Ruling out a heart attack

[Guest]

Ever since my diagnosis of moderate regurgitation I’ve had random bouts of panic attacks/ anxiety. Nothing too overwhelming but once every 6 months or so I feel like I’m having a heart attack. Sometimes I get shortness of breath and cold sweats and an upset stomach but this could be anxiety/panic attack related as well. I had every cardio test under the sun, and outside of moderate bav and 4.0 aneurism they mentioned nothing. if I was at risk for a heart attack, would it have shown there? Moderate bav wouldn’t have these symptoms, right? I’ve recently put on a few pounds and eating really poorly so maybe this could be causing some of my discomfort?

 

[LondonAndy]

You have my sympathy regarding anxiety and panic attacks - I have seen how disabling they are for my 62 year old female neighbour. Fortunately I have never suffered from them, so I cannot say anything about them. But the symptoms for heart attacks can be quite varied, not necessarily the sudden pain causing people to clutch at their chests that is perhaps the most popular image. Besides, given your doubt, not having a definitive answer will not help your anxiety. So although to my amateur eye it doesn't sound like a heart attack to me, the only way you will know is to see a doctor quickly when the symptoms occur. You would only need to do this once, and then would know when the feelings happen again what the real issue is.

I thought I was having a heart attack whilst I had aortic stenosis and was waiting for a date for the operation. It turned out not to be a heart attack but a "cardiac event" - which I suspect means they don't quite know what it was, but whatever it was didn't damage my heart. The symptoms for that were sudden dizziness (if I had been standing I am sure i would have fallen over), sweating and nausea. I had no hesitation in calling an ambulance, and within a week of hospital tests etc I was having the valve replaced.

 

[user 16827]

hi,

Has the aneurysm grown since you were told about it ?

There is a good chance it may grow and require surgery in the future, i only mention this as you admit to a poor diet.

One of the best things you can do is sort out the diet and healthy lifestyle as this will make the future
easier, there is evidence around of a connection with poor food & Anxiety/low mood

No one cares about your health more than you....

Easier said than done, but given your Heart problem and the Anxiety this may be the motivation you need

Good luck with everything

 

[Agian]

I threw a clot during an angiogram and essentially had a small heart attack during the procedure. If you're wondering whether you've had one, you didn't. There is nothing subtle about it.

Aside from this, my concerns about chest discomfort pre op were dismissed. Ended up seeing a gastro and was told I had reflux. I discovered the best cure for this was a valve replacement.

The other thing I noticed was that when I got anxious, pre op, I would hunch up. This caused some chest discomfort (muscular). Some physio helped. I got a strap thingy that kept my posture upright and this helped.