Glad your ok. I've been having issues too. I was at the Dr the other day; I've been having a fluttering on my left side; between the shoulder & heart. My heart races & it starts feeling weird in that spot. I have not had that symptom yet; so wasn't sure but they think it's connective tissue.

I've had a lot of pre-symptoms the last year. Rubber band feeling around my head; jaw pain; shoulder. I'm in a rush but wanted to post this for others

Know the symptoms of a heart attack before it happens. Some women have some symptoms up to a year before one.

Know the symptoms of heart attack and stroke: - This was the best link I found where everyone was able to add their stories of symptoms

{{gwi:1507522}} shows where you will have pain. Keep a printed copy so that you can mark which symptoms you're having. Make sure you know the other symptoms & also write them down. Symptoms such as- cold sweat; heart burn; fast heart beat; can't breathe; rubber band feeling around head

Am I Having a Heart Attack? Some signs are surprising �" especially for women

Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency

Good for you that you had this seen to and that your MD is following up with the heart monitor. Women have traditionally been over-looked in the cardiac department. It is getting better but there is a very long history of men getting all the attn .

I hope you will continue to take all of this seriously. I was a cardiac RN and have had patients pass something off as indigestion or "palpitations" and it has been more serious. One of the usual things that our cardiac docs did was NHNCNC. No hot No cold No caffein. This was standard in the hospital on their dietary charts. For now it would probably be good to observe . Also stress whether you are aware of any can be part of this too. Keep a very strict journal starting right now of every thing that happens surrounding the feelings that you get . I can't tell you how much easier it is to dx a problem when there is data. The more details you can ascribe to the situation the better the MD will be able to put his /her finger on what is wrong.

Good Luck and again I am SO glad you went in and got attn immeditately. Please do post back c

So sorry this happened to you.

Have you changed any supplements lately? I know GF had issues with Co Q 10 which can affect heart rhythm....

How scary! I had some unrelenting indigestion a couple of years ago, and I never have indigestion, so I knew it could be my heart. When my dad had his first heart attack, indigestion was his only symptom. Went to my dr., then cardiologist - had EKG, stress test, etc. and everything was fine. That stress test was hard!

Glad you went to the ER. Hopefully everything for you will check out fine, too but it is best to make sure. I have also heard that hormonal changes can cause palpitations.

Glad your ok. For a while I was "feeling my heart beating" when I was in bed. It is was an uncomfortable feeling being aware of your heart. Mine turned out to be sugar problem The bedtime snack I was having had too much sugar in it and it was causing that plus the insomnia. i was drinking Ensure,which I thought was healthy. Now I make my own shakes.

Since we are told women's symptoms of heart attack are different, anything heart related that is abnormal we should go to ER. I had a small heart attack 8 years ago. got up one morning, DH was still sleeping so quietly got coffee, let the dogs out, and picked up my knitting. My left arm felt heavy and tired like when I tried to hold up the knitting. I also felt a we bit weird. Later started with a little cold sweat, and about 1/2 hr later DH got up..told him how I felt, then the arm got heavier and felt very much like I had lifted something too heavy to pick up. I then thought I should go to ER to get things checked out-was treated like heart attack patient-into CCU, etc. after angiogram, etc. they told me I had a probable heart attack, caused from a probable clot somewhere.

sueb - wow, that is a scary situation. I'm so glad you didn't hesitate to get to the ER and that your doctor is going to monitor this more closely. It kind of reminds me of DH and his stroke. Things like this can happen to anyone any time. He was the picture of health and fitness and was hit by a stroke out of no where. The thing that saved him from disability or death was getting to the ER ASAP.

Please do keep us posted on how things unfold.

Thanks, all. I kept waiting for someone at the ER to tell me it was nothing, or a panic attack, but they never did! So that was reassuring in terms of feeling like I was there for a good reason. I have an appt. with my PCP tomorrow morning so I'll report back.

It has been sort of nice to have a self-imposed "sick day without being sick" today.

Annie, no new supplements. Really nothing I can think of to explain this.

