Suffered a Silent Heart Attack

[TomBradyGOAT]

Well I had to do an EKG for my upcoming surgery. I got a call showing that at some point it looks like I suffered a silent heart attack. I am 37 with horrible tinnitus, OCD, about 4 nerve compressions in my head and now apparently suffered a silent heart attack. Still life is good.

 

[Daniel Lion]

Sorry to hear that, hope all goes well.
I grew up with Steve Rohan when the Patriots stunk.
I missed the whole dynasty thing.
Was there for the Celtics under the Birdman when they made magic.

 

[JRC1]

TomBradyGoat, did you ever have the surgery for nerve compression? If so, how did it go?

 

[PeteJ]

I had severe and sharp pains in my chest this morning that lasted around 15 minutes. Actually it was in the left side closer to the breast or around the breast plate area but spread out a bit.

I should have gone to the hospital.

The ER is bound to be busy though. I was advised to go to the ER instead of just seeing my GP.

What can it be?

I didn't have nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath or other identifiable symptoms of a heart attack.

It was mostly sharp pain and really painful too. Kinda scary and lying back made it worse. It subsided after about 15 minutes. I called an ambulance but decided not to go. Blood pressure was normal.

 

[Zugzug]

I had severe and sharp pains in my chest this morning that lasted around 15 minutes. Actually it was in the left side closer to the breast or around the breast plate area but spread out a bit.

I should have gone to the hospital.

The ER is bound to be busy though. I was advised to go to the ER instead of just seeing my GP.

What can it be?

I didn't have nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath or other identifiable symptoms of a heart attack.

It was mostly sharp pain and really painful too. Kinda scary and lying back made it worse. It subsided after about 15 minutes. I called an ambulance but decided not to go. Blood pressure was normal.

I strongly recommend you get as many tests as possible (that you can handle). Assuming you are young, none of your health presentations sound normal. I'm not trying to scare you, but your case doesn't strike me as classic tinnitus onset. Did you have a noticeable acoustic trauma that brought it on?

 

[Tavia R]

I had severe and sharp pains in my chest this morning that lasted around 15 minutes. Actually it was in the left side closer to the breast or around the breast plate area but spread out a bit.

I should have gone to the hospital.

The ER is bound to be busy though. I was advised to go to the ER instead of just seeing my GP.

What can it be?

I didn't have nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath or other identifiable symptoms of a heart attack.

It was mostly sharp pain and really painful too. Kinda scary and lying back made it worse. It subsided after about 15 minutes. I called an ambulance but decided not to go. Blood pressure was normal.

Is this the first time it's happened? I had that happen to me one time, it was early in the morning and scared the absolute crap out of me and when I stood up the pain got so bad I couldn't breathe. I knew I wasn't having a heart attack, I mean honey, I ain't no size two but I'm 18 and healthy. I was having diaphram spasm, and sadly enough they're reoccurring. Doctors really can't test for them, I mean, my episode was over by time my family doctor could see me (it was a Sunday morning and my sister had to drive me because my parents were speaking in church - great timing to be having a 'heart attack') Pretty much they only way they can tell it's that is if you get the hiccups a lot. But the pain can radiate all the way up your chest, sometimes when I'm having an episode (the last time was two days ago) it was all the way up and into my throat. Your body gets kinda weird with how it interperets pain with organs and crap, it doesn't exactly do it that often so it's really bad at it when it has to.

So if it is that, here's what you do:

A full stomachs pressing on it can kinda help, laying down, deep breaths, yell at people when they condescendingly ask you if you're on your period (may or may not apply to you XD ) and wait it out.
Or you were totally having a heart attack. Either way, I would go to the hospital.

 

[humptydumpty69]

@PeteJ,

I don't know if I'd beat yourself up too much about not going to the hospital; if your symptoms stabilized in 15 minutes, and if the paramedics didn't find anything problematic enough to force you to the ER, I'd be hesitant to assume that diagnostics within the brick and mortar would have so readily found something either; although if you had managed to arrive on-site while symptoms were active and prominent, it may have been another story. If the ER would have had a cardiologist on-hand or on-call, even after symptoms had dissipated, you may have learned a bit more of what happened to you.

I'm by no means an expert on this stuff, but since you're posting about potential heart problems on a hearing forum, and I don't imagine that you're going to get many replies, I'll just go ahead and try my best to comment for you: If you weren't experiencing orthopnea, Cheyne Stokes respiration, tachycardia, a weak pulse, dyspnea, nausea, swelling, weakness, flashes of temperature change in extremities, cold extremities, numb extremities, weak grip, exhaustion, neuropathy within the left armpit and extending down into the median nerve, or neuropathy extending upwards and into the vagus nerve, palpitations, or blatant heart muscle fatigue, I would ask you if you feel confident in your concept of somatic awareness, and if it is possible you could have confused pain of the pectoral muscle or lungs with symptoms of the heart? These placements are very adjacent, and it can be easy to confuse them when the only symptom is pain, and when fear and anxiety is prominent due to a sudden symptom onset. However if you are confident that you have experienced cardiac symptoms, what can we do besides book an appointment with the cardiologist and wait for it to arrive, whenever that may be?

