Heart attack or panic attack?

Mike151 · #1 10-14-2009, 01:22 PM

OK my friends, I'm just looking for some personal experience on this topic. I know that I'm going to hear someone say go to the doctor right away and I will when I'm done taking care of my wife.
Here's the deal. Monday AM my wife went in for surgery at 7:30 AM for a lumbar fusion. Doc said it would be about 2 to 4 hours. Well, around noon, I started to get a little stressed because they had not called the waiting room to give me an update. Every hour that ticked away, I started to feel chest pain and panic. I did go ask pre-op to call and check on her and they said she was still in surgery. Thats all the info I received. Anyway, by hour 7, I was really freaking out and by hour eight, my chest was hurting so bad on the left side that I almost walked into the ER for help. I chewed asprin like tic tacs just in case. Right about at hour 9, The surgeon walked in and said "everything went great!" I gave her a hug, went out to my truck and broke down. Anyway, my chest has been hurting ever since and I don't know if I just strained a muscle or maybe had a mini heart attack.
Anyone else had any type of experience like this?

CrispyDelicious · #2 10-14-2009, 01:25 PM

I would get it checked out. You only have one life, Mike, and that doesn't sound like "normal" chest pain. Could be nothing, but do you really want to risk finding out the opposite is true?

Stanley Design · #3 10-14-2009, 01:50 PM

Had something similar once, was really stressed out and was also having a stressful work day and then BAM I had a sharp pain in my chest and it knocked me flat on my butt. I was kind of worried but I just brushed it off as I was 20 and in pretty good shape so I assumed it wasn't a heart attack.

Probably a bad decision not to get checked out.

**Thor** · #4 10-14-2009, 01:56 PM

Go to the doctor. Tell him the story. Have him run an EKG.
Takes all of 7 minutes. No pain. Find someone to stay with
your wife so you can get to the appt.

I have had panic attacks and they were not fun. Stress can
exacerbate that. I have cut way back on coffee too.

Keep in mind that medical advice from TB OT is worth what
you're paying for it. Nothing.

Get it from someone qualified to give you an opinion and some help.

liljawn · #5 10-14-2009, 02:12 PM

I have had lots of panic attacks and some real bad ones and they can leave your chest hurting and strained for quite awhile after wards. I have panic disorder or thats the name they gave me for my problem had hundreds and hundreds of panic attacks. PM me if you want to describe your attack further and your pain.

If your truely worried about this pain go to the doctor.

L-A · #6 10-14-2009, 02:16 PM

Do you remember if you had sweaty palms?

Panic attacks can be rough on your health too, so you should get checked either way.

MatticusMania · #7 10-14-2009, 02:37 PM

The first major panic attack I had was so bad I thought I was having a heart attack.

Thinking back there were a lot of major stressful situations all happening at once.

I was 20 years old, at work at Burger King, when I noticed a shortness of breath. Soon it was followed by major chest pain every time I attempted to take a full breath. Not long after I went pale. My manager told me to go rest in the back. The pain continued, excruciatingly sharp pains in the left of my chest whenever I tried to breath normally. I had my parents pick me up and take me to the ER where the took my vitals, and since they were fine, had me wait in the ER. The pain continued for about an hour before it subsided, and since I wasnt insured at the time, I went home.

Ive had a few panic attacks since that day, but none nearly as severe. My assumption is that you experienced a major panic attack, evidenced by your concern over your wife's surgery. Most likely you will be fine, but like with any such case, you still may want to get checked out.

Mike151 · #8 10-14-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

Do you remember if you had sweaty palms?

Nope

Ericman197 · #9 10-14-2009, 05:36 PM

Have you ever had a panic attack, or heart attack before? Both greatly increase the chance that someone thinks he's having a heart attack. Some people come to the ER on a semi regular basis thinking they're having a heart attack.

That said, it could be the real deal. Of those people I mentioned that think they're having a heart attack, some of them actually did have one, or more likely, are about to have one. That is, you do a full workup on them again and what do you know? One of their coronary arteries has about 99% blockage!

The testing is relatively simple: EKG, transthoracic echocardiogram, blood test, stress test etc. They shouldn't do anything invasive like an angiogram unless they strongly suspect a block. And it may turn out that this isn't a heart attack, but a very early warning sign, angina, etc.

Definitely don't PANIC! over this, but DO get it checked out ASAP. No matter how many questions we ask, we can't know 100% for sure via the internet if you had, or will have a heart attack. It's really not a bad thing to be concerned about a heart attack, because even if it wasn't, the testing can also show you if you're at risk for a heart attack, and when. In that case, a heart attack that's coming 10 years, or even a few weeks from now can be totally prevented.

That patient who thought he was having a heart attack and didn't, but had 99% blockage would have had a heart attack if he didn't get a stent/bypass. Someone else with less significant blockage will be more closely monitored and treated with medications, diet & exercise, maybe a stent, to make sure that the heart attack looming 10 years down the road doesn't ever happen.

Indiana Mike · #10 10-14-2009, 05:38 PM

My girlfriends brother complained of on and off chest pain for all of august and September . She begged him to go to the Doc.He said he would when he wasn't so busy

The first week of October he dropped dead as he got out of the shower .

Heart attack

He was 48 years old and to look at him you would have never suspected anything wrong.

It has taken a toll on everybody. Completely unexpected.

