Anyone know about Heart health? Any aspiring nurses? ;^^

[TH3_G1ITCH_]

So, this monday I went to hospital with chest pains. I was observed and my heart was tested by this strange machine 5 times and the doctor said that it was fine. That it was my anxiety that had caused it all this.

I felt okay yesterday but again today I woke up this morning feeling really, really bad. The pain in my back and chest has been off and on all day and before as I was coming back home I started to get the pain in my shoulders, neck and jaw (slightly) I think I've got bad acid reflux and indigestion but I'm not sure if you can get that in your shoulders? D:

This feeling feels different from any other panic/anxiety attack I've ever had. Normally with those I get a tightness of chest and rapid heartbeat but I've not been getting that this time 'round. It really does just feel like heartburn (or, heart attack...) ;__;

I know it's dumb but I wanted to go back to the hospital.

Can my heart go from healthy to unhealthy in the span of two days?

[Mooby the Golden Sock]

Bad to unhealthy in 2 days? Pretty unlikely.

It's possible that you have some underlying heart issue that was not tested for at the ER. Most of these are fairly rare, so you might not want to convince yourself you have one just yet. Though if you're getting a sensation like your back is being torn like a piece of paper, then it might be worth heading back to the ER.

Anxiety and heartburn are both tricky because both can convincingly mimic heart attack symptoms. Anxiety tends to have more of chest tightness with a feeling of your heart pounding in your chest, but can also cause pain as well. Heartburn can cause a burning pain anywhere from your stomach up to your throat and its pain is often mistaken for heart pain.

Something like inflammation of the heart or a heart attack would likely have been picked up in the ER two days ago, and my guess is you're in an age group where heart attacks are extremely rare anyways.

So the bottom line is it's kind of up to you how much chest discomfort you feel comfortable tolerating before going back to the ED. If you're super scared, it's probably better to be safe than sorry. Certainly, if you think you have a heart problem the extra mental stress can make both anxiety and heartburn worse, which can in turn make the pain worse. If you think you can handle it, you're probably better off being seen by your primary care doctor.

[MegaTurkey]

Very very unlikely. With a normal ECG and your age, that does sound like anxiety. You should book an appointment with your GP (family doctor) to address these issues. A piece of advice; don't present your health problems to the Internet, the vast majority of information is either not relevant, misleading, incomplete or just wrong.

[the gothic beauty 2]

It could be the medication you are on. I've had it happen and I am no longer on it but I still have the chest pain that radiates down the shoulder into the hand making the arm go numb (like a heart attack) but there is nothing 'physically' wrong. I would take a look at any symptoms that can come along with the medications you take if you have any. Other then that I'm not to sure... I'm not exactly in the medical profession but I've had something similar so I thought I would try to help.

[TH3_G1ITCH_]

Mooby the Golden Sock

Bad to unhealthy in 2 days? Pretty unlikely.

It's possible that you have some underlying heart issue that was not tested for at the ER. Most of these are fairly rare, so you might not want to convince yourself you have one just yet. Though if you're getting a sensation like your back is being torn like a piece of paper, then it might be worth heading back to the ER.

Anxiety and heartburn are both tricky because both can convincingly mimic heart attack symptoms. Anxiety tends to have more of chest tightness with a feeling of your heart pounding in your chest, but can also cause pain as well. Heartburn can cause a burning pain anywhere from your stomach up to your throat and its pain is often mistaken for heart pain.

Something like inflammation of the heart or a heart attack would likely have been picked up in the ER two days ago, and my guess is you're in an age group where heart attacks are extremely rare anyways.

So the bottom line is it's kind of up to you how much chest discomfort you feel comfortable tolerating before going back to the ED. If you're super scared, it's probably better to be safe than sorry. Certainly, if you think you have a heart problem the extra mental stress can make both anxiety and heartburn worse, which can in turn make the pain worse. If you think you can handle it, you're probably better off being seen by your primary care doctor.

I'm sorry for taking so long to respond, I was so tired yesterday I just passed out and went to sleep.

Thank you for replying and thank you for explaining everything. It's put my mind at ease slightly to realise the chances of my heart going from good to bad are slim. I've always had an issue with anxiety but this is unlike any anxiety/panic attack I've ever had before. Instead of shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat there's just pain which sprouts to random places to my upper body.

My mum and dad keep telling me that it's acid reflux but I'm going to see a doctor on Saturday just to discuss things and possible see if it is anything to do with acid reflux. (I think I may also ask to be referred to counselling if this is all in my head again)

Again, thank you for your response. emotion_hug

[TH3_G1ITCH_]

MegaTurkey

Very very unlikely. With a normal ECG and your age, that does sound like anxiety. You should book an appointment with your GP (family doctor) to address these issues. A piece of advice; don't present your health problems to the Internet, the vast majority of information is either not relevant, misleading, incomplete or just wrong.

