said, if you can’t stop worrying about it do consult you doctor. Arm aches and pains are most often caused by over exertion causing the muscles to become sore but if, particularly the left arm, is painful and touching/pressing them has no effect call for help immediately. Keep well.
No, my Nstemi presented as if I had trapped wind , stabbing pain deep in my sternum area . I just wanted lemonade to drink and burp it away🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼… couldn’t touch it or rub it better. Painful .
I had a HA four days ago with pain across chest & nausea etc - I guess I could’ve touched the chest area but all I wanted to do was try and find a comfortable position (which isn’t really possible!) until the ambulance arrived! I don’t think touching it in my case would’ve made much difference!
PS…was taken straight to operating theatre, stent thrombosis sorted and home two days later!
Was it a clot in a stent that caused it?
It was, stent thrombosis from a LAD stent I had put in after a “widowmaker” HA in 2021. They ballooned the stent, put some repair stuff in the area and I was good to go!
For me, it was just a general aching around the chest which lasted on and off for 3 days. What made it unusual is that no body movement would relieve it at all.
How long would the aching last for at a time?
It's almost 10 years ago, I can't really remember. It wasn't just a fleeting thing though.
I had no chest pain at all but an intermittent ache in shoulder blades but then like BeKind I had a numbness (can’t say it was pain) that shot down both arms to the elbow, lasted maybe 30 seconds and eased off - that’s when I knew what it was - really not an easy way to know what’s going on inside is it unfortunately- Hope alls Ok with you
For me, the fact that it didn't change when I poked it or stretched out was the thing that prompted a call to 111 (who sent an Ambulance and I was in theatre within the hour...). I realised it wasn't muscular or digestive from that and then I started throwing up from the pain. Big red flag. The pain wasn't unbearable, it was like bad period pain but in my chest. And when I woke up from my OHS 3 months later it was the same pain - sort of 'oh, hello old friend, though you're not actually welcome...' HTH!
Was it from the surgery or had you had another. Sounds awful. Hope you ok now
It was a clot that snuck through the hole in my heart and cut off oxygen to the lower right side of my heart. Wasn't very nice! I've now had the hole closed - a few complications and long term impairment awaits, but physically I'm fit and well at the moment. Long may it continue!
All the best to you
Mine was deep inside central chest through to the back like severe indigestion pain, vomiting diarrhea and crushing left shoulder pain down the entire arm and hand. Holding my shoulder and chest did not make one bit of difference.Are you ok?
I think so. I have a diagnosis of Angina and esophagus issue which my cardiologists thinks is the main cause of the pain as it's mostly around meal times, however because the pain fom both issues is very similar I have been trying to find a way to distinguish between the two. I have taken GTN this morning and feel more comfortable but again as the GTN will open everything up so it my be working on both or either conditions. 🤔
I used to get chest pains from GORD too, many many years ago. A stress test for the heart on a treadmill at that time ruled it out being angina and the fact the spray didn't work I was given an endoscopy and oesophagitis and inflammation of the lining of the stomach was found. About 10/12 yrs ago I had repeat of the test twice, about 18mths apart. This time a sliding hiatus hernia was found 2cm. I'd been on lansaprazole for some years before and gaviscon. The gaviscon was changed to gaviscon advance and the amount was up to my judgement. I'd been taking the gaviscon for many years when had chest/back and throat jaw pain and it would take away. Forward to June last year, same symptoms took gaviscon and everything got a whole lot worse. By the time I got myself to hospital it had been a heart attack. Cardiologist said never take gaviscon for pain in chest as makes heart attack worse, don't quite know how as he never said. After angiogram was told I had GORD too. Lansaprazole has had to be doubled as aspirin causes throat discomfort and chest too. I've to try GTN first now and gaviscon second. The GTN didn't work for my reflux years back or indeed now. But that's my experience of it. Have you had any tests to confirm you have gastro problem? Usually an endoscopy is used for diagnosis.
Years ago I had a camera down my throat due repeat Accute Pancreatitis. I'm taking Pantoprazole 40mg gastro-resistant tablets. One to be taken each morning, along with 12 other types of drugs each day (16 in total). Quite possible my stomach just hates me 🙂
My other half had a bout of acute Pancreatitis, it was horrible, azathioprine caused it when it was given for crohns disease along with stelara. I can see why now you have trouble distinguishing between the two. Are you under Gastro dept?
No, I have just been left out in the wild. I will contact GP on Monday for a full Meds review in light of my current discomfort.
Yes please do, I can't believe gp being like they are to be honest. I thought mine were bad, but it's the reception staff at mine more than GP's, they're like little guard dogs to stop you getting appointments lol 🤣
Just tried to make appointment. The web form on NHS App is suspended, phoned the surgery I was # 23 in the queue at 16:00 on a Friday. As they say in their voice message 'please call back another day'
It's so bad I know, it's a struggle at 8am in the morning getting through, no chance at 4pm, automated says the usual about no appointment available....
No, not for me. The pain started in my back, behind my shoulder blades, then over a period of around 30 minutes moved around to the front all across my chest just below my breasts. I didn't know I was having a HA at the time and it felt like rib pain. There were a couple of defining characteristics though that pointed towards a HA.
1/ No matter how I contorted my body, I couldn't get into a position that provided any relief.
2/ I couldn't pinpoint exactly where the pain was, I would describe it as having been in a general area rather than a specific location.
Alongside this I didn't get any arm pain, but did have a painful sensation in both of my wrists. My HA was caused by a 95% blockage in the circumflex artery. Whether symptoms can vary based upon which artery is causing the problem I do not know.
Your heart is well protected behind your sternum and can not be touched , you can only feel the beat which is because of the movement around it as it pumps. If you touch your chest and you get pain the chances are it’s muscular pain but don’t take any risks if your concerned.
When you have an MI it can change your pulse pressure and rhythm which can be felt at various pulse sites especially the neck.
Thanks
NO mine didn't. In fact I never had chest pain. The only time my chest physically hurts is when I get costochondritis which is inflammation of the breastbone area.
One of the first things the cardiac nurses taught us during our rehab was that if you have chest pain, and it hurts when you touch it, it’s not your heart. 🙂
my HA extreme pain centre of chest radiating to my shoulders, I had 3 from my shoulder to my elbow sharp pains as if you ran a pencil down, they lasted about 2 or 3 seconds, very very sweaty light headed, the pain was also as if it was going around inside my ribs, horrible
The pains only lasted 3 seconds then nothing?
Ps. I forgot to mention the sweating too, how I forgot I don't know.
I never had any pain at all ,was just out walking with my dog up a large hill and the only symptom was my heart seemed to miss fire or miss a beat or two .woke up the day after to what I now know was angina
Hi everyone.
I just wanted to post my thanks to you all for your replies. When I posted this I hoped that one or two people might respond, but I have been overwhelmed by the response and not only that but the openness that you have all shown considering this is personal medical information that you are choosing to share. I was even more touched by the fact that I don't know any of you and yet you asked if 'I was ok'
Thank you one and all 👍
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