my wife has experienced chest pains for 4 weeks, went to the local GP twice, neither Doctor examined her at all
3 days ago we went to A & E, they did an ECG and it showed all the signs of a heart attack, but blood tests show no damage to the heart, so they put it down to Gastric reflux disease and discharged her
an hour after discharged we were back in A & E, with more pain same symptoms, she is now in the Coronary Care Unit!!!
No-one can explain what is going on but she is not allowed to move more than 2 metres and is permanently hooked up to the ECG monitor!!
She has to wait until Monday to see the cardio consultant to see what they are going to do
She is also on a permanent drip of ISOKET, and taking Clopidogrel
My wife is 32, we have 2 young children and she was diagnosed with Lupus 3 weeks ago, she is in the middle of a flare but this has just stunned us
I am upset yet angry at the local GPS's for not doing any checks at all and for the consultant that diagnosed Gastric reflux which has now of course been discounted....suprise suprise
I have had more joy on google than anywhere else, i just hope now they finally get to the bottom of it and treat her!!
Wishing you well hun!! love from me and the Kids
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livingthedream
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I feel so sorry for you,the week-end is never a good time to be in hgospital.I really do not mean that sarcastically but,I really do hope you get to the root of the problem.I really do hope you will get an answer.
hi l had very bad chest pain went hospital found no reason did cat scan, checked heart valves. remo doc told gp to give me naproxan. for imflamtion around the lungs may be causing the pain. it worked ive had no pain since week off taking them. may not be same but the pain was like having a heart attack.
the main concern at the minute is the ECG, it has caused a stir in the coronary department as they haven't seen anything like it, then it appeared nearly normal then back to 'weird' again
with the blood thiners the pain is less and they seemed to ruled out inflammation around the heart
it would be nice to know if anyone else reading this has had symptoms and cures as it helps build a picture, which we just cannot get from the doctors
I am sorry to hear about your wife. it is horrible not knowing what is wrong, and such a long wait until Monday.
I am sure as she is so young it will be unlikely it is a heart attack.
Women are generally protected from heart attacks by their hormones and are not as much at risk as men before the menopause. By saying heart attack I mean a blockage in the arteries.
There can be many reasons for chest pain and some of these can be structural and come from the sternum like other joints in the body (especially if there is a flare going on and there is inflamation.)
Quite often treatment for chest pain is preventional (to be on the safe side before the cardiologist examines the patient. So don't be too frightened by it all.
There can be some issues with the structures of the heart and that can be ruled out by an echcardiogram or failing that a cadiac MRI.
Sometimes there can be pericarium involment such as pericarditis. That can mimic a heart attack and can be brought on by a virus and inlamation, i.e. inflamation of the sack which surrounds the heart and if that is the case it should resolve with treatment.
Also people can have what is called a 'coronary spasm.' If it happens during an ECG it can look a bit like a heart attack (just like pericarditis does)
There may also be extra beats that are of concern and that can happen during an infection and if there is pain it can make them worse because people become anxious.
This might aply if as you say it appears nearly normal and goes back again.
Please dont worry too much as I am sure it will be resolved as soon as she is seen by the correct person. Be reassured that a cardiologist has not been brought in to see her urgently. If they were overly concerned they would have brought one in that will most definitely be on call for emergencies.
It is so frustating for you both to have to wait, but it will not be too long now and she is in safe hands I am sure.
I'm really sorry your wife and the family are going through such a rough and worrying time. I hope monday will bring the answers you need, thinking about you all and wishing you all well, take care, Mandy x
Hi "LivinTheDream", Im so sorry to hear about your wife...I am 39 years and had my first heart attack with 28...after that.. more 9 :(. had 4 stent's implants...2 strokes and TIA last year...she will recover, you'll see...Lupus Patients are fighters by nature and for what i can see, she has the best support she can dream for: YOU! My husband attention and his love are "half of my cure"...Don't stop to have faith...God only give us what we can cop with..best of luck and fast recovering for your wife...Shaquila
Oh, forgot to tell you, that if you not happy with the medical service you're getting, fight and scream till you get them..its your right to have your wife well observed and treated...Change GP, look for second opinions..
Note: Sorry about my english, is not very good, as I am Portuguese...take care. Shaquila
My wife has just had the doctor round and it seems they think it is atherosclerosis which is a common condition of lupus sufferers, as i understand usually in much older sufferers (could be wrong on that one)
Atheroscerosis is when the arteries get blocked with fatty deposits and block the arteries
She had her Gallbladder out 4 months ago so maybe her lupus is 'acting' in a certain way as gallbladder disease is when fatty deposits build up blocking the bile duct which causes the sever pain
Anyhow, i will keep updating on her progress, maybe the information will help others out there who are starting with similar symptoms
and as SHAQUILA pointed out, we now know the importance of fighting the medical service to get the right results
If anyone believes there Doctor is wrong then say something and do not leave the surgery until you are completely satisfied that all has been done for you and do not be afraid to question their decision, as my wife keeps saying, 'I know my body'.
