Breathing/Heart Issues

Posted , 4 users are following.

Im a young femal in my early thirties and shot out of bed a month ago after feeling sharp upper abdominal pains the night before, not being able to breath. I was rushed to the ER and tested for blood clots. Blood work, cat scans on the lungs, EKG and ultrasound of abdominal area came out good.

The shortness of breath has continued, daily, for a month. I was finally put on an inhaler after finding it difficult to walk, talk or go upstairs without feeling winded. I have always been very active and lived a very healthy lifestyle. 

After using the inhaler over the past few days by breathing has gotten much better but I'm now experiencing increased discomfort in my heart...which I felt before but it was overshadowed by the shallow breathing.

The past few days I fell s constant, dull but sharp pain in my left chest. My left arm will go numb for 2-3 hours a day...feeling a lot like dead weight. And I feel periodic spasms in my heart causing me to feel like I momentarily can't catch my breath.

It's all making me feel nauseous and tired....and frankly downright scared. Especially considering I've always been healthy and this came out of the blue.

I had another EKG done and it came back normal. Any help on what could be happening?

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4 Replies

  • Posted

    I would post links, but that would delay my post for days whilst a Mod approves it, so, Google :- "heart failure misdiagnosed as asthma", you will find a ton of stuff. Even though I have proven heart problems and am also being investigated for serious heart failure, my breathlessness has prompted my GP to think that by pure co-incidence, I suddenly also have asthma and has given me a barely helpful inhaler!  

  • Posted

    I would see a cardiologist, even if it ends up costing you money, it will either set your mind at rest or he/she will diagnose something more serious, hopefully not.

    Your age makes for more rare conditions, are you overweight, do you smoke?

    Husband had ECG, GP told us nothing wrong, I for some reason asked for him to see a cardiologist, Dr said to us I won't give you a referral, for public hospital (in australia), so I said we will go private, at that point he said you know that is going to cost about $1000.00, yes i said, write us up a referral, after much grumbling, he wrote us up a referral that said wife insists, cardio not impressed, she showed me the letter, she discovered he had major heart failure and also showed me on the ECG where it showed up and said GP should not have missed that.  I like to think after we left the GP got a phone call, but we will never know.

    Best wishes hope you can find out what is going on.

    Do not be afraid to go back to the hospital, especially if you have pain and that numbness is in your left arm, that could be a symptom of heart issues, also nausea can be a symptom.

    Could you get a home blood pressure and heartbeat monitor, they only costs less than $100.00, then get a note book, and any time you have issues monitor yourself, other than that twice a day, sit down and relax, for five minutes, and only then take your readings, and write down the results, also when you get up in the morning after toilet, take your weight, and also write in the book, sudden changes in weight can also be a warning sign of heart issues.

    Husband does this every day for himself, as I said he has major heart failure issues, his weight is an important indicator to us of things going bad, and even the hospital has photocopied our little exercise book a number of times as it gives them a history of what has been happening, in the hospital the nurses have their charts, same idea.

    • Posted

      Thanks for your feedback! That was helpful. I'm not overweight, work out 3-4 times a week and have never smoked in my life. I'm scheduling an appointment with a cardiologist this week. This stuff is so scary! It's nice to have forums like this, with people who understand smile

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