Does this sound like heart attack symptoms?
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So yesterday I was doing my normal routine at work, which is a high stress environment- management, dealing with a lot of people so you get lost in how busy you are. But then I started to come back down out of the chaotic haze and realized, wow, my inner-bicep hurts in my left arm. It felt like a torn muscle sensation. So I thought maybe the sleeves of my shirt were too tight. So I took it off, but it still felt strange- so naturally I started to go into research mode and everything I put it screamed heart attack.
Other symptoms I guess is I have a sore neck, which I often get because of the nature of my job.
My back under my shoulder blade on the left side has slight pain. Nothing major.
I have a knot feeling on my left side, about 3-4 inches from my under arm, but I have done some moving around and certain positions seems to irritate it more so I chopped it up to something muscular.
I have had indigestion for the last couple of days which is normal for me, but I did have a pretty bad case of it the yesterday which is the first day I felt the pain in my arm. No heartburn sensation. More just burping a lot and gassy feeling.
Also, my arm pain subsided but did not go away until around 10pm last night. Also, the pain did progress from my bicep- to my shoulder then also in my forearm and wrist. My finger tips felt cold and numb, sort of tingling. The best way to describe the overall sensation was that I had a numbing dead arm with pain of a slightly torn muscle in my bicep with an aching shoulder.
Self test of my heart rate put me at between 70-74bpm for several tries.
Today, my arm pain has subsided but still there dully. Could have agitated something? I'm trying to fight what's really there and what my anxiety is making me focus on. I have a come and go pain I guess in my left side inner-pectoral where the muscle meets the bone- which I have had this sensation many times before and chopped it up to muscular. I do have a history of lifting weights, but not in the last 5 months.
But here is my general information- I am a 26yo Male. On no medication. Diet isn't the best to be honest. I weight about 175-180lbs and I'm 5'6" - 5'7".
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Does it sound like heart related issues? Or something else? And how long does the pain in an arm normally last in instances of heart related angina?
0 likes, 6 replies
leslie32189 sstrat23
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ihavenonickname sstrat23
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lyn1951 sstrat23
Posted
Husband is a heart failure patient, left bicep pain and weakness dismissed by his junior specialists at the heart hospital as not related to his heart, letter to GP says as much.
GP then went on and did x-rays for possible arthritis, cat scans, and ultrasounds for possible muscle damage and rotator cuff pain, weakness contunuied on this way for 15 months, again brought to junior heart specialists attention, again dismissed.
Husband then collapsed at home BP normal, heart beat at 30, admited to heart hospital, jnr Dr's again suggested it was nothing to do with his heart.
I queried their opinion to be told it must be a pinched nerve in his neck and what medicail training did I have. Ignorant savages, and when I'm angry watch out.
When heat beat then stayed at 30bpm, and even dropped after they took him off medication to 23BPM, senior consultant arrived at husband bedside.
I took advantage and told him the story of 15 months of bicep pain, x-rays, cat scans, etc, pointed to jnr Dr's who were with him and said, they said it is not related to his heart.
Told the consultant in my untrained opinion, as I glared at the junior's, they are wrong, I know my husband and he is not at all well, and has been slipping for months, slowly getting worse.
Consultant spun on his heel, and said to juniors my office tommorrow morning with Mr R's file, then turned back to me smiled and said, and how many times have you brought your husband to the hospital, and effectively saved his life with your correct diagnoses, Sir I replied 4 times now, good girl he replied.
Then again nodded to jnr's and walked out, we could hear him growling at them as they stood outside the door, never saw the jnr staff again.
End result found out husbands electrical system of his heart had been on the blink for some time, but didn;t fail completly until he collapsed at home.
3 lead pacemaker and defibulator installed that afternoon, and sent home the following morning he was soooo well, even he coudn't believe what a difference it made when they switched it on the bicep pain was gone and has never occured again, and he stopped feeling breathless all the time.
ihavenonickname lyn1951
Posted
sstrat23
Posted
Thanks everyone for your stories and concerns. I went ahead and went to see my doctor about this. Been with the man since I was very little, very attentive and does not rule out things just because it might be impractical or nuisance. He went through all of my symptoms and we talked about if we could pinpoint the origins. For instance, my neck issue we could attribute to the high stress to my job. I get tense in my neck all the time- as in everyday due to work.
Same with back tense pain. The arm issue we pointed to being separate of anything heart related due to it being a sharp pain based on the position it was angled, thus falling back to past with shoulder injuries.
He was very particular about the chest discomfort. Pressing on various areas of my chest and stomach. Asking if I felt pain here or there. Told me in his honest opinion that majority of my issues truly sounded like muscular pain. But wanted to go forward with an EKG.
Sat in there and we talked a bit as the machine did its job and everything came out fine. Told me that although he beileves it rules out any heart related instances that he wants me to keep an eye out for anything and document whether symptoms persist or get better with time. If not, then we will go further with thorough blood tests and additional tests. Suggested medication like ibuprofen to help alleviate muscular inflammation in hopes of checking off his hunches.
I do feel confident in how my situation was handled, but I too suffer from anxiety. I begin to think really far into this and be over-conscious of normal instances in my body that wouldn't raise a red flag. Infact, if I never even thought "heart attack" with my arm issue, I probably wouldn't even be aware of chest discomfort. It's really hard separating yourself from what's really happening and what your anxiety is saying is happening. I explained this to my doctor. He assured me that at my age, although not impossible, that silent heart attacks normally affect those older in age. With my BPM and blood pressure being "Great" that he would not suspect a heart issue, but says that things do happen and to never rule out a possibility. He then refreshed on his prior coaching on if any symptoms got worse, or I experienced new ones.
I am relieved. But it's the What-If that gets me. Thank you everyone, just wanted to give my results. If anything were to come up I'd be sure to respond again.
But although this is my situation, I wouldn't disregard any symptoms. Get it checks.
ihavenonickname sstrat23
Posted