Chest pain does not necessarily mean a heart attack. Other conditions can result in chest pain. Some, like heartburn, have nothing to do with the heart. Also, heart attacks don’t always cause chest pain. One study found 1 in 5 heart people had heart attacks without chest pain. With a heart attack, you may feel pain or discomfort in your back, jaw or arms, and not your chest. You also can feel pain in the stomach area that you might confuse with indigestion.
When a heart attack does cause chest pain, it begins in the left side or center of the chest and typically spreads to the back, jaw or arms. In men, heart attack pain radiates to the left arm most of the time, but not always. In women, the pain is more likely to spread to either arm.
Unlike the textbook heart attack, where you feel as though you have an elephant sitting on your chest, pain from a heart attack can range from mild to severe. The discomfort usually lasts for a few minutes and can feel like an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or more serious pain. It also can go away and return a short time later.
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I had mine we years ago. Felt like someone stabbed me and left the knife in my chest. Thought I was gonna hurl. Then all I wanted was an ice pack and to lay down. I was dating a nurse at the time. She dragged me to the ER. I had 100% occlusion of one of the important vessels. Straight into surgery for a stent. I’ve been fine ever since.
ReplyDeletesometimes a heart attack may masquerade as mild to moderate gas pain - and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
ReplyDeleteMy symptoms were a sudden onset of indigestion, with pain radiating down both arms, and suddenly broke out in a massive sweat. Luckily we live close to a great, but small, hospital. My wife drove me over, I was seen immediately, and air transport arrived in about 20 min. In less than 2 hours I was in the cath lab. Never been in a hospital or had serious health issues in over 70 years. Now I have 6 stents spread over 4 arteries and an ICD. Other than less stamina, and a boatload of scrips, my life is back to normal
ReplyDeleteGood to know. I want to go in bed while in a deep slumber.
ReplyDeleteMine hurt like a bastard. I felt like a mouse in a C-clamp
ReplyDeleteThe doctor told me I had a mild heart attack previous to the one that took me to the emergency and resulted in two stents. Later I recalled some light discomfort which at the time I put down to a muscle strain since I had been moving some heavy steel in the shop. The one that sent me to the emergency room two years ago was a light pain in my chest and pain in my right arm. I had 95 and 99% blockages. The doctor told me I had some muscle damage to my heart from the first one and I've found I don't have the stamina for work that I had before but I feel good and able to keep working at 75.
ReplyDeleteY'know when you grab a cold drink from the fridge on a hot day and you get that disturbing burn halfway down your gullet . . . and it won't go down . . . and it won't go 'way . . . and there's not a freakin thing you can do . . .??
ReplyDeleteWell, multiply that times 10 or so and make it unending; that's what my MI was like. Dog ran to get Milady, who somehow got me to an emergency room. Later I came to on an OR table with a nurse shaving private areas of my anatomy which I'd never really considered shaving (stent insertion).
Then this big tall doc in a smock came in, flanked by a squad of smocked rookies with stethoscopes hanging from their necks . . . said, "O.K. Now you know you're going to die . . ." and he paused for a rather long moment before continuing, "unless . . . ." and then began reciting a lengthy inventory of massive alterations to my lifestyle.
Figured he'd had a briefing on my history (retired Navy with 4 kids and a Pinay wife) and decided to say somethin to get my attention. "You're gonna die" was a purty good shot at it, but it was kinda obvious, so I recognized the scare tactic and automatically took everything he said at 50% believability.
First few things he said were "quit smoking, quit drinking, cut out the salt, cut out the fried foods, and don't eat ANYthing made from the flesh of a pig."
Very interesting summer in cardio rehab. Three times a week for 10 weeks with 3 four-year nurses (a nutritional specialist, a physical-fitness guru, and a Nurse Ratched type who was nearing retirement and whose advice boiled down to "if you find anything in your mouth that tastes good, spit it out" and "learn how to de-dumbass yourself."
Incidentally, dietary changes led me to anemia, and the pills and green leafies Doc prescribed weren't fixing it. So he said (this is the same doc who warned "nothing from the body of a pig") "Let's re-introduce ham into your diet."
hands felt like they were on fire. took 3 big aspirins and called 911. always keep aspirin on you if you or your family have a history of heart issues. may just save your life.
ReplyDeleteMy blood pressure was 240/ 110, never knew anything about it till getting my arthritis checked. After all the tests they still don't know why.
ReplyDelete