GET CHECKED OUT>

Mike151 · #11 10-14-2009, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indiana Mike

My girlfriends brother complained of on and off chest pain for all of august and September . She begged him to go to the Doc.He said he would when he wasn't so busy

The first week of October he dropped dead as he got out of the shower .

Heart attack

He was 48 years old and to look at him you would have never suspected anything wrong.

It has taken a toll on everybody. Completely unexpected.

GET CHECKED OUT>

I am so sorry for your family loss. I'll get checked out by my regular doc next week.

bottomzone · #12 10-14-2009, 06:44 PM

I would see a doctor as soon as feasible. I too have had symtoms of what seemed to be a heart attack. After undergoing a battery of tests including blood enzymes, a treadmill stress test and a chemical stress test+ echo cardiogram, it turned out to be stress/anxiety. It's better to know that it's just stress than to think that it's just stress.

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Mike151 · #13 10-14-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottomzone

I would see a doctor as soon as feasible. I too have had symtoms of what seemed to be a heart attack. After undergoing a battery of tests including blood enzymes, a treadmill stress test and a chemical stress test+ echo cardiogram, it turned out to be stress/anxiety. It's better to know that it's just stress than to think that it's just stress.
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

And stress too, can cause physical harm.

Ericman197 · #14 10-14-2009, 07:41 PM

Without a detailed history (family, meds, past medical, etc.) it's impossible to know what the risk of a heart attack is - but I would say that in general, you should get the appointment sooner rather than later. Emergency room if you have to. Unfortunately I can't really give you much better advice, because I don't want to say "oh well if you're this age/weight/family history then it's probably not a heart attack," because if it is... ! And the situation Indiana Mike described is not uncommon - the guy probably had something going on (such as a blocked coronary artery), and the pain he was feeling was his heart being deprived of oxygen. When someone has that long course of chest pain, in a sense they're lucky - they've been granted days, weeks, maybe even months to live before the major heart attack comes on. Unfortunately, not everyone gets that chance.

Mike151 · #15 10-14-2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ericman197

Without a detailed history (family, meds, past medical, etc.) it's impossible to know what the risk of a heart attack is - but I would say that in general, you should get the appointment sooner rather than later. Emergency room if you have to. Unfortunately I can't really give you much better advice, because I don't want to say "oh well if you're this age/weight/family history then it's probably not a heart attack," because if it is... ! And the situation Indiana Mike described is not uncommon - the guy probably had something going on (such as a blocked coronary artery), and the pain he was feeling was his heart being deprived of oxygen. When someone has that long course of chest pain, in a sense they're lucky - they've been granted days, weeks, maybe even months to live before the major heart attack comes on. Unfortunately, not everyone gets that chance.

I'm 44, heart attacks run in the family (my fathers side), and I'm 6'1" 265 lbs. I'm definately going to the doc. I have no health insurance.... <sigh>

BassXgirl · #16 10-15-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike151

I'm 44, heart attacks run in the family (my fathers side), and I'm 6'1" 265 lbs. I'm definately going to the doc. I have no health insurance.... <sigh>

Good to see you're going to a doctor. You won't be able to help your wife if you don't also take care of yourself.

Having insurance has been very intermitant for me over the last few years. You might check with your county/state websites or google search for sliding scale or county "free" clinics. I've had good luck going this route in the past and got surprisingly high tech care. In fact, the free clinic I went to referred me to Cedars Sanai, one of the most respected medical facilities in So Cal...for free!

.

Go as soon as possible though. My Mom had on and off chest pains and kept putting off getting checked. FINALLY she went to her Dr. He checked her and immediately sent her to the hospistal where they ended up doing an emergency triple bypass. Not trying to scare you. Just trying to make the point that getting to a Dr. sooner rather than later is best. Chances are its nothing serious but better to be safe than sorry.

phxlbrmpf · #17 10-15-2009, 03:41 AM

Sounds like a panic attack to me, during the time I used to have them, they had similar symptoms. I also went to see a doctor and was told my heart was in tip top shape and that the best way to get rid of them was to learn how to relax, but it sure can't hurt to check as everyone's different.

Indiana Mike · #18 10-15-2009, 03:55 AM

+1 on the free or sliding fee clinics .

Ericman197 · #19 10-15-2009, 02:26 PM

In that case you have a few risk factors already, and you should definitely get checked out.

Some basic tips for the time being:

Since there is a possibility that you have had, or may have a heart attack in the future, I wouldn't suggest you do any serious physical activity until your doctor says it's ok. This includes straining during a bowel movement - we've all been in that situation where you're grabbing the towel bar for dear life and... well, I won't get too descriptive, but this can put a lot of pressure on the heart. Simple solution: fiber.

And this is a tough one, but at this point you really need to think about your diet, and things you can do to improve it. I used to eat terribly when I was a teen, and I became overweight (200lbs at 5'10").

Nowadays... I eat FiberOne bran cereal in the morning, and try to incorporate salads, lots of vegetables, etc. into my diet. Not a day goes by that I don't yearn for McDonald's bacon McMuffin 2 for $3 deal and Chinese takeout.

So some simple things you can do are bulk up on fiber, totally cut out the 'bad' things (any white breads, desserts, mega fatty things etc), and try to reduce sodium intake as well. You don't have to go vegetarian, but if you could lose a few pounds, you'll really reduce the risk of a heart attack.

And of course once you've been checked out and given the OK, light cardio exercise may also reduce the risk.