Sue, any possibility of blood clots? I had an episode that I thought was a heart attack (chest pain) and turned out I had had a clot in my leg (following a minor outpatient procedure) that "exploded" and was thrown into both lungs. Once the clots were lodged in my lungs, I had no further symptoms, and very nearly didn't go to the hospital. My husband insisted, thank goodness. I had to be on blood thinners (including twice-daily shots to the abdomen for some time) for 6 months. I'm glad you went to the hospital, and hope that all is well.

So glad that you are OK!

Are you on a "baby-size" aspirin a day? We both do one of those a day .... just a thought!

You're a smart cookie - glad you didn't just ignore it. I get that fluttering from time to time (no other symptoms) but it's tied in with anemia for me. My son works in a hospital lab and does some shifts periodically in their ER - he says the way to get immediate attention in an ER is to say something feels funny in your chest!! Obviously he doesn't recommending lying but it will get you seen STAT.

Kkay, I don't think there's any possibility of blood clots. I never really had pain in my chest, it was more a feeling of not being able to breathe well. Not sure if that makes a difference.

Tea cats, they gave me four of those baby aspirin in the hospital. Yes, I have them. Right on the bathroom counter. Do I take them? No. I think now I will, though!

Wow, scary stuff. You are smart to take this seriously.

I saw this post and I didn't think it was serious, especially since it has a "picture" attached. I thought you were using it as a figure of speech.

Goodness! How scary. Glad to hear you are feeling better and being closely monitored. Hope it is diagnosed and resolved quickly!

So glad you went in sueb20!

My youngest db has had issues with an irregular heart rhythm when he was in his early teens. He had electrical cardioversion (or as the family says, he had his heart zapped). He is now 46 and healthy - and still a pest:)
I imagine there have been a myriad of advances since then too. Listen to your doctors and let your family pamper you.

I can empathize with those who have had 'cardiac episodes' as I had similar experiences for many years. I've been thru all the testing twice (Holter monitor, cardiac ultrasound, stress test, blood work, Cardiologist consult) without any definitive diagnosis.

Finally, on the advice of my Naturopath I began taking Coenzyme Q10 and have no symptoms when I take it. Not to say that's a cure-all for everyone but I'm glad I tried it.

what a scary episode, thanks for alerting us and sharing, I guess we all need to be made aware of the signs.

Keep us posted and take it easy, good luck.

Sue,
I'm so glad you went to the ER and that you're ok. I'm sure that was scary. You should never feel weird going to the ER, as women I think we don't go in situations where we would insist a family member go.

Take good care, I'll be praying for a good outcome with your visit tomorrow.

Beth p

Please do tell us what the PCP decides to test/try/check.

The websites say to watch for warning signals. It appears that many of us have had things that look like heart attack warnings. I have, too. After stress tests and echocardiograms I've been told "You didn't have a heart attack."

I assume there is some appropriate action to take after you experience warning symptoms? Is there something a doctor should check for besides whether you have had a heart attack? Should he look for clots, valve abnormalities, or ?? when blood pressure and cholesterol appear fine?

I'm just wondering why one should get checked out. In my case, all I was ever told was "you didn't have a heart attack". Should I have pursued it further?

My spinning instructor who is probably a little younger than you recently wore one of those monitors for a while and called in her readings over the phone (after having symptoms). She, too, was left without a conclusion or diagnosis. Can modern medicine only act when things are severe? You can imagine that this woman eats right and exercises, given her occupation.

I wonder what would have happened if it were a weekday and I had gone into my regular doctor vs the ER. In the ER, they kept me on a heart monitor for 5 hours so they could see the rhythms over a period of time, and also did the bloodwork twice, several hours apart, because sometimes the cardiac effects don't show up until several hours after an attack. I doubt that the doctor's office would have done all that, but maybe -- or maybe they would have sent me to a hospital to do all of the above? Who knows.

Had another, milder episode this morning...again while sitting and drinking coffee, what's up with that? Maybe I have a new weird reaction to caffeine?

I'm annoyed at the thought of possibly going on daily meds. My BP has been borderline high for years but whenever the dr gives me the warning, I've been able to ramp up my exercise enough to keep it at normal levels. But after seeing how high it got the other day -- and since then I've checked it twice and while it's been lower, it's still around 130/85 which is a bit high -- I wonder if I'm headed toward BP meds. I've been fortunate not to have to be on any regular medication but those days may be over! Am I old now?? Both of my parents were on BP meds well before they were my age, so there was probably no avoiding it.

