Possible heart attack

[K87]

I had what could have been a heart attack last week, in a lot of pain, tight chest, difficulty breathing.

There was no one around for help. I rang 999, waited about 10 minutes for someone to answer, then I was told that the waiting time for an ambulance was two hours and I should try and make my own way. I called 111, the line was terrible, we couldn't hear each other and they insisted on a hundred questions.

I took a taxi to my doctors which was about a mile away, they gave me a bking for just turning up and wanted me to go to hospital, anyway they saw me.

Upshot of all this is that I go for an electrocardiograph on Friday morning, I am hoping that it is positive news.

[Mikebentley]

That sounds a bit st. Nothing more to add other than I hope you are ok.

[The jiffle king]

I've known people have those symptoms with a panic attack. Not saying yours was this but hopefully the tests will help get to the bottom of it

[K87]

Thanks guys, I hope that you are right on the panic attack, I haven't had anything like it before but I had received some bad news just two hours before so that could be the answer, hope so.

[Luke.]

Def symptoms of panic attack.

[dundarach]

Glad you're still here!

Don't take no from anyone, be polite, be insistent, be stubborn, be demanding.

Don't set out to be an ahole

However be reassured you're okay!

[pequod]

You weren't having a heart attack, if you were, the paramedics would have been on your doorstep pdq, and you'd been admitted for surgery.

[Driver101]

That is very worrying phoning 999 with a suspected heart attack and being told of a two hour wait for an ambulance. 10 minutes to get through is not acceptable either.

I hope it's nothing and you're ok.

[K87]

Thank you all for your support, it is reassuring.

[WarnieV6GT]

K87 said:

Thank you all for your support, it is reassuring.

Hopefully it's a panic attack.

I had many for a two week period last year after I lost my dad suddenly due to that bloody covid.

I was convinced it was a heart attack and was trying to get help when it happened in my car. I flung open the doors as I couldn't breathe and felt like I was passing out. I couldn't get this guy's attention who was sitting not far away.

This carried on for a week or so. Especially at night, it was really frightening. I checked out ok but spent many hours in A and E thinking my life was over after my ECG brought up a left branch block that I and they never knew about.

I'm fine now and back to normal doing everything I used to do but Christ I wouldn't wish these on anyone.

They really do a great job of giving you the feeling that it's all over!

Hope yours is the same.

[NDA]

WarnieV6GT said:

my ECG brought up a left branch block that I and they never knew about.

What are they doing about that?

I ask because I have the same.... feel free to PM me.

[K87]

All went well at the test, for those that haven't had the test it is, of course, painless and very quick, less than five minutes and totally professional, results through the doctor but she did say that my heart rate was normal.

Edited by K87 on Friday 29th July 11:53

[skedaddle]

Had covid in the last year or so?

research said:

We show that, beyond the first 30 d after infection, individuals with COVID-19 are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease spanning several categories, including cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure and thromboembolic disease. These risks and burdens were evident even among individuals who were not hospitalized during the acute phase of the infection

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01689-3

[BabySharkDD]

K87 said:

I had what could have been a heart attack last week, in a lot of pain, tight chest, difficulty breathing.

There was no one around for help. I rang 999, waited about 10 minutes for someone to answer, then I was told that the waiting time for an ambulance was two hours and I should try and make my own way. I called 111, the line was terrible, we couldn't hear each other and they insisted on a hundred questions.

I took a taxi to my doctors which was about a mile away, they gave me a bking for just turning up and wanted me to go to hospital, anyway they saw me.

Upshot of all this is that I go for an electrocardiograph on Friday morning, I am hoping that it is positive news.

While waiting for your results, keep some aspirin to hand to be on the safe side if it does happen again. There’s certainly an increase in younger people having cardiac arrest at the moment, so just be careful.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-attack/

“Treating heart attacks

While waiting for an ambulance, it may help to chew and then swallow a tablet of aspirin (ideally 300mg), as long as the person having a heart attack is not allergic to aspirin.

Aspirin helps to thin the blood and improves blood flow to the heart.”

[anonymous-user]

K87 said:

All went well at the test, for those that haven't had the test it is, of course, painless and very quick, less than five minutes and totally professional, results through the doctor but she did say that my heart rate was normal.

Edited by K87 on Friday 29th July 11:53

Haven’t had a covid jab recently? Blood clots to the lung can seem very heart attack like - ask me how I know!

[Jiebo]

K87 said:

I had what could have been a heart attack last week, in a lot of pain, tight chest, difficulty breathing.

