OK, first of all – yes, I have arranged to see my doctor first thing in the morning. But it is about 11PM here, and I am not feeling exactly calm right now.
Earlier today I developed a pain in my chest – in the precordial area. It began suddenly, and although it didn’t floor me or anything, it was constant. I moved around and I found that it hurt more if I moved energetically.
I was very worried, called the medical service (not 112) and arranged for an appointment with my doctor first thing in the morning. I didn’t call emergency services or anything because I didn’t feel like this was horrendously wrong – it is a constant, dull pain, not particularly shooting or anything. After talking to the assistant on the phone she told me to keep calm, relax, keep sitting, and if there is any change at all call 112.
I am afraid, and worried. However, this doesn’t feel like I would imagine a heart attack feels. Maybe it is just some muscle pain in the intercostal muscles? Although the pain is right in the area of my sternum.
I just… I guess I just wanted to hear from somebody here – anybody had something like this happen to them? What was it?
As I said – I am sitting, waiting for the time of my appointment with the doctor, not doing anything, with the telephone right next to my hand and worrying I don’t think I will catch much sleep tonight.
You should probably go to an emergency room. Most incidences of chest pain are not heart attacks. But when they are, you might wake up dead. Is it really worth the risk? Sure, it could be (and probably is) a chest wall strain, or anxiety attack. But it’s generally recommended (at least in the US) that you go to the ER and let professionals figure it out. You don’t fuck around with chest pain.
I remember the last time a Doper came here for advice about his chest pain. This was his last post. He ended up dying in his sleep a few hours after he posted this.
With chest pain, I would definitely go to the ER and not be content to just wait and see what happens. It may not be anything serious, but why take the chance when the cost of being wrong is so great?
I agree, chest pain needs to be checked out right away. My SO had no pain and no warning signs before a routine EKG told his doctor that there was something really bad happening. 2 days later, he had a quad bypass.
Please, please, please don’t fuck around with chest pain. My Mom waited way too long before calling for an ambulance when she was having a heart attack because she didn’t want to “panic.” She’s lucky she stayed conscious long enough after the sweats hit her, because she was alone and would have died there in her kitchen.
I hope it’s just (“just”) the bones, as it turned out to be for my mother. Because dude, if you’re dead cos you didn’t go to the doctor in time I’m going to kill you!
PS: I’ve got his cell number, sent him an SMS to check.
I’m wondering if maybe people don’t know this, but if 911 sends an ambulance (actually, usually a fire engine followed by an ambulance) to your home for a medical emergency, you aren’t charged UNLESS they take you to the hospital. I know a lot of people shy away from calling for help because they’re worried about expenses. If they get there and confirm you’re fine, there’s no charge. If they get there and say “you have to go to the hospital”, yes, you’re going to pay for the ambulance ride, but you’re also much less likely to die.
(I had what was a very-scary-to-me heart palpitations several years ago - tachycardia and arrhythmia, and I called 911 pretty much because I wanted to be told I wasn’t dying. It seemed overkill for them to send someone, but I went along with it. I was fine. I followed up with my doctor and a cardiologist (I have Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia), and it was embarrassing explaining to everyone in my small town why there was a fire truck with lights and everything outside my home at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night, but . . . it was a hell of a lot better than dying alone if there had been a real problem.)
Writing quickly, after many hours with doctors. Still in the middle of it. Called again during the night. Took me to check me out.
After a battery of tests, doctors tend to lean towards a diagnosis of a “very mild” (relatively speaking – this kind of stuff is not to be sneezed at!) case of, probably, pulmonary embolism. They are reassuring me that, if it is that (and they appear to believe that it is), then it is a very small one, it will dissolve and I will be OK. Taking anticoagulants right now, I am under observation.
Glad to hear you took care of business! If you’re living in a civilized nation with universal healthcare, then there’s absolutely no reason not to go to the doctor for chest pain. Keep it in mind <3
Phew! Glad to hear you got it checked out. A more severe embolism might have made you “wake up dead” (which happened to my brother-in-law :(), so be grateful for the “warning shot” your body gave you. See if you can figure out what might have led to this - have you been on any long airplane flights or otherwise immobilized? Any injuries? Not sure what else might lead to an embolism.
Earlier this month I went to Moscow to see my daughter. Each flight (there and back) was about 3 and a half hours.
The doctors say that that might have been the trigger. I knew about long flights and deep-vein thrombosis, but I didn’t imagine that a 3-and-a-half hour flight might be long enough for something like that The more you know…
Have they finalized this diagnosis yet? They should be able to do with a VQ scan. I’ve been there, done that; the pain from the PEs were the worst I’ve experienced.
The cause of my DVT and PEs ended up being an autoimmune disorder of sorts, so be sure they’ve screened you for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and don’t let them just assume it was your (relatively) short flights.
I don’t think I will catch much sleep tonight.
The more you know…