Well the fact that I’m even asking this should be an eye opener for me but still… Today I had something odd happened. While I was feeding my daughter her lunch my chest suddenly felt like it was being squeezed tightly and I couldn’t breath. I also got a huge feeling of panic out of seemingly nowhere. But after no more than five seconds it was gone and I felt fine after.
All day I didn’t even give it a second though. But tonight I started thinking to myself, hey that’s not normal. And since I am quite overweight and heart conditions run in the family I started getting freaked out and possibly making a mountain out of a molehill. I want to go see a doctor about this but am wary to because the doctors at the clinic I go to tend to not like people coming in for anything that’s not happening right then and there. But…if it’s possible this might be something serious I’ll go in anyway but I just wanted to get some input on maybe what I should be asking the doctor about outside of “my chest hurt”.
No doctor will fault you for coming in about chest pain. Go ahead and get it checked out. There are many minor reasons why your chest might hurt, but ruling out the serious reasons is important enough it’s better to be safe than sorry.
At the very least, your doc will probably want to have an EKG done. Even if it comes out normal, that’s still useful in case you have problems later on - having a baseline normal one to compare a later one with. If you haven’t had your cholesterol checked recently they’ll probably want to do some bloodwork. Depending on your age/risk factors/etc., they may want to get a stress test to see how well your heart is functioning.
Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing, though.
I’m not a doctor, but that sounds like a panic attack. The few times I’ve had them having chest pain (like iron was wrapped around my chest so it was hard to breathe) was the biggest symptom.
With heart problems, it’s my understanding that you don’t have to be having symptoms for the problem to be detected. A friend of mine went in for her annual physical, and after some tests, the doctor asked her “When did you have the heart attack?” My friend didn’t even know she’d had one, but something showed up on one of the tests.
So yeah, go, especially since you have a family history. Like lavenderviolet said, no doctor is going to fault you for getting chest pain checked out. If the doctors at the clinic don’t take it seriously and run some tests, find another clinic.
I’ll make an appointment Monday but I probably won’t be seen for two weeks or more if I’m lucky. I’m wary about going in because I’ve been chided by a doctor there before for coming in when ‘nothing was wrong’. Since I have state health insurance, I have to go to this clinic which also caters to migrant workers. So needless to say, they’re constantly swamped. I’ve yet to meet one doctor there that doesn’t hate their job and they make sure you know it too. Even the ones that I take my daughter to. I hate it but I have no other options right now.
elfkin477, I hadn’t even thought about it possibly being a panic attack. I kinda hope that’s what it was. It was the fact that it was so short that made me wonder if it was even worth getting checked out.
Get it checked out. It could be something serious, but keep in mind that it could also be something non-life threatening (but something you still want to get checked out). Have you had issues with panic or anxiety before? Any other symptoms or health problems at all?
I’ve had similar episodes, in addition to other symptoms like palpitations and increased heart rate. Even if it is a panic attack, you need to get checked out to find out what is causing it. My doctor referred me to a cardiologist, and I had an echo cardiogram, a 24 hour monitor, and a tilt table test. Turns out I’ve got mitral valve prolapse, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and neurocardiogenic syncope, all issues due to dysautonomia (failure of my autonomic nervous system to regulate itself). None of these things are life threatening, but now that I know I have them I can manage my symptoms and I’m beginning to feel much better.
You should NEVER feel bad about going to the doctor to get your health checked out. I have similar problems feeling guilty about going to get things checked because I don’t want people to think that I’m a hypochondriac but in my case something was actually wrong. Worst case scenario you’ve used an afternoon to learn that you’re healthy. I’d say that’s definitely worth your (and your doctor’s) time.
My teacher’s grandmother had an experience like AuntiePam’s friend. She went in for a checkup and the doctor discovered that she’d had a heart attack. She remembered sudden chest pain while doing her laundry or some other household chore, but it subsided and she thought nothing of it until her doctor brought it up.
Whether it’s heart problems or panic attacks or something else, I think chest pain is something you should definitely get checked out.
Definitely get it checked out. And don’t go back to the same doctor that chided you. Get an ECG performed (electro-cardiogram), which will monitor the electrical activity of your heart. It’s possible your heart may have just “skipped a beat” as they say. In any case, the ECG will show exactly how your heart is functioning, and whether or not any corrective action needs to be taken.
10 days ago I went to the gym, after my workout I thought I had pulled a muscle in my chest because it felt tight & sore. I went to work but found myself so uncomfortable that I decided to go home. After 10 minutes at home I asked my wife to take me to the emergency room because the pain was still there. I wasn’t distressed or freaking out, but I knew something wasn’t right. Ended up having a stent put in right then & there due to a 100% blocked lower right artery. They classified what I had as a heart attack, even though to me it didn’t have the classic symptoms that I have always associated with a ‘heart attack’.
And I’m not overweight, I do exercise daily, eat extremely healthy, don’t drink, smoke or anything else. It can certainly happen - get yourself checked out.
ETA - an EKG won’t show any blockage, only an echo-cardiogram will tell you if you have the potential for a heart attack.
However, I was having some severe cases of feeling faint in large areas (Walmart stores and other large places) and then started feeling weird at work and one day I sat at my cubicle and thought I was going to die. I felt really dizzy and out of it.
I stupidly didn’t say anything to anyone, walked with great effort to my car (mid-work day) and drove myself to the nearest hospital. That was really dumb, as I could have had a heart attack and killed myself or someone else while driving!
Just wanted a check up but they kept me there for two days. Ran all kinds of tests.
Upswing: It was angina stress, but no heart problem whatsoever. I had no idea that I had any reason for stress, but I guess I did. I was checked out of the hospital and given a clean bill of health…knock on wood, no problems since then, and that was six years ago.
Still, it was VERY scary, and I know where you are coming from.
Please see a doctor - if for no other reason than to psychologically remove the stress that will build up if you do NOT see a doctor.
Well I made an appointment. They had one today but it was with the doctor who was seeing my daughter (not anymore) who I absolutely ABHOR. He’s a grade A ass and I’d rather wait than see him. I’ve been feeling mostly fine, having more issues with the paranoia than anything. I have decided though that if anything physical pops up before Wednesday (my appointment) I’ll be going into the emergency room.
My SIL felt weak and dizzy and vomited and had to lay down on Saturday back in July. On Tuesday she had what the doctor called “the Widow(er) Maker” and he said the sick feeling she had on Saturday was a mini-heart attack.
Yeah I was feeling pretty light headed yesterday and Saturday but I think that had more to do with the headache from hell. And I think I’m stressing and making myself imagine things. I don’t know why I’m so afraid to just say “fuck this” and go to the emergency room right now. Well I do know why. It’s because I’m scared to death of looking ‘foolish’ for going into the emergency room for nothing and worrying my family and making things inconvenient for everyone. Ugh…the more I think about this the more I’m thinking I need to go in today. I can’t tell if my chest really is achy or if I’m imagining it achy. Is my neck sore because I didn’t sleep well or because it’s a symptom. I think I might call my mom and see what she thinks…
Ok called my mom who gave me a number to an advice nurse. Called them, went over my symptoms and they told me I should get checked out within 72 hours but it wasn’t an emergency. Also gave me a list of symptoms that would constitute an emergency. So I guess I’ll be waiting to Wednesday.
My WAG is it could also have been an angina. :shrug: It’s the first thing I think of when I hear the term “mini-heart attack”.
Good luck with the doctors.