I'm still not getting email notifications when someone posts on my threads even though I check off that box. Anyone else having this problem all of a sudden? And I even have the message that says "A copy of further follow ups will be emailed to this poster." Um, nope. They're not.

BTW thanks for all the support!

Glad you're okay and got checked out at the hospital.

At our last house, a middle-aged lady neighbor wasn't feeling well all week. She went to her Dr twice. Died the second time. She had been having heart issues and he didn't pick up on it. No previous problems. This was 20 years ago, so I would hope it's changed now, but you never know.

You might have to stop the caffeine. DD2 almost always has a weird reaction to it, and she's mid-20s.

I've had severe pain in my upper abdomen twice - 1st time was about 5 years ago while I was landing in Chicago. Decided it was the soda I was drinking building up (needed to burp), but I did tell the man I was sitting next to, and had been talking to, just in case. Felt better within a few minutes, but got another pain in the taxi. The 2nd/last time was more recently. Middle of the night, woke me up. Double over for about 5 minutes. I woke DH up. He sympathized. ;D Probably should have gone to the hospital then. I searched Google the next day and read how it might be GERD, but if it ever does it again - after seeing the chart above - I will be calling 911 or going to the hospital. I went to the Dr a few days after for something unrelated and mentioned to the NP and DR, neither seemed concerned.

Three months ago I had a similar episode, sue. I was in a morning phone meeting with a lawyer at home, and when it concluded I stood up and suddenly felt very hot, and dizzy, and my heart seemed to be beating very fast. It didn't go away, so after about 20 minutes I called my office and an employee came to take me to the hospital. My heart rate was 222 beats per minute... It was Supra ventricular tachycardia. I'd never experienced that before. They gave me something through an IV that stopped my heart very briefly so it could start up again in the right rhythm. The doctor said I would feel it, but not to worry. It was the strangest feeling, like falling off a cliff. I was ok after that, but they insisted I stay overnight. No idea why it happened, and It hasn't happened again. I am now seeing a cardiologist but we are keeping this between DH and me. There's nothing to be done about it other than what I am doing (medication and monitoring) and I don't want to worry anyone in the family. It was a frightening episode, especially since my brother died at age 46 of a heart attack--- which he thought was indigestion, and refused to let SIL call 911.

Sueb,
I'm glad you're taking it seriously and following up with your doctor. Something like this is not to be dismissed or ignored. Good luck.

We had a female cardiologist speak at my women's club. She said don't hesitate to call 911 (I'm looking at you kswl) if you think you're having a heart attack. The EMTs can start helping you immediately and will be in contact with the ER en route, none of which your friend/family member/neighbor driving you can do.

Good advice and easy for her to say but I think the reality of when to call is harder. When is it indigestion? When is it the heart? You can't call 911 for every ache and pain.

We haven't heard from flyleft for some time now but she has personal experience with a heart attack, maybe she'll report in with some advice.

Yes, hhireno, in retrospect I should have called 911. The employee/friend who took me to the hospital told me later that she was terrified that I would die on the way there. I didn't realize I looked so bad, and it was an unfair position in which to put her.

Scary! So glad you went to the ER. Keep us posted on what you find out. When do you see your doctor?

tina

I have to say I am glad I brought this up, not only because you have all been so supportive but because I think we're all getting educated with all this great advice!

So, I saw my doctor this morning. She does not think it's a "pattern" problem that would show up on a heart monitor. That's why they didn't see anything on the monitor over the 5 hours when I was in the hospital. She thinks the most useful info would be the SHAPE of the EKG while an episode is happening, but because they are so quick (I have now had 3 episodes, including one this morning that was less dramatic, but they're over in about a minute, I think), even if I called 911, they couldn't get there fast enough to read it! So, no heart monitor for now, although she said if the cardiologist wants to do one, of course do it.

She thinks the problem is that for some reason, oxygen isn't getting to my heart properly. And the question is why. Is there something circulatory or something else. So anyway, I am seeing a cardiologist for a stress test and an exam on May 23.

