New to forum, heart attack Christmas Day

[renozar]

I am just looking for some reassurance from other heart problem sufferers. I am a 42 year old woman with no previous heart problems. On Christmas morning I had a heart attack, at the time I thought I just needed a day off since I have been working a lot. Clenching in the center of my chest, dizzy and tunnel vision. It lasted for just a few seconds and then I felt like I had right before it and just thought it was fatigue.

On the way to work that night it happened again so instead of going to work I drove myself to the hospital, I was two minutes away. My EKG and chest x-rays were normal and my HR was 95 with my BP 165/110. Way high for me. My first blood test for Troponin levels was normal but my second was 3.1 and the third was 3.5. I guess this is high.

I saw the cardiologist and he had me get an angiogram the next day and it showed everything to be perfectly fine with no damage or anything out of the ordinary.

I had another attack on the following night but with no elevated Troponin levels and my EKG was fine.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? I am off of work for a little over a week to rest. The cardiologist doesn't seem concerned with this incident, his opinion is stress and slightly high blood pressure. I still get dizzy and sometimes I feel some pressure in my chest but he said that is caused by my beta-blocker. I just want to make sure this is all normal and if this really was a heart attack if I have had no damage. Thanks.

[huckfinn]

Welcome to the forum

You didn't have a nice Christmas at all. I understand how you must be feeling. Just try to relax and let your body rest. Try to get your mind off of what happened, except monitor your heart rate and BP, if you can for awhile.

Make sure you are taking your medicines as prescribed. You should also be taking an aspirin a day unless your doc told you not to. It is recommended by the American Heart Association.

I will try to address your specific questions when I get time. Just wanted to say hi

[renozar]

Thanks for your reply. I am taking 325 mg of aspirin daily and I have a BP machine and a heart rate watch. My week has been spent watching TV and doing small things around the house so I am trying to rest and keep my mind off my troubles. Not always easy to do at the same time Happy New Year.

[huckfinn]

Happy New Year to you

Are you having any chest pain? What medicines are you on, if I may be so nosy I know that you are on a beta blocker, but what dose of which kind?

The medical literature says that when your cardiac troponin I level ≥1.2 µg/L, you most likely have had a heart attack, if you have other findings such as mentioned in the following NIH medical literature. "In the consensus document of the Joint European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology (ESC/ACC) Committee, myocardial infarction is defined on the basis of pathological findings or on the basis of a typical rise and fall in biochemical markers of myocardial necrosis and the presence of at least one of the following: ischemic signs and symptoms, electrocardiographic (ECG) signs of ischemia or necrosis, or a coronary artery intervention."

It seems you had ischemic signs and symptoms and high troponin I levels. so that can be enough to diagnose a heart attack, if the "clenching in the center of my chest" was due to lack of blood flow to your heart, BUT your angiogram showed that your arteries were clear, which is great. This usually rules out ischemia, but angiograms are not always 100% correct in finding blockages.

I know of two women and myself who would have had blockages that would not have shown up on an angiogram if not for the IVUS (Intravenous Ultrasound) technology. My angiogram that used the IVUS was done at the Cleveland Clinic. There was an 80% blockage at the beginning of my Lad. My doctor explained all of this to me during the angiogram. To me this is amazing. A blockage that could have killed me later on would have been missed by the contrast dye and fluoroscopy.

I didn't write the above to scare you, but you might ask your doctor did he use IVUS during your angiogram. I think that all of us should be aware of this. My story sounds like a tall tale, but it is the total truth, as explained to me. Maybe this doctor had lots of shares in those that manufacture the IVUS technology? Ha ha ha.

Another thing is the troponin I levels stay elevated for at least a week and most times two weeks after a heart attack, I have read. Yours decreased to normal soon after the event.

Most heart attacks cause some damage to your heart however slight.

One thing for sure your BP was extremely high. The "dizzy and tunnel vision" you had could have been signs of an impending stroke.

Watch out for chest pain. Learn how to recognize changes in your chest. Tightness in the chest can lead to an increase in tightness in the chest due to anxiety. I know because I can bring it on, at will in myself. You just have to keep it off of your mind. It is a sign of a developing heart attack, i.e. "feels like someone is sitting on my chest" scares the ER folks.

Best of luck to you

[bikerbabe]

Hi, I didn't have a heart attack, but I know that all those tests don't always tell the whole story. My EKG's were always normal. I had the dye test and it showed 2 blockages and my valve was not working properly. I had another ultra sound test done that went down my throat that was more accurate. Why they don't do this at first I'll never know. Anyway, from that test it was determined to do surgery quickly. They replaced my aortic valve and did 2 bypasses. The surgeon said the blockages were only about 50% but he didn't think I'd want to have my chest opened up again. He was right.

Bottom line. It COULD be anxiety from the holidays. BUT, if it's your heart you have to keep at the doc's. Being a woman, a lot of them don't take you seriously. If a man went in presenting your symptoms they'd all be jumping to help. Change doc's if you can. It's YOUR body and your piece of mind. You could ask for an MRI of your brain, and an MRA. I hope you get the help you need.

hugs,
Mary