Heart Attack

[elaina]

2 years ago I suffered chest pain and was sent for Cardiac Tests, and was then told there was nothing wrong with my heart, i also had high colesteral , high blood pressure and a under active thyroid , I was and still am on medication for these problems. Last August I suffered a Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest and was lucky to survive. My doctor told me 18 months ago after i was told that I had nothing wrong with my heart that the pain in my chest was caused by an Asophagal Spasams and was being treated for that until I had a Heart Attack.I was fit and health up until 2 years ago, eat healthy, exercised. I am 54 and angry cause the Doctors did not listen to me

[2squirrels]

My father went for a thorough check up on Friday Evening and the young doctor said he wished he was as healthy then but because my father and I were worried he would make an appointment for him to be checked. The next Thursday he got up from the breakfast table and dropped down dead from a massive heart attack. Sometimes the heart can fool every body as the problem isn't consistent. I went through blaming the doctor until my husband had one with no warning at all and I realised it can happen. Good luck and take care.

[patch14]

I am so sorry for both of you. You try your very best to keep healthy. Eat the right food, take exercise and keep your weight down then this happens. However hard you try fate steps in. All we can do is our very best to follow the rules. We all know what they are and it is up to us to do what we can to keep fate guessing. All the very best to you both.

[mobee22]

I had a similar experience. Went to my doctor with chest pains he sent me straight up to hospital they took blood and did an ecg told me there wss nothing wron sent me home because there was a shortage of beds two days later had a massive heart followed by two cardiac arrests. Very, very lucky to have survived. I have been told hospital did not follow nice guide lines . hospital also knew about my high blood pressure and family history of heart pronlems.

[keithhookey]

I really sympathise with all who have had these problems and not had proper diagnoses. This seems to be quite common, sadly, and I wonder how much illness and suffering could have been prevented by earlier treatment.

Despite a pretty healthy diet and lifestyle - low fat diet, watch my weight, walk the dogs every day - I have had fairly high cholesterol at the two proper (fasting) tests I have had over the years - most recently about 5 years ago (6.1) - and was worried as my mother had died from a heart attack at 70 years and her mother at 76. My GP was not a great lover of statins and did not think the reading was that bad so I took his advice and carried on without.

A year ago I had a horrible turn - no chest pain but a crushing tight feeling and pain in my throat. I also had a dull ache in my right arm and shoulder (not left as is normal with heart trouble). My first thoughts were a heart attack. It passed after half an hour - possibly as I took some cocodamol. I suggested heart trouble to my GP (a different partner) who said it could not be heart as I had no chest pain and did not agree with my suggestion that I take regular aspirin.

As I still had this tight feeling and breathlessnesss on exertion, yet another GP (an excellent locum who was in her 60's, like myself) referred me to a specialist who diagnosed angina and put me on aspirin and a beta-blocker. He made this diagnosis on my family history and my description of symptoms together with the fact I had recently been diagnosed with a small plaque in the carotid artery which had caused a small clot in my optic nerve. I had actually been referred for a 'stress' ECG but he did not feel there was any point as he was certain of his diagnosis.

He wanted to do an invasive angiogram (where they poke a tube down your arteries) but this is not without risk so I have declined this for now; at first the consultant was rather put out that I did not accept his advice but he has now accepted my view that I should carry on with the medication but review the situation if I got worse. I am feeling quite good most of the time at present and can usually walk really briskly. I seldom get the discomfort as long as I do not exercise after a meal, when I get the breathless feeling and tight throat again. When I say breathless, it is not like being puffed-out on a run, more like a longer lasting version of the feeling you get after something causes an adrenalin rush - say when you are a little over the speed limit and pass a police car or when the chap in front stops suddenly and you just stamp on the brakes in time. I carry a GTN spray just in case but it usually gives me a headache so is a last resort.