Between now and then...business as usual...although she said I should not begin a hugely strenuous exercise routine at this time. Walking is fine! For all 3 episodes I have had so far, I was literally sitting doing nothing, so this is obviously not exercise-induced! And yes, she said reduce the caffeine. I usually only have 2-3 cups a day (2 in the morning, then sometimes one later) but she said try just having one.

The only other time I remember having a similar sensation to these episodes was when I was pregnant the first time. Late in my pregnancy I had high BP and though I didn't have pre-eclampsia, I had to sleep on my left side and eventually I was put on bed rest for the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy. A few times when I went to the doctor, they would have me lay on my back for an exam, and I would quickly get that feeling that I was going to pass out -- and then I'd roll over to my left side and it would pass. I told my doctor, and she said, yup, same thing -- only that time, we knew why. This time, we don't.

I sort of feel blindsided about this whole thing. On my list of things to worry about, heart issues never came up! Anyway, since I have to wait 3 weeks to see the other dr., I need to just calm down and get back to normal life. Thanks, everyone!

You are right about mentioning "feeling weird in the chest" in an ER, it will get you seen really fast! I had an episode a few years ago with an allergic reaction to something. My eyes started swelling and about the same time, I had a sense of pressure in my chest. Hubs took me to the ER and when I said "pressure", the admin nurse stood up and wheeled me right back to the Cardiac area. They saw something on the EKG, which they never explained and I was admitted. They wouldn't give me anything for the eye swelling until they were sure I wasn't having a heart attack. Finally decided to do a stress test and Echocardiagram. I thought I aced the stress test and was ready to leave when they said we want to do a catherizaton. They said it looked like 2 areas of my heart weren't getting blood flow! I freaked out - I came in for eye swelling - not heart issues! But I had the catherization and it turns out that when a woman has dense breast tissue, it can make it "appear' that the heart isn't getting bloodflow. They did find one tiny area in an artery that had 40% plaque - that's not enough to do anything, not until 70%. So I went home 3 days later - with a lower cholestrol diet and swollen eyes. Took a week to get the swelling down so I could see. Never did find out why the reaction. I lost 25 lbs and changed my diet and increased my excerise.

Side story - my dear friend just lost her hubs to a massive heart attack two weeks ago. He had a physical 3 months ago and everything looked great. They had just returned from an evening walk when he got sick to his stomach. He sat down and asked her to get him some water and crackers, she did and when she came back out, she heard him yell for her and that was it.

About the aspirin - I was told to take it after being in the hospital but I had trouble with bruising from the blood thinning so I wouldn't do it unless the doctor says to. In my case, I tend to be borderline anemic and I was told to stop taking it for now.

Hey Sue I am glad you were able to see your MD. I do want to stress to you that you keep a very accurate diary of any and all events..signs, symptoms, surrounding events...length of episode etc. Any data for the cardiologist.

Also just because it seems that EMT's couldn't get there "fast enough", please do not hesitate to call them if there is any doubt in your mind as to what is happening. If this is a problem that is escalating..which it appears from what you say it is ,then you certainly don't want to be without help when you need it. 3 weeks is a long time to wait...if there is anything that occurs that you feel needs to be seen to sooner please don't hesitate to get this appt changed. There are always appts available . Good Luck ! c

Sue glad you are getting it checked out. Last year I found out that I had a blockage in my left leg causing poor circulation. Was on meds for it. When I went back for a check up in fall the doctor decided to put a stint in. When I went to my family doc for presurgery physical, we were talking about my family history of heart attack. He decided I should have a stress echo cardiogram. The results of that test showed a blockage in one of the three main arteries of the heart. The decision was to do surgery on the heart to insert a stint first and then 2 weeks later the leg. To quote my doctor "the leg won't kill you, the heart could". The only symptom I had noticed was what I would describe as a "tightening" of my chest occasionally, but no real pain or other symptoms. I was able to return to work within a week of surgery.

Hope you tests go well and the results are good. Take care.

I've had something similar. Did the whole stress test, some kind of heart scan thing, wore a monitor, etc. It most definitely had nothing to do with my heart - they found nothing to explain it.

