Can heart attack symptoms last for a week or more?

[neighbour]

For 10 days on and off (so he just tells me) DP has been having pain in left shoulder which he says radiates to neck sometimes. Getting it in right shoulder too. No chest pain or tightness whatsoever. He's been doing stuff his body wasn't used to: gardening, tennis, so it makes complete sense that it'd be muscle or joint related, which is what he thinks it is. It wouldn't even occur to him it'd be anything else but overexertion of his muscles.

So: is it even possible that heart attack symptoms can even go on that long (i.e. 10 days?) I'm hypochondriacal by nature, and catastrophize bodily ailments in myself and others, and my dramatic diagnoses are pretty much always wrong.

[expatinscotland]

Plenty of people have heart attacks and never have chest pain or tightness.

But it's not so likely that such symptoms as his would go on for so long without serious incident.

[neighbour]

Yes, that's what I thought too.

He insists it's muscular pain you'd have after exertion. He admits he hasn't done anything really physical in a long time. (He jogs each day, but doesn't do other kinds of stuff)

[aliasdictus]

Hi, please don't worry, it is not a heart attack, it is not even heart pain. Pain is often referred elsewhere, gall bladder can be felt in the shoulder, knee and hip, oesophagus just like heart, can be felt in the neck and arm. So your partner is absolutely correct.

[belgo]

angina symptoms can go on for a long time.

Does he have any other symptoms, breathlessness for example? when does he have the pain, is it on exertion?

[belgo]

I have to say though I agree with alias and expat.

If your dp isn't worried, and if he thinks it's just muscular, then chances are he's right.

[luvaduck]

aliasdictus i think it is really dangerous to say on an internet forum that it is not a heart attack, and that he is "absolutely correct". You cannot say that without taking a full history, examining and looking at an ECG.

it DOESN'T sound like heart pain, its true, and does sound musculoskeletal (does it hurt when he moves his arm or presses on his cheat wall?) - its probably coming from his neck or shoulder - but he should go and see the gp.

[neighbour]

As it happensI'd forgotten thishe's going to GP tomorrow anyway, so can mention it.

I feel ridiculous asking about such serious medical medical matter on here, but lets face it: nhs direct would say go immediately to hospital, so I needed some balance/perspective.

I'm almost sure now it's muscle pain, and so is he. If it's anything more serious, it'll (hopefully) get picked up tomorrow. Thanks everyone.

[neighbour]

And of course I will keep serious eye on it in meantime, just in case. Thanks again everyone.

[neighbour]

UPDATE:

GP said it's tendinitis! She's 100% sure.

Thanks everyone for your spot-on comments and reassurance.