There was no one around for help. I rang 999, waited about 10 minutes for someone to answer, then I was told that the waiting time for an ambulance was two hours and I should try and make my own way. I called 111, the line was terrible, we couldn't hear each other and they insisted on a hundred questions.

I took a taxi to my doctors which was about a mile away, they gave me a bking for just turning up and wanted me to go to hospital, anyway they saw me.

Upshot of all this is that I go for an electrocardiograph on Friday morning, I am hoping that it is positive news.

10 minutes for someone to answer emergency line is quite worrying, is that normal? Are you out in the sticks somewhere?

I suspect after they picked up they triaged you as non-life threatening based on how you behaved / what you said to them. Wouldn't mess with the heart though, as time is against you when it goes wrong, so I think you did the right thing.

[K87]

Jiebo said:

K87 said:

I had what could have been a heart attack last week, in a lot of pain, tight chest, difficulty breathing.

There was no one around for help. I rang 999, waited about 10 minutes for someone to answer, then I was told that the waiting time for an ambulance was two hours and I should try and make my own way. I called 111, the line was terrible, we couldn't hear each other and they insisted on a hundred questions.

I took a taxi to my doctors which was about a mile away, they gave me a bking for just turning up and wanted me to go to hospital, anyway they saw me.

Upshot of all this is that I go for an electrocardiograph on Friday morning, I am hoping that it is positive news.

10 minutes for someone to answer emergency line is quite worrying, is that normal? Are you out in the sticks somewhere?

I suspect after they picked up they triaged you as non-life threatening based on how you behaved / what you said to them. Wouldn't mess with the heart though, as time is against you when it goes wrong, so I think you did the right thing.

I am in a major town. I dialled 999, and went through several cycles of pre recorded messages telling me that if I had already called for an ambulance to hang up and not to call again. When I did get to speak to them I told the operator that there was no one around and that I had heart attack symptoms and on the ground.

I was talking to someone about this situation. They had a bad experience with a call handler. They owned a flat which was rented out, they went to do an inspection and found the tenant had died, the stench was appalling, the operator wanted them to try and revive the tenant, presumably with c p r, when he said no she said that he would be reported to the police. Later turned out that the tenant had been dead for some weeks.

Edited by K87 on Saturday 30th July 18:11

[anonymous-user]

Ambulance service is extremely hit and miss throughout the country. Plenty of news articles about ambulances taking ages to arrive and, in some cases, people dying.

Ambulance waits: 'Can you please tell them to hurry up or I shall be dead'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61791151.amp

[BabySharkDD]

garyhun said:

Ambulance service is extremely hit and miss throughout the country. Plenty of news articles about ambulances taking ages to arrive and, in some cases, people dying.

Ambulance waits: 'Can you please tell them to hurry up or I shall be dead'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61791151.amp

It’s a chain issue.

Care homes and care work in the community are severely understaffed, not helped by the hysterics in November last year.

If care packages and care homes places are unavailable, hospitals that are understaffed cannot discharge patients so the beds are blocked

If beds in hospitals are blocked, the Emergency Department / Minor Injuries which are also understaffed are unable to clear their own beds.

If no beds are available in ED, ambulances cannot offload their patients and the ambulance becomes a bed.

Add in the gp surgeries refusing to see patients, the people who have become severely sick over the past two years due to missed treatment or fears of seeking treatment etc

Result for 999 is fewer ambulances available for emergencies. People don’t realise quite how bad things are until they experience it first hand.

[croyde]

Not getting an ambulance whilst having heart attack symptoms is very worrying.

I had one in 2009, I couldn't believe it at first and just called the wife. I was at home putting the kids to bed. There's an ambulance station about a mile in one direction and St George's hospital about 2 miles in the other.

Ambulance was with me in minutes.

Since then the ambulance service have been light speed quick for problems with the kids, when my wife had a TIA and when my heart played up again.

Then Covid.

Over 2 hours when my son took an overdose in 2020 and the other night my other son was very ill, screaming in agony.

After debating and stalling for an hour as he didn't want to go to A&E I finally dialled 999.

I was told to call 111 after listening to recorded messages asking if I was calling to see where the ambulance was.

Called 111, recorded message saying too busy please try website.

Went on to website and input his symptoms, comes up in big red letters, Call 999!!!

So I do and get to speak to a human. She says it's a 4.5 hour wait. What the fek!

So I drive him to A&E and spend about 8 hours there.

GPs!! could you start doing your effing jobs again. Jeez!

Before anyone asks, there was a good reason why I initially couldn't drive him myself.