Am I a heart attack waiting to happen?

[Willthisworknow]

Am 5 ft 5 in, 13 st 4 lb, usual excess at Xmas and too much booze. My dad had a heart attack at 46 (survived it). I try to walk the dogs. Few times a week, have 3 children, a full time job. I don't smoke. Feeling a bit rough today, like I'm not quite there and I have a bit of chest tightness. My youngest is 18 months old and is a handful right now. Always chasing her about the place. Am I experiencing a slight pulled muscle or am i aheart attack waiting to happen? I'm 42. Anyone had heart disease or similar so young!

Sorry no its 111 now, free call

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en/About/CallingNHSDirect

My dad had a heart attack at 35. If you call 111 with chest pain they will call you an ambulance as it's somethinh that needs to be checked.

I had three heart attacks at the age of 42. Slightly overweight, felt strange and then mild tingling in the arm. I refused to believe it was my heart, despite a family history of heart attacks. My husband calling what was then NHS 24 saved my life.

Please don't mess about - get it checked - my ambulance driver said they would rather be called out to a 100 false alarms then be called out to a fatal heart attack

My BIL was in hospital on Christmas Day following a heart attack on Christmas Eve. He is 52, used to smoke heavily and suffers from high cholesterol but otherwise fairly healthy. His dad however died from a heart attack.

He had the tightness feeling you are describing. First at 10 in the morning. It got a little better and then suddenly worse. Heart attack happened at 5:30 that afternoon.

Please call the NHS!

You're all worrying me know. Feeling a bit better right now but will go to the drs tomorrow if nothing resolves. The tightness comes and goes and obviously concerned its just a pulled muscle.

Aw gawd, I'm in denial! Am googling to see if there are other reasons for chest pains. I.e. stress. That's what I've talked myself in to. Am 44 df has angina and had an attack in his early 50's. Dsis and db are on statins for high cholesterol. Am slim but bit of a belly and perhaps drink a bit too much, otherwise fairly healthy. Bun bum bum. Must sort myself out...

There are lots of other causes of chest pain that are not related to heart disease... but get it checked out. If you are well enough to get to A and E they will likely do a quick ECG and blood test. Better to be on how safe side.

Hope you are OK, OP. My DH came home with slight (though unaccustomed) tightness of the chest. Quadruple bypass within four days.

I don't say this to alarm, but inform: never ever ignore chest pains.

Never ever ignore chest pains. Men especially try to put it down to indigestion. As a nurse I would much rather you came in and it simply be a pulled muscle, rather than you being rushed it at a later stage as something really serious.

Honestly A&E won't mind, and if it's nothing you'll be in and out. A quick ECG and you'll be sorted.

I think the biggest factor in heart disease is hereditary high cholesterol, smoking, and high blood pressure. Being moderately overweight does not make that much difference imho, although I know it goes against the grain to say that.

You probably just have a bit of indegestion, but get it checked out if you are worried, and ask your GP to run some standard tests because you think you may have a family disposition towards heart problems.

Of course you should try to eat well, cut down the booze, definitely not smoke, exercise a bit more, lose some weight - all of us should. But plenty of seemingly super-fit, super slim, active, healthy (and sometimes young) people inexplicably drop dead of heart attacks all the time.

Personally I am not sure that fitness obsessives are necessarily any healthier than the rest of us, once you take the extremely obese, the heavy smokers and very heavy drinkers out of the equation.

Actually I would edit that to just say smokers, not necessarily heavy smokers. it would seem to be the one thing, above all else that will lead to serious health problems, heart related or otherwise.

Also tight chestedness can come as the result of a virus or chest infection, of it can just be a muscle strain if you've been coughing a lot.

But do get it checked. never ignore chest/arm/ribcage pain.

ECG seemed ok. Been sent away with Zantac for suspected oesophageal reflux but to,go back if I experience it again. Thx for replies. Still feel like one has wasted folks time but anyway.... Dryathlon started

Have appt at gps tomorrow so I'll see how it goes

Will - did you have your ECG in the surgery?

Anyone in England aged 40-74, is entitled to an NHS Healthcheck at their GP surgery, it is an MOT on your health and also gives you a 10 year predicted risk of cardiovascular disease (ie heart attack angina etc) your risk can be changed, anyone who has a risk of 20% or more should be offered a statin, this isn't just to reduce your cholesterol but it lowers your chances of a cardiac event, you will also have blood tests to check your cholesterol, liver, thyroid, kidneys and also for diabetes it takes about 10-20 min....... go on its worth it even if its just to put your mind at rest....all I will say is anyone with a family history should really get anychest pain checked out.

I had an EKG at drs surgery.

Phew - looks like its costochondritis sp?, inflammation of breast bone and muscle, quite common. Going to have a ECG tomorrow and blood tests due to family history. Feeling much better about it but strangely enough the pain is worse today. Oh well

Glad to hear it dirty paws. I keep having twinges in my heart area! Really hope it is just indigestion.