Heart attacks for women

[TiredandDizzy]

Name changed but regular poster - i dont want my husband to know all my secrets if I show him this thread 🤣I want to start by saying I am not having a heart attack but my anxious husband thinks I am 🙄 because I have a weird pressure on my chest and feel tired and dizzy. Probs a virus (though not covid I checked!).

It got me thinking though, what DOES a heart attack feel like for women?! I know it can be different than for men and I thought it's probably a good think to know! Has anyone here has one? What was it like? I'm not after morbid details by the way, more an education so I would know what to look out for in myself/loved ones as we get older. Thanks!

There is lots of evidence that suggests women present differently than men. Diabetics can also present differently. So called “silent MIs”.

Women need to be aware of this and advocate for themselves because there’s also evidence to suggest that there is a difference in how men and women with chest pain / heart attacks are treated. Women are less likely to receive the early medications, less likely to be taken seriously and take longer to receive definitive treatment.

Lastly, an ECG can only rule in a heart attack, it cannot definitively rule one out. Blood tests are the diagnostic standard.

So pleased you have called and they have taken you in. You are in the best place if it is something. I think it's best to have things like that checked and be wrong than not checked and be wrong, iyswim

Fingers crossed for a fast result OP.
Good luck x

Well done for ringing them, I hope it turns out to be nothing serious and you're back on your feet in no time, fingers crossed

Well done, OP.

Hope it's nothing serious op!

I went for an ecg/ blood tests for similar lately and it was clear (I think perhaps long covid combined with a sore chest muscle)

Do let us know how you got on

Watching with interest! Hope it all turns out ok!!

111 will send you an ambulance 100%. They can do an ECG etc at your home but they will still take you to A&E no matter what the results say. Because they won't take a chance with chest pain. When I had similar they thought it was probably gastric and after many intrusive procedures it turned out to be inflammation of the chest wall. Costochondritis. It normally goes away on its own but mine lasted maybe 18 months and needed 2 steroid injections into the area. Have it checked OP x

How very wrong you are. Stop posting advice on health issues you so patently have no knowledge of.

I've had this a couple of times to the point where my husband has phoned 999 in the middle of the night. Lovely paramedics told me that I was having a panic attack, and the symptoms are identical to a heart attack. Mine was absolute racing heartbeat, cold sweats, dizziness, feeling very faint, accelerated breathing, and weirdly my entire body was shaking, almost to the point I was vibrating and my hands went into claws which I couldn't open! The paramedics put me on an ecg each time, and that was absolutely fine. I couldn't apologise enough and they couldn't have been lovelier and reassured me that I had (well hubby) had done the right thing. Both times this has happened its been at night either as I am dozing off or waking me from my sleep. I don't smoke, drink do drugs etc, I don't drink caffeine late so nothing there to set my heart off like that. Both times I was utterly terrified, my husband would try sit with me and just tell me to listen to his voice and would count. He reached about 300 before I told him through breathless gasps to call an ambulance (I'd told him before this that I was ok, it would pass. It then didn't but got worse). Always best to be checked out, as you never know!

Glad you're being checked out. Here's hoping you've got bad indigestion

My ECG is abnormal but I don't know in what way. They are waiting on the blood results to then come and discuss it with me. So so glad I came! Thank you all x

Thats good you are there, people reading posts like these need to know that heart attack treatment is time sensitive so its always better to get checked over rather than ask on mn.

The blood results will be for raised Troponin. They need to take them some hours after a suspected heart attack.

I had a heart attack 5 years ago. Heavy discomfort feeling in centre of chest, and pain in the right side of my jaw. I knew what it was, (Greys Anatomy fan) and walked to the hospital a and e down the road. They did an ecg, abnormal, did some bloods a few hours later and confirmed it. Now blood pressure and heart rate are controlled by medication.

Good luck. Hope it is easily resolved.

Glad you're in the best place to be looked after OP. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Well done for going in

Now that the OP has been taken to hospital by ambulance, I hope you realise how moronic and dangerous your advice was. Think about what you write in future.

I have reported Hbh17’s stupid post. Hopefully it will be removed.

Hope all is well; you’re in the best place

I had chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath a few weeks ago. I felt like my skin was too tight for my body, felt sick, and shaky too. Grudgingly went to A&E and despite there being a 6-8hr wait time was triaged within minutes of arriving and moved straight into a room. ECG showed as normal so I was moved to ambulatory care where they did bloods, another ECG, and hourly obs for around 4hrs. I had another episode of the chest pain/dizziness, etc while there and they got me straight on a monitor to see what was going on.

Luckily everything was fine, bloods and obs showed a few of possibilities for the culprits (very low iron, BP low, blood sugar low) and - touch wood - I've been fine since.

I felt a bit of a dick and said so. The doctor told me not to be silly, reassured me I'd done the right thing by attending and said "we want to see you if you have ANY of those symptoms"

I had that type of discomfort, and thought it was a heart attack, but they sent me home from A&E with gaviscon.....twice! Then I started to turn yellow and it turned out to be a blocked gall bladder.

I was a “worried well” on Thursday evening. I was feeling out of sorts all day, tight chested, slightly breathless. I took my blood pressure at home and it was 220/110. Then I had a sudden sharp pain in my chest for a second and it was really scary. I left it an hour or so and then decided to call 111, but I did feel a bit of a fraud. Within 10 minutes I had a couple of First Responders followed by paramedics. I spent the night in A/E, luckily it wasn’t a heart attack, but I was constantly told that I did the right thing in phoning and to call any time again if the same thing happens.
Ladies we must never ignore chest pain!
OP I hope you are ok xx

I have not had a heart attack thank goodness but I do have pericarditis so staying in tonight and hopefully home tomorrow. Thanks again all for the kick up the bum to come

I count this as a "win" for your husband. He was right to be worried!

For real though I hope you feel better soon. 😊

Do you have anti-inflammatories for the pericarditis?