I hope for you that you don't have a recurrence of symptoms, and that you find some answers.

Sincerely,

-Humpty



Edit:

your case doesn't strike me as classic tinnitus onset. Did you have a noticeable acoustic trauma that brought it on?

Have I misunderstood? His chest pain coincided with tinnitus onset and potentially acoustic trauma?

 

[PeteJ]

Is this the first time it's happened? I had that happen to me one time, it was early in the morning and scared the absolute crap out of me and when I stood up the pain got so bad I couldn't breathe. I knew I wasn't having a heart attack, I mean honey, I ain't no size two but I'm 18 and healthy. I was having diaphram spasm, and sadly enough they're reoccurring. Doctors really can't test for them, I mean, my episode was over by time my family doctor could see me (it was a Sunday morning and my sister had to drive me because my parents were speaking in church - great timing to be having a 'heart attack') Pretty much they only way they can tell it's that is if you get the hiccups a lot. But the pain can radiate all the way up your chest, sometimes when I'm having an episode (the last time was two days ago) it was all the way up and into my throat. Your body gets kinda weird with how it interperets pain with organs and crap, it doesn't exactly do it that often so it's really bad at it when it has to.

So if it is that, here's what you do:

A full stomachs pressing on it can kinda help, laying down, deep breaths, yell at people when they condescendingly ask you if you're on your period (may or may not apply to you XD ) and wait it out.
Or you were totally having a heart attack. Either way, I would go to the hospital.

I didn't have trouble breathing but it's happened before but this last time was the longest duration. I also think the pain was worse. It lasted around 15 minutes but I didn't time it. It was more painful if I started to lie down or didn't sit upright. I dunno why. The symptoms didn't seem to match those of a heart attack but who knows. It was scary since it's happened before and this time, the pain lasted longer.

 

[PeteJ]

@PeteJ,

I don't know if I'd beat yourself up too much about not going to the hospital; if your symptoms stabilized in 15 minutes, and if the paramedics didn't find anything problematic enough to force you to the ER, I'd be hesitant to assume that diagnostics within the brick and mortar would have so readily found something either; although if you had managed to arrive on-site while symptoms were active and prominent, it may have been another story. If the ER would have had a cardiologist on-hand or on-call, even after symptoms had dissipated, you may have learned a bit more of what happened to you.

I'm by no means an expert on this stuff, but since you're posting about potential heart problems on a hearing forum, and I don't imagine that you're going to get many replies, I'll just go ahead and try my best to comment for you: If you weren't experiencing orthopnea, Cheyne Stokes respiration, tachycardia, a weak pulse, dyspnea, nausea, swelling, weakness, flashes of temperature change in extremities, cold extremities, numb extremities, weak grip, exhaustion, neuropathy within the left armpit and extending down into the median nerve, or neuropathy extending upwards and into the vagus nerve, palpitations, or blatant heart muscle fatigue, I would ask you if you feel confident in your concept of somatic awareness, and if it is possible you could have confused pain of the pectoral muscle or lungs with symptoms of the heart? These placements are very adjacent, and it can be easy to confuse them when the only symptom is pain, and when fear and anxiety is prominent due to a sudden symptom onset. However if you are confident that you have experienced cardiac symptoms, what can we do besides book an appointment with the cardiologist and wait for it to arrive, whenever that may be?

I hope for you that you don't have a recurrence of symptoms, and that you find some answers.

Sincerely,

-Humpty

Edit:

Have I misunderstood? His chest pain coincided with tinnitus onset and potentially acoustic trauma?

I didn't have any of those symptoms you listed. But, it's happened before: pain in the same area but this time the pain lasted longer.

The pain was excruciating though. I thought of driving to the hospital but the pain was severe and I didn't know if I could drive safely like that. I called 9/11 and while the paramedics checked me out, the pain subsided.

Didn't I post in the general health section? This has nothing to do with tinnitus. The first time the "chest pain" happened was well after I got tinnitus. It's some other health problem. :-(

 

[Tavia R]

It was more painful if I started to lie down or didn't sit upright

Hm, in that case, it would really make me think heart problems, or just not diaphragm spasms. Have you taken an aspirin? I think that's the medicine they have you take when you're at high risk of heart attack. Look into it, don't quote me.
I don't know of any other reasons for sudden, stabbing chest pains. Something like a rib out usually is very easy to differentiate and would be a constant pain.
Good luck figuring everything out!