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Thought I was having a heart attack

48thStreetCustom

48thStreetCustom

Inactive
Nov 30, 2005
3,236
15,651
57
Colorado
#1
For a little over a week, I've been having chest pain on and off that has steadily gotten worse. I've been working a lot and fueling it with a tons of coffee. two pots a day. I thought that might be causing it so I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey. After three days with zero coffee, the pain didn't go away so I started to get worried. My hypochondria kicked in and I thought maybe it was a heart attack, hypertension, lung cancer, or something else.

I figured at my age, 50, I probably shouldn't take any chances so I went to the urgent care clinic and they rushed me in. I got an AKG, chest x-rays, blood tests, blood pressure check, blood oxygen levels, colesterol, the whole nine yards. It all came back that I'm above average healthy for my age.

Finally the doctor comes in and says "often times, excessive coffee drinking can cause heartburn in the esophagus behind the sternum." He gave me three Tums and in 5 minutes the pain was all gone.

So I just spent $200 on heartburn. :meh:

Sometimes I'm a real dip****.
 
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#4
48thStreetCustom said:
For a little over a week, I've been having chest pain on and off that has steadily gotten worse. I've been working a lot and fueling it with a tons of coffee. two pots a day. I thought that might be causing it so I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey. After three days with zero coffee, the pain didn't go away so I started to get worried. My hypochondria kicked in and I thought maybe it was a heart attack, hypertension, lung cancer, or something else.

I figured at my age, 50, I probably shouldn't take any chances so I went to the urgent care clinic and they rushed me in. I got an AKG, chest x-rays, blood tests, blood pressure check, blood oxygen levels, colesterol, the whole nine yards. It all came back that I'm above average healthy for my age.

Finally the doctor comes in and says "often times, excessive coffee drinking can cause heartburn in the esophagus behind the sternum." He gave me three Tums and in 5 minutes the pain was all gone.

So I just spent $200 on heartburn. :meh:

Sometimes I'm a real dip****.
Click to expand...

Dont feel bad. I did the same thing, except my "heartburn" was $750. Consider yourself lucky.

BTW - heart attack chest pain, comes right from the middle of your chest, right in the middle breastbone.
 
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#6
I had a false alarm somewhat like this a couple of years ago, during which I spent more than 24 hours in the hospital getting every kind of scan and test known to man before they were fully convinced that my heart was actually fine. However, it served as a wake-up call to me, which motivated me to find and start seeing a GP regularly, improve my diet, increase my exercise, and otherwise take my health more seriously. I feel fortunate that what it took to kick my ass into gear was a false alarm rather than a real one!
 
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#7
SgtHulka said:
Dont feel bad. I did the same thing, except my "heartburn" was $750. Consider yourself lucky.

BTW - heart attack chest pain, comes right from the middle of your chest, right in the middle breastbone.
Click to expand...


I didn't particularly want to share this but I felt like it should be said and since I know from personal experience . . .

Mine didn't really hurt in the normal sense. It felt like a very heavy weight was on my chest and I couldn't breath properly or catch my breath. The perceived discomfort (pain) I was aware of was predominantly on my side and part of my back ( level with the chest region ). It did, however feel very different than angina which, again, I unfortunately have experience with. THAT hurt like hell and was dead center of my chest.
 
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#8
@48thStreetCustom What they said. You did the right thing.
I had a similar experience. I learned that when you say "chest pains" to the admitting nurse in a busy ER, you move right to the front of the line. Some poor guy was sitting there with a big gash on his head and I'm thinking "take that guy first, he's way worse off". But they do it that way for a reason.
 
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#9
Funky Ghost said:
I didn't particularly want to share this but I felt like it should be said and since I know from personal experience . . .

Mine didn't really hurt in the normal sense. It felt like a very heavy weight was on my chest and I couldn't breath properly or catch my breath. The perceived discomfort (pain) I was aware of was predominantly on my side and part of my back ( level with the chest region ). It did, however feel very different than angina which, again, I unfortunately have experience with. THAT hurt like hell and was dead center of my chest.
Click to expand...
That doesn't sound like much fun at all. Glad that you're doing better.
 
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#12
48thStreetCustom said:
For a little over a week, I've been having chest pain on and off that has steadily gotten worse. I've been working a lot and fueling it with a tons of coffee. two pots a day. I thought that might be causing it so I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey. After three days with zero coffee, the pain didn't go away so I started to get worried. My hypochondria kicked in and I thought maybe it was a heart attack, hypertension, lung cancer, or something else.

