Women more likely to die in the month after a heart attack
Researchers have found that women are more likely to die in the 30 days after suffering a heart attack, though they do not believe gender is itself responsible for the trend.
Researchers have found that women are more likely to die in the 30 days after suffering a heart attack, though they do not believe gender is itself responsible for the trend.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:20 am
Did I have a heart attack? I’m only 25!?
A little after 9pm, Tuesday, I was sitting on the floor, next to my 5 month old who was asleep. I started getting a weird sensation in my chest & very upper abdomen, a fullness. I didn’t think much of it. Then I had immense sharp shooting, crushing pain in my chest. Yes I have had heart burn & know what that feels like & this was NOT it. I stood up & it got worse. The pain was in my shoulders & in between my shoulder blades. I tried walking it off then I was having shortness of breath. I kept moving, freaking out. I did not know what was happening. I told my husband if it doesn’t stop I should go to the hospital… By that time it had been 2 minutes of this. I had my 2nd son w/o an epidural, so I can tolerate pain well. This was intolerable. I went into the front bedroom & was trying to lay down, that didn’t work. I stood up again, panicked… Then I was gasping for air & felt like I was about to fall on my face & pass out. I was dripping with sweat. My temp was 95.1. I have also had anxiety attacks before… For the curious… But was never in pain & have nothing at that time to attribute what was happening to that. I layed down again & blacked out what felt like forever but was more like 20-30 seconds. The pain went away. I asked my husband what he thought it was, he had no idea. I asked if it could be my appendix & he said no the pain would be lower. Then I said heart attack? Not even wanting to believe what I was saying… I will be 25 in November… But I couldn’t think of anything else that related to the pain. I know women have different symptoms than men so I looked it up & had more than the majority of the symptoms. My husband said to wait to see if it would happen again before seeking medical attention. But what if it was one? Can anyone help me? Did I have one? I’ve also been having ear problems, they are stuffy & I get real dizzy. My left arm has been going numb when I’m feeding my 5 month old, but have attributed that to his head resting on my arm. If it was a heart attack I need to go to the hospital, but have heard stories of women having heart attacks, only the drs say it’s anxiety & turn them away. Plus my age… Is it likely? And also I’m the only one in the family not covered by insurance, so that’s why I didn’t veto my husband’s decision. I don’t want more bills if it’s nothing. Someone please help! What do I do?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
It may have been GERD which can present with heart attack signs/symptoms.
First, you need to see a doctor about this… insurance or not and not in a week from now… you need to see one today.
As well, if you ever get the same symptoms again, call 911. Not only for immediate medical assistance but because the leads can let us know if something is up… and a blood test within 6 hours can tell the ER staff.
Do take this seriously… even at 25.
References :
paramedic
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I am not a Dr. but that sounds very scary and would not hesitate to go to the doctor!!! I also know what it is like not to have insurance but what if the black out part happens again and you are home alone with your baby? You also have a lot of other symptoms that can be serious. The ears are nothing to mess with. You don’t want to start losing your balance and possibly fall on the baby? The body temp. thing is also not a good sign. Please please please go to the Dr asap. If not the er then your family doc.
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September 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
i’m not a doctor but u better see a doctor immedately,don’t wait to happen again,it is better to be sure than waiting what will happen..
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September 2nd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
dun wait pls go and see a doctor and quickly find out do you have heart attack you might not be lucky if it attack again you should not wait for the thing to happen you should stop the thing to be happen
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September 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
The thing is I don’t know that if someone is having an HA, that the symptoms can go away after a short amount of time.
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September 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
It is very possible that you could have had a heart attack. A close friend of mine had one when he was in his late 20’s simply because he drank coca cola all day then ran up a flight of stairs after being sedentary for most of the day. It can happen, and his symptoms were similar to the ones you described above(He said he could see his heartbeat on his chest, sweated profusely, passed out, squeezing pain in the center of his chest). Heart attacks can leave permanent damage on your heart, and while there is always a chance that what you experienced was not a heart attack, it is not worth the risk of not seeing a doctor. If you do not have health insurance, it could be beneficial to pick some up then see a doctor after a week or two, and then should you have a problem and require some sort of medical help, you can get it at a cheaper rate, and should it turn out to be nothing serious, you can always just drop the health insurance. Just make sure not to get pinned as having a preexisting condition with the insurance company, cause that will pretty much void having it at all. Getting a checkup soon after applying for health insurance is not uncommon though, so you should be okay.
References :
Things I have learned on my own due to being a hypochondriac, personal friends.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Hi there,
I do not think you had a heart attack. From what you’ve described the symptoms only lasted 5-10 minutes, and the symptoms of heart attacks last at least 30 minutes to a couple of hours. Also, if you were having heart problems the pain would be not be referring to both shoulders, only the left. So relax - I really don’t think you’ve had a heart attack.
It sounds far more likely to be that you may have had an anxiety attack, even though the symptoms were different from what you’ve previously experienced. Given where you described feeling pain, I would also consider that you might have a gastric ulcer, which can cause sudden and acute pain when somehow irritated, and is also more likely given you’ve said you have a history of heartburn (reflux).
So no, I really don’t think you’ve had a heart attack - you’re far too young and the presentation is not clinically consistent with a heart attack. But yes, I do think you should consult a doctor about this anyway, as it was obviously quite a severe and distressing episode and may have an underlying cause requiring treatment.
Good luck!
References :
Medical student