How to diagnose a heart attack?

Hi doctor,

I have little experience in cardio health and am sending this message to tell the story of my heart attacks and seek advice and information. I had heavy, dull chest pain for at least six months before the heart attack recently. High blood pressure was recorded the weekend before stage 3 hypertension. I went to the hospital before, and I have stage 3 hypertension. I went home after my blood pressure decreased slightly after being given a tablet and went to the GPS surgery with a letter. GP had no time to see me, and the blood pressure monitor was out alone, so I had to wait for this. No medication was prescribed for blood pressure in stage three hypertension.

The same day, my pain turned into a dull, heavy chest pain that turned into sharp and more painful muscle contractions and shaking limbs. I was taken to the hospital by ambulance care, and doctors stated a heart attack. Multiple similar episodes were witnessed outside the hospital. At the hospital, large quantities of white liquid were injected into me, and large quantities, and when overhearing, I mentioned that the liquid was estrogen and refused drip and any other intravenous medications; I was sent home from the hospital and told they had no heart attack. No memory of being early at the hospital, so I went to a psychiatric hospital. No treatment was given for cardio problems there or now, just a relaxant known as Galanzapine. No sleep for four weeks post heart attack and now on Zimovain, but it is not as effective as it could have been due to prolonged usage of this drug in the past.

Do I have paranoid ideas about a heart attack? Pain is accurate, and hypertension. Three readings at home and the GP stated stage 3 hypertension. Please advise if this is a genuine heart problem or if I have a mental disorder, as suggested by a psychiatrist. Blood pressure dropped a lot when tested yesterday, and no medications were provided. Please help.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply.

I agree that the prescribed medication is not for cardiac, but the pain felt in the left-hand side of the chest above the heart and on the side of the heart, base of the throat, and top of the chest may still be. I will contact the relevant sources next week and see what information I can collate from the GP and hospital. Can you advise me further if they refuse to give me this information? I will send you all I can find. I have had temperature readings, ECG, and blood testing, but no test in the way of MRI or CT.

The blood test readings noted are a little low. Higher ones that I read on the screen in the hospitals. 180/123 mm of Hg was read at the GP surgery, and I was sent to A and E, and the same reading was recorded there on arrival. A lower one on departure that I had yet to read was the one recorded. I do not have diabetes, according to the latest blood test. My family has a history of heart attacks, but not at a young age. My twin sister has high blood pressure and is on medications for this. Should you need any further information, please let us know.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

Unfortunately, I only got five days of anti-blood pressure medication. Hence, I have nothing to take now and have not taken anything to bring down my blood pressure for a long time, but it is decreasing despite all of this. I am not anxious, but I have had a heavy, dull pain in the left of my chest for over six months now, and after the episode in the ambulance, it is a different kind of pain being experienced instead of a sharp burning pain in the chest. It may not be asthma, as this has always been controlled by taking medications exactly as prescribed. I have experienced a lot of chest infections, but this pain feels utterly different from a chest infection. It is not in the lungs or trachea. A nurse told me that if I do get an infection this winter, I will not recover from it.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

The blood pressure reading today is 136/ 91 mm of Hg with a heart rate of 90 beats per minute, a significant decrease in blood pressure in the last week, and no blood pressure medications used. Pain in the heart has been consistent all day, every day since the episode described in an earlier communication in an ambulance outside the hospital. Before the episode, the severe pain came and went infrequently. I have shortness of breath but no cough and, more importantly, no phlegm or mucus. The pain is present throughout the day, whether at rest or during activity.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply.

Systolic 135 stage 1 hypertension is higher than 90 diastolic is stage 2 hypertension, so there is confusion here. You are correct and accurate about the average pulse rate. Please advise about the confusion. I am glad the constant pain is not cardiac. Please advise on any further investigation, like an ECG (electrocardiogram) echo or cardiac rhythm monitor, for example, being needed at this stage. Lastly, why is the pulse rate up and down? I would have internal hemorrhoids also; could this be related to the blood pressure problems?

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply.

I have only had an ECG test done in the hospital, and I will try to get the results from the general practitioner and then forward them. Should I request echocardiography also be done, and how would I request this if needed? Glad my blood pressure has now decreased to normal. Weight reduction is not a problem, but some fatty tissue can be excess around the abdominal area due to antipsychotic medication. I tried doing it with exercise, but even when I walked a minimum of 30 miles a week, the fatty tissue remained, and the problem persisted.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I will be in contact again with the test results if the GP will present and forward them to me.

Thank you.

Hi,

Thank you again for your time; I greatly appreciate it.

Since I was last in contact, I have been prescribed Zimovane 7.5mg for sleep, which was eight months ago. Just last week, I was given a heart medication called Acerycal, which is used for heart and blood pressure. Next week, I am scheduled to finally have the 24-hour blood pressure monitor fitted. My sleep has improved a little, and the pain on the left side of my chest is only severe at night; in the morning, it is less painful, just slightly uncomfortable. The pain changes throughout the day. I purchased a basic ECG (electrocardiogram) monitor from an online application and have attached the results, as the general practitioner could not provide them to me. I am looking forward to your response.

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I am also experiencing shortness of breath and a constant dry cough. How can I address these symptoms? How much longer can I expect the chest pain and discomfort to last if it is due to muscle damage from the heart attack? I have also been experiencing vomiting, which occurs during coughing and when my shortness of breath is severe. Last week I even spat out some blood. Should I be concerned about this?

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Could you please provide a response regarding the blood issue and chest pain?

Thank you.

Hi doctor,

Thank you again for your time; I greatly appreciate it.

The chest pain is a discomfort in the heart area. It is more noticeable in the morning and becomes painful, especially late at night. The pain occurs both at rest and with exertion, and it is constant throughout the day. Coughing tends to happen when shortness of breath becomes severe, sometimes leading to vomiting, primarily during the night. I have purchased a blood pressure log book with a graph to record the readings. Can sedative medications and sleeping aids lower the heart rate, potentially affecting the accuracy of ECG readings?

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your advice and kind attention.

I have an appointment tomorrow to have a 24-hour monitor fitted to measure my blood pressure, and I will inquire about having my chest auscultated during the appointment. I will reach out again once I have more information.

Hi doctor,

Thank you again for your time; I greatly appreciate it.

The nurse called yesterday to inform me that today's appointment for the blood pressure monitor has been canceled due to the machine being in disrepair until next week. Are there any other tests I may need to undergo?

Thank you.