a couple of times a year and for about 3 years all of a sudden i get a God awful pain that starts in my lower jaw and pulls down through my throat into my chest. it only lasts a few minutes and then i an nauseous and totally wiped out. have mentioned it to the dentist and all dr.s including the cardio. have had in the past 6 mos. one EKG that showed an irregular heartbeat, an echo cardiogram that showed the same irregularity and 2 perfect EKG within the past 2 months. PCP told me if it happend again he wanted me to go directly to the ER. well it happend last night and I felt so bad that hubby took me to the ER. after waiting 2 1/2 hours I asked when i was up. was told I still ahd 5 people ahead of me. there weren't even 5 people there when i arrived. ????? being a diabetic and not eating for 7 hours i started to get agitated and left. any ideas if these episodes could be heart attacks? I am at a loss and so are all of my dr.s/

I'd take it seriously until you can get someone to do some in depth testing to rule out a blockage. 3 Years ago I went to the ER one night with some chest and shoulder discomfort, by the time I got in and was looked at it had more of less gone away and I was told it was just heartburn, one month later I was lying on the floor at the house waiting on an ambulance after a major MI. Seems it was a blockage after all. It very well could be something non threatening, but follow up on it if you aren't comfortable with what the ER docs said.

tronman---i had a physical therapy appt. this morning and when they took my BP it was up again from last week when i told her what happened last night she called my PCP immediately. he wants everything stopped until i see the cardio which i was lucky enought to get an appt tomorrow morning. i also am having an MRI of brain with contrast tomorrow since the first MRI showed an abnormality on the left side of brain. neuro suspects a possible TIA but have not been dx yet. carotid arteries are clear and MRA showed nothing. after suffering a neck injury this has become more pronounced and with my thyroid pressing on a nerve I am at a real loss and so are all dr.s icluding all specialists. UGH!!! i hate not knowing and having test after test and still knowing nothing. this has all been going on for 8 mos. and still no answers. what's next after an EKG, echo and stress test. the though of them putting wires in my heart scares the pants off of me.

PCP told me if it happend again he wanted me to go directly to the ER. well it happend last night and I felt so bad that hubby took me to the ER. after waiting 2 1/2 hours I asked when i was up. was told I still ahd 5 people ahead of me. there weren't even 5 people there when i arrived. ????? /


It's amazing that you hear and read daily it seems to get to a Hospital if you think your having a MI or Stroke (the faster the intervention the better) and you as well as myself and a friend of mine are treated like pond scum when you do go to the ER.
My friend had a brain anorism and was left in a parking lot for at least an hour before finishing the trip to the ER. They stopped half way. I and his wife had to fight to get them to continue, we were told that well we weren't even supposed to put him in the ambulance until a parametic arrived.
I after my MI had a very fast heart rate around 200 bpm and was about to pass out from weekness, was told "Unless your going to die on the floor right now just have a seat and we'll get to you".
Go figure and how many don't survive to write on this board.
Good Luck.

ICC,

I wouldn't be worried about the cath, although I would request the groin site as opposed to going in through the arm, I found the arm to be a bit uncomfortable. There is risk involved, my last one I ended up with a dissection and had another attack on the table, but they were able to fix it without cracking my chest. TIA is not that uncommon I think if you have blockages in your arteries. After my first MI 3 years ago I had a TIA about a week after discharge from the hospital, just stands to reason if you have blockages in the heart they will be everywhere.

Vooda,

You are right it seems a lot of hospitals will keep you waiting forever, even when you are showing clear signs of serious heart problems, however, I found at least with the hospital here that after my second MI, now if I arrive at the ER and say I have chest pain I am rushed to a bed and hooked up immediately and they bring the check-in people to me later.

I agree with your Vooda. We are always told if you suspect a Stroke or Heart attack to go straight to ER but when you get there, if you look ok you wait hours and are sent home with pain medication.

My Gran has a major Heart attack 4 years ago. It was caused by a DVT in her leg. When the paramedics arrived, my Grans heart beat was 16 or 19 BPM. The Paramedic asked my Gran does she usually have a slow Heart Beat and I had a right go at her. Told her straight her Heart is going to stop unless she gets her backside into gear and do something. In the Ambulance they told Gran she had a mild Heartattack and it was over now and Gran was in agony and couldn't talk or stop crying out in pain.

Got to the ER, I was made to wait so I waited for my Grandad and they wouldn't let me see my Gran. I was a worried 15 nearly 16 year old at the time and I told them I think it's a DVT. They wouldn't listen so I barged through staff only and found now in the throes of a major MI and the cardio stuck trying to stop her MI. I told him it was a DVT, he gave her the necessary medication and she improved rapidly. Cardio said if it wasn't for me she would be dead today. Luckily my Grans 85 now and hasn't had a MI since but she's been left with Heart disease....a double blockage in her main heart valve and enlarged heart.

ICC - Good luck at your Cardio and let us know how you get on. Be firm with the cardio and make them do something. Don't let him "fob" you off. All the best x

When you get to the E/R tell them you have chest pain radiating into your left arm and nausea and you think you are having a heart attack. Breathe deeply while talking.
Have a witness.

THAT will get you immediate attention.


If THEY behave like incompetent chilren then we must take suitable measures to counteract them.

you know what lenin? i not only wrote chest, jaw, stomach breathing but told them i was lightheaded and was white as a sheet. how can they make a woman with these symptoms wait behind several sprained wrists. next time if there is one 911 will be called. i am off to the cardiologist now.