Regards,

Medical student.

Sorry for my ignorance but ECG? When I went to the hospital the doctor mentioned something about that and then stuck loads of wires with suckers on them on my chest, arms and ankles. Is that anything to do with ECG? If not, then what was that? o 3o (Sorry, I'm just curious because after they did that they monitored my heart and then said that I wasn't having a heart attack so I'm wondering what that was) Does it just check your heart rate or can it check for blocked arteries? I was a little worried that my arteries were slightly blocked... & are getting worse which is causing the pain.
(Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! My anxiety is showing again, isn't it?)

Thank you! I've tried to not search my symptoms on the internet since it usually makes me feel worse. sweatdrop One reason I made this thread is because I felt I needed a distraction from phoning up the ambulance service again! Thank you for your advice. I've booked an appointment

[TH3_G1ITCH_]

the gothic beauty 2

It could be the medication you are on. I've had it happen and I am no longer on it but I still have the chest pain that radiates down the shoulder into the hand making the arm go numb (like a heart attack) but there is nothing 'physically' wrong. I would take a look at any symptoms that can come along with the medications you take if you have any. Other then that I'm not to sure... I'm not exactly in the medical profession but I've had something similar so I thought I would try to help.

I wondered about the medication, too! Before I was on Citalopram and then my doctor put me on these other tablets which really didn't agree with me. I was having a panic attack every day on them and I just felt ill so he then put me back on the Citalopram which was, about 5-6 days ago? So, I've been taking them but I wondered if perhaps the medication changes in the last 3 - 4 weeks have had a bit of an impact.

That's so scary to read about your shoulder-arm pain because that's almost what I've got right now and what I had yesterday too but I'm glad to read that it's nothing 'physically' bad.

Thank you so much for replying. Reading these has made me feel a little better. emotion_hug

[Mooby the Golden Sock]

TH3_G1ITCH_

Sorry for my ignorance but ECG? When I went to the hospital the doctor mentioned something about that and then stuck loads of wires with suckers on them on my chest, arms and ankles. Is that anything to do with ECG? If not, then what was that?

Yes, that was most likely an ECG (also known as EKG). It measures electrical signals moving across the heart, which gives a whole lot of different information. Not only does it measure heart rate, but it tells whether your heart is beating regularly, whether there are any extra or dropped heart beats, whether parts of your heart are abnormally large, whether any areas of your heart are being injured by a blocked vessel, whether there are abnormalities blocking the heart's electric signals, whether there is major inflammation around the heart, etc.

A normal ECG/EKG usually suggests that the source of your chest pain is not your heart. In combination with other tests and their clinical judgement, a doctor can then conclude that your pain is coming from somewhere else.

[MegaTurkey]

TH3_G1ITCH_

MegaTurkey

Very very unlikely. With a normal ECG and your age, that does sound like anxiety. You should book an appointment with your GP (family doctor) to address these issues. A piece of advice; don't present your health problems to the Internet, the vast majority of information is either not relevant, misleading, incomplete or just wrong.

Regards,

Medical student.

Sorry for my ignorance but ECG? When I went to the hospital the doctor mentioned something about that and then stuck loads of wires with suckers on them on my chest, arms and ankles. Is that anything to do with ECG? If not, then what was that? o 3o (Sorry, I'm just curious because after they did that they monitored my heart and then said that I wasn't having a heart attack so I'm wondering what that was) Does it just check your heart rate or can it check for blocked arteries? I was a little worried that my arteries were slightly blocked... & are getting worse which is causing the pain.
(Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! My anxiety is showing again, isn't it?)

Thank you! I've tried to not search my symptoms on the internet since it usually makes me feel worse. sweatdrop One reason I made this thread is because I felt I needed a distraction from phoning up the ambulance service again! Thank you for your advice. I've booked an appointment

No worries. The test you had in which electrodes were stuck to your chest, arms and ankles was a 12 lead ECG. This measures the electrical activity made by the heart as it is beating and records it, usually on a piece of paper as a graph. There are normal patterns for each lead and various heart disorders (such as abnormal heart rhythms, a heart attack or an enlarged or thickened heart, for example) produce abnormal patterns. By interpreting these results, a doctor can assess the state of one's heart, looking for any problems with the rhythm, and the conduction of the heart beat through the heart which may be affected by underlying heart disease causing symptoms such as palpitations or chest pain.

I hope this helps clear things up for you.

All the best,

[Ask Jappleack]

I KNOW ABOUT HEART HEALTH I think I responded already.
get extra sleep
extra water
eat more fish and nuts, just a little bit more
walk 20-40 minutes a day, or light jog
drink more water lol
don't starve yourself
don't overdo exercise, too high of a heart rate can strain the heart.
and sleep for a minimum of 9 hours, then try to nap each day for 40 minutes.