I figured at my age, 50, I probably shouldn't take any chances so I went to the urgent care clinic and they rushed me in. I got an AKG, chest x-rays, blood tests, blood pressure check, blood oxygen levels, colesterol, the whole nine yards. It all came back that I'm above average healthy for my age.

Finally the doctor comes in and says "often times, excessive coffee drinking can cause heartburn in the esophagus behind the sternum." He gave me three Tums and in 5 minutes the pain was all gone.

So I just spent $200 on heartburn. :meh:

Sometimes I'm a real dip****.
Click to expand...

Don't feel bad, 17 months ago I felt some weird feelings in my right arm and I suddenly thought I was having a stroke so I had my wife rush me to the emergency room...Turns out I was having a mild stroke and going to the hospital was the exact right thing to do.

It's never wrong to get checked.
 
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#13
48thStreetCustom said:
For a little over a week, I've been having chest pain on and off that has steadily gotten worse. I've been working a lot and fueling it with a tons of coffee. two pots a day. I thought that might be causing it so I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey. After three days with zero coffee, the pain didn't go away so I started to get worried. My hypochondria kicked in and I thought maybe it was a heart attack, hypertension, lung cancer, or something else.

I figured at my age, 50, I probably shouldn't take any chances so I went to the urgent care clinic and they rushed me in. I got an AKG, chest x-rays, blood tests, blood pressure check, blood oxygen levels, colesterol, the whole nine yards. It all came back that I'm above average healthy for my age.

Finally the doctor comes in and says "often times, excessive coffee drinking can cause heartburn in the esophagus behind the sternum." He gave me three Tums and in 5 minutes the pain was all gone.

So I just spent $200 on heartburn. :meh:

Sometimes I'm a real dip****.
Click to expand...
I spent three days in the hospital after my husband dragged me to the ER following some chest pains. Wasn't due to coffee, but they found nothing wrong with my heart and decided that I was having esophageal spasms. Three days of my life I'll never get back, and a whole slew of advanced imaging. Two nights of telemetric monitoring, too.

I told the discharging doctor I felt really stupid since my husband had dragged me out there and I was never convinced I needed to go. He said "you did the right thing. If you don't know, you're better off safe than sorry." So don't feel too bad about it.
 
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#18
48thStreetCustom said:
For a little over a week, I've been having chest pain on and off that has steadily gotten worse. I've been working a lot and fueling it with a tons of coffee. two pots a day. I thought that might be causing it so I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey. After three days with zero coffee, the pain didn't go away so I started to get worried. My hypochondria kicked in and I thought maybe it was a heart attack, hypertension, lung cancer, or something else.

I figured at my age, 50, I probably shouldn't take any chances so I went to the urgent care clinic and they rushed me in. I got an AKG, chest x-rays, blood tests, blood pressure check, blood oxygen levels, colesterol, the whole nine yards. It all came back that I'm above average healthy for my age.

Finally the doctor comes in and says "often times, excessive coffee drinking can cause heartburn in the esophagus behind the sternum." He gave me three Tums and in 5 minutes the pain was all gone.

So I just spent $200 on heartburn. :meh:

Sometimes I'm a real dip****.
Click to expand...

Just went through the same thing. I’m on Prilosec now. Helped a lot but I’m still having issues.
 
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#19
Let me add...getting regularly checked even if you feel good is also a very good idea. Two years ago, I wanted a new scrip for my asthma. Dr wanted a treadmill exam.

I was 6'1", 185#, bp 105/70, cholesterol 175. Worked out every morning, including a two mile walk. Kinfolk and neighbors, I was the healthiest 68 year old you know.

At the end of the treadmill ECG, they laid me down, gave me a nitro tab, and booked an angiogram. After the angiogram, they handcuffed me to a bed in the cardiac ward to wait for an OR. Ended up with a triple bypass. Had an 80% blockage, what they call the "widowmaker". Absent that exam, the docs said I'd have likely been gone sooner than later, because when that one hits, you're dead before anyone can call 911.

Get your checkups, friends. Dont ignore anything or assume anything.
 
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#20
My former next door neighbor went to the emergency room with severe heartburn, they sent him home with some heartburn medication. The next morning he got up, walked into the bathroom and dropped dead from a massive coronary. He was 47 years old. You just never know...ya know.
 
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