However, my gyn immediately said "pre-menopause" and I've come to believe she is correct.

If they find that you are 100% healthy and can't explain the "episode", you might want to ask about pre-menopause. Nothing you can do about it. :) but it's nice to have something to relate it to.

Sue, I am so glad you are OK! I was at the doc yesterday and happened to be reading about signs of a heart attack. I never knew until yesterday that a jaw tightening up was a sign.

So glad you went to the ER, too. Don't be afraid of 911!

My dad died when I was 13 due to heart problems. In retrospect, I CANNOT believe nothing was really done for him. I remember walking home from the train w/him, and he would have to stop because of the pain in his chest. He was thin and had textbook perfect blood pressure. I remember him having some medicine (patches?) for angina, but that is about it.

My dad may have survived IF someone would have called 911. He thought he had indigestion, and his co-workers called my house. My sis (15 then) answered and told them they should call 911. They drove him to the ER instead, and he died at the hospital. We never got to see him again. They apologized at the wake. Too little, too late.

So relieved everyone else who has posted is OK, too. No one really talks about heart disease for women, and isn't it the most common cause of death among women?

Trail, I had no idea you were a cardio RN. I will remember you rules!

Oh thanks, trail, that is great advice about keeping a log. Of course now I'm neurotic about every little thing and WAY too conscious of breathing. So then I'm like, okay, am I short of breath or am I anxious? I feel like I'm constantly "testing" myself by pausing and taking big deep breaths!

And fun, yes, I've thought about the perimenopause connection. I am definitely in perimenopause and already I think I've had a couple of weird, unexplained physical things that I can only think are related to hormones. Last year around this time, I had a stomach ache/gas/etc. that lasted for 6 months! I tried gluten free, dairy free, etc...eventually it just went away. No one was ever able to explain it so I chalked it up to perimenopause. Hopefully (?) this will be a similar deal.

Definitely do call 911...don't do what a fellow I know did...he thought he was having a heart attack so he drove himself to the hospital! He could've killed himself or someone else if he collapsed behind the wheel! Plus the ambulance is equipped with oxygen and paddles and emts who can take care of you.

Sheesh!

Another good thing about calling 911 is that the ambulance will communicate with the hospital on the way so they are ready for you when you arrive at the ER. When DH had his stroke, the moment he got to the ER they immediately took him off to have a CT scan of his head. No check in at the desk or anything - didn't even ask about his insurance. The other great thing was that his internist office and the hospital are all on the same EMR. So they could look up his medical record, medications, etc. on the EMR before he even got there.

Blood tests for general levels, anemia, cholesterol, kidney function, all normal. B12 -- which I asked to have checked because I have had this "burning tongue syndrome" on and off since Feb., and had read that it could be caused by B12 deficiency -- is low. So that may answer one question! Off to buy B12 supplements today.

The rest...still unexplained. Had some not-great feelings yesterday afternoon but at this point I can't tell what's stress or "overthinking" and what's not. Will continue to keep track, though...

Glad that you're paying attention to everything. A friend (I believe she's late 40's; early 50's) had similar symptoms last year; they ended up admitting her for a few days to do the stress test as well as get her fully checked out. A week later she ended up having a heart attack at home. Turns out she had a clogged artery they missed.

Jeez Sueb...take care of yourself!!

Glad things are being watched too!

Obviously, I don't have the "PM" issues, but am prone to "PVC's", which are "extra"/skippy-feeling beats. Since Aug. 2007, I've been in the E-R/Hospital 3 times for A-fib episodes. NOT life-threatening, but they've scared me nonetheless! Lopressor IV's brought my rate down each time.

At the first hospitalization, the Cardiologist said "I want you on a full (325mg.) Aspirin for the rest of your life...". So, in nearly 6 years, I've taken ~2100 325 mg. aspirin!

Also had a Cardiac-Echogram scan in June 2009. All normal.
Had another C-E just this Thursday! My CO wanted a current one, so She can determine if I need to keep seeing her yearly, or just every FIVE yrs.!!!! I get these results next Fri.

Keep us posted Sueb!!!!

Faron