M&S leggings causing heart attack symptoms

[Mumaof0]

Ok so hear me out.
Yesterday I wore a pair of M&S compression leggings (sort of gym leggings but called compression leggings and felt a bit like compression sock material) for the first time. Whole day I was fine. When I went to pain I started to get a pain in my left arm like when you've had an injection, like exactly how it feels when you've had an injection, plus a numb and cold feeling through the whole arm and a sort of pulsating twitch in the spot where the pain was (the spot where you'd have an injection in your arm, that's the only way I can describe where it is).

Then I started to feel strange so got up to go to splash water on my face, I looked in the mirror and was white as a sheet and collapsed in the bathroom. I went and got help (and collapsed again on the way). Then we took my blood pressure and it was very low, I usually have low blood pressure which makes me faint after every blood test but I've never collapsed randomly before.

All the symptoms I was googling said heart attack which massively freaked me out (should add I'm 21) especially at the thought of being taken to hospital on my own in these times. I sat up for about an hour with a family member until I felt I wasn't feeling any worse (still had slight arm pain and numbness) and went to bed. All I can think was it could be something to do with wearing the compression leggings all day causing some sort of circulation problem. Am I being batshit please be honest. Please excuse my dire story telling skills

Compression garments are known to cause health problems in some wearers www.latimes.com/health/mind-body/la-he-spanx-danger-20150418-story.html

Only last night I started to think were they actually meant to affect your circulation

That is their job, yes. That's the supposed benefit of them and why things like compression socks are recommended for airline travel. I would discuss this with your GP OP - with low blood pressure and these symptoms it sounds as if there is something that should be managed. I'm not clinically qualified, I just think it's something you need to be aware of and talk to someone about.

I appreciate this must have been scary for you but I certainly wouldn’t be taking it up with M&S, it sounds like they were too tight for you and you have an underlying health condition, the same could have happened had you worn jeans which were too tight. I do think you should get yourself seen by a doctor ASAP though.

@Vanhi What I meant was it didn't really register that they were proper compression clothing as I had always thought they had to be prescribed like compression stockings are. I didn't think high street shop like M&S would sell that sort of stuff amongst their other normal leggings if it was actually normal that they would cause these symptoms by wearing them for a day IYSWIM

@Poppyfields21 I was only contacting them to check if they were safe to wear all day long, I also bought them in the 12-14 so they weren't even particularly tight on me (an 8) so it is strange

I don’t think you have wasted money, I reckon m&s will let you return them for a refund

Oh, if you’re a size 8 why did you buy size 12-14?

@browzingss Ironically I wanted some that weren't super well fitting (and see through lol) as I find they can be if you buy true to size

I've had problems when wearing really tight skinny jeans so I say the compression leggings could also cause problems.

Don't wear them again.
You already know that you have problems with your blood pressure and circulation, so in future don't wear anything that will alter your already problematic condition.

Did you exercise when wearing them. Do you think that has perhaps caused the symptoms.

@vanillandhoney that’s the thing though, all day wear possibly caused an issue for OP due to her underlying health concerns, but would be fine for the average person so a disclaimer may not be necessary. The 2nd review on the product page mentions wearing them for hours for leisure outside of the gym, and the reviewer mentions how comfortable etc they are so one can assume this issue wasn’t present.

@browzingss I don't have health problems, only have blood pressure on the lower side, but not dangerously so. I'm also 21 so lower BP is pretty normal

@AdaColeman I don't actually have any health condition, only blood pressure on the lower side of normal which is pretty typical for a 21 year old and wouldn't be classed as a health concern. I guess the leggings were designed to compress without being uncomfortably tight which is why I didn't acknowledge they may be dangerous to wear, they're just like a sports bra type material

You really should never wear compression items for extended amounts of time unless under doctors advice. IF you ever gets these symptoms again, call 999 and get it checked

You need to seek medical attention. It's well documented that women don't necessarily experience the 'classic' heart attack symptoms. It's entirely possible that the leggings were a sheer coincidence.

I doesn't sound as if the clothing is at fault - just the choice of fit. These are too tight on you to be good OP.

If you buy any item of clothing tight enough to affect your circulation - then it is too tight for you.

This is not the fault of the shop you bought it from. Most items of clothing could do this - especially if stetchy. A looser version of the same item would not be dangerous. You just chose to wear something tight for too long. Common sense tells you this is not a good idea.

(Corsets used to cause fainting too .)

Farmers used to do something similar to lambs tails when it was feared that these were vulnerable to infection/fly-strike. They wrapped the tails in tight-fitting elastic - not tight enough to be painful but enough to slow circulation to the end of the tail.

Beware of wrapping parts of your body for too long OP unless you don't really need them.

Because I'm 21 I thought I would probably be fine

Please please don't think this. My 11 year old had a heart attack earlier this week. He is thankfully fine and no lasting damage, but he had a heart attack.

@HerRoyalCarbyLess So sorry to hear that:( really hope he's ok bless him must have been terrifying for you all! And you're so right, as a young person you sort of tend to feel 'safe' from those sort of things when you're really not! Do hope your DS is feeling better xxxxx

It was terrifying. And its really brought home to me the fact it can happen to anyone. I'm only 28 myself, but I am obese. I've realised just how at risk I am. If my precious boy can suffer, then chances are I can too.
Its so easy to think "I'm young, ill be fine" but the reality can be very different.

Op I wear compression tights all the time as part of my running and also to aid recovery (often sleep in them too!) They really shouldn't be having that affect on you! If it happens again definite 999, glad you’re ok now

they might want one. It could be achieved by short trip to gp (but best to phone call them 1st because of all the stuff going on). Heart attacks could show as long term changes on ecg (but not always). It means that they have something to compare things against if you were to have problems in the future. Your age does make it unlikely but gp might want to explore family history or other symptoms.

Could well be unrelated to the leggings.