Thanks again, keep the comments coming especially anyone that has suffered heart problems, gallbladder desease, sticky blood or specifically Atheroscerosis with Lupus
Hi, so sorry you and your wife are having such a bad time.The one thing I will advise yout hat I have learnt from experience is you have to make a nuisance of yourself these days.It is only since I have started doing this that I have got any answers.I do hope all goes well with you,my love to your Wife,I had pericarditis a few years ago so I know what she is going through.We are all here to support you both,
I have odd things going on with my heart, the doctors don't seem to be able to say what it is. I'm 26 years old and have been taken to hospital in an ambulance twice in the last few months because of my heart, once by the doctor because my heart was beating too fast and my bp was too high and then again a few weeks ago with pericarditis. I've had loads of ecg's which show strange things, a 24 hour heart tape and an echo which looked fine, i have to go back for another echo in a few weeks. Lupus seems to do baffling things to peoples body's.
she has spent 5 days in the cornary care unit - the staff there were amazing,
Her ECG was showing signs of a heart attack, so they gave her dozens of blood tests and all came back showing nothing, then a CT scan, Angiogram.
Her heart was in perfect condition, which is comforting so the conclusion is that the Lupus, is causing the arteries to spasm, which was evident when they put the dye in the vessles around the heart during the anogiogram
Diagnosis, Unstable Angina, with secondary diagnosis of Lupus, Fybromyalgia and Raynaud's.
My wife is now out of hospital and on varying medication for angina, but i have to say she has not looked this well in ages, and her general mood is great.
And now as we think back it may have been something that had gone on for sometime.
She has always been very tired and had cold feet and hands since we have been together, then last night for the very first time, her hands felt warm and 'alive' and she felt energetic.
Its not until things are 'normal' that you realise just how bad it was.
Basically if the arteries had been spasming before without anyone realising it, then the heart isn't pumping the blood around the body effectively enough, hence fatigue will be inevitable, along with the general feeling of being unwell.
We will now see what the following weeks bring - i will keep you updated.
Just one more thing, during my wifes visits to the doctors she would say to them, 'because i feel unwell, i feel depressed,' they would always say, 'No, you feel ill because you are depressed.'
Well she is feeling well at the minute and all feeling of depression is gone! its amazing really that a lot of doctors just do not listen and instead will pump you full of anti-depressants without actually getting to the root cause. (my wife was on prozac for nearly 3 years!)
So basically, listen to your body, and do not let anyone, including doctors and consultant, loved ones, friends and family tell you any different.
Summon up the energy and fight to get the right diagnosis!
I am so glad that your wife is recovering well. You are so right to fight for what you believe to be right. After all only we ourselves know when things don't feel right don't we? I too was sent away from A&E 4 times, I think, with chronic chest pain and was told it was all in my mind and made to feel very stupid and that I was wasting Doctors valuable time. On the last visit my husband insisted that further tests were done and it turned out that my aorta had torn - basically it was a time bomb - I was diagnosed with aortic regurgitation. Thankfully it was caught in time but with no thanks to the dismissive staff in A&E. I too had a wonderful team in coronary care and have a fabulous Cardiologist who I trust implicitly. I too say listen to your body after all you know it far better than anyone else. Don't let anyone tell you anything that in your heart you know isn't true. Good luck to you, your wife and children xxx
I'm so sorry to hear your wife's having such an ordeal, bless her, and so young
I have to say I have had ME or lately thought to be SLE for 29 years and have had many chest pains through the years ( even waking up feeling like someone was sitting on my chest).
I'm a very private person and hate fuss so never tell anyone when I'm in pain.
On Monday I had a very unusual symptom, not only chest pains but dizziness too, it was a more serious episode but I still ( stupidly) ignored it & hoped it would go away. I just 'knew' this was serious.
Eventually I went to my GP, he examined me & told me it probably wasn't heart as it had come on while I was sitting painting ( I'm a sign maker). He diagnosed acid reflux ( I've never ever had indigestion in my life) or a gut spasm .
I'm having a resting ECG tomorrow but it probably won't show anything up. My GP said I should have gone to casualty where it would have shown up whole I was having the attack.
I always try to avoid 'fuss' as it makes my health issues worse (Lupus, diabetes, asthma & hypothyroid)
Your post has made me very aware that if I have the symptoms again, I need to go to A& E.
Thank you for sharing, I think you have probably saved lives by doing so, bless you.
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