Perhaps if I had started statins earlier I would not have got the eye trouble or the heart symptoms - who knows? I know there is a lot of debate over statins but in my case 40mg of simvastatin has reduced my cholesterol to 4 with a better HDL/LDL ratio and I do not have any really adverse symptoms although I get the odd muscle pain (but is it any worse than before when it was just part of the ageing process?) which seems to be helped by regular 100mg Q10 tablets). I also get aching thigh muscles and my legs feel tired walking up hills, which could be a side-effect although I see beta-blockers can have this effect too.

At this stage I have no reason to think statins do more harm than good and they could be saving my life; as with all things, time will tell!

[eastridingbigden in reply to keithhookey]

hi keith hooky read your blogg I can understand were you are coming from I can only tell you that i use strauss heart drops have done for a year feel great turned down triple heart bypass glad i did stopped my statins as the hearyt drops do the same and no side effects suggest you try it

[elaina]

It is heart breaking to hear so many sad stories regarding Heart Attacks, makes me wonder if there is any Statistics people who have been for Cardiac Tests and then went on a short time later to have a Heart Attack. If this was a Cancer story it would be unacceptable. Something should be done about this. To continue my story I had a appointment with my consultant and asked Why they did not detect my Heart problem, He was very rude and told me to forget the past and get on with living.I told him it wasnt that easy to FORGET when I nearly lost my Life, since then I fought to change my Consultant and have one in another area. My life is important to me and my family as it will be to all of you . Thank you for your response

[keithhookey]

Thanks, eastridingbigden and elaina. Look after yourselves (doctor's probably won't!)

Going to Google Strauss Heart Drops now.

[hairyfairy]

This is all very scary to read because I have a family history of heart problems. Iv`e had the treadmill test, echocardiogram, & carotid scan. They all checked out normal, & I have no symptoms of heart disease, i was tested because of my family history. All these stories make me wonder just how reliable these tests are.

[elaina]

I am sorry you have a family history off Heart Disease, I also had a Stress Test, Echo, and Thallium Scan, was told there was nothing wrong, and over a 18 month period was getting sicker could hardly walk and had pain in my chest arm and neck, if you get any symptoms keep pestering your GP and if they dont LISTEN change your doctor. would never want any one to go through what I went through. Take care and stay well.

[rogbert]

hi everyone,

i have been under the lipids clinic for over 30 years now then my cholesterol was in the 30's now its down to 4 i keep to a low fat/sugar diet i exercise i dont smoke yet two weeks ago i had a massive heart attack why?

[elaina]

I am sorry to hear you had a Heart Attack 2 weeks ago, I am still asking the same question and I do not seem to get an answer. I was like you Exercise and low fat diet was my way off life, ok I was 54 when i had my Heart Attack I am still asking WHY? Take Care, hope you get some answers.

[KatyP1968 in reply to elaina]

3 months ago my GP referred me to cardiology after a chest X-ray indicated that my heart was enlarged - X-Ray was carried out due to persistent cough and mild chest pain. The cardiologist carried out an echocardiogram & said although I had mild enlargement of my heart there was no problems. When I asked about the chest pains which had started to radiate from my chest I tiny arms & back I was informed that this was probably anxiety as I had an angiogram carried out 5 years previous with normal results. 4 weeks after this I visited my local A & E dept as I had excruciating chest pains, feeling breathless with pain in my arms, back & jaw. I was given an ECG which was described as "wobbly" so a further one was taken. They did eventually take blood, after 6 - 7 attempts when they could not locate a vein, eventually they did but with very slow blood flow. I was the. Examined by a dr for all of a minute who concluded I had a hiatus hernia and that the pain would be excrutiating, gave me some tablets and told me to see my GP in 2 weeks. 1 day later I suffered a massive heart attack with stent insertion carried out to stop the attack. The damage to my heart has been significant as I waited 4 hrs before calling an ambulance as I had been told by 2 drs that there was nothing wrong with my heart and that the pain from the hernia would be excrutiating. I only sought help when I did as my 8 year old so woke up and was distressed, stating I did not look right - I have been tx that if I had left it any longer I wouldn't have survived. How can drs get it so wrong!!!