Heart attack symptoms

Well, I have been creeping up on a flare now for about 3 weeks and it has been getting worse and worse. UGH! I have been losing my hair and just feeling lousy and we have all encountered. My headaches are back with a vengeance. I have had the shortness of breath and yesterday it was pretty bad. All of the sudden yesterday afternoon I had sudden pains in my heart area and into my shoulder and around to my back. It lasted about an hour and a half before I decided to do something. It wasn't excruciating so I decided to check it out online. I know that women with lupus are much more suseptible to heart attacks so I am aware that I need to pay attention to that but I am young so the only reason I would think of it is because of my lupus. Well, after looking at the symptoms online, I found I had many of the symptoms so I went ahead and went to the urgent care. Well, the EKG came back fine but they wanted me to go to the ER just to be on the safe side for blood work because of my lupus. UGH! I was a good girl and I did what I was told. After 7 hours, all was fine, it was indeed just my lupus flaring up and causing the pain, but I have never experienced pain in my heart area that felt like a heart attack. Have you? That was a strange feeling. I still have it going on today off and on. The doc told me not to mess around with it if I feel like that because you never know but I felt like I just wasted so much time when it was just the damn lupus. I did have similar symptoms back in August but not near as severe because back then it didn't feel like a heart attack, just felt like something was going on with my heart and my breathing. Anyway, just wondering if any of you have ever encountered this. I'm certainly glad it wasn't a heart attack by all means or blood clot, which was what they were looking for too but flustered because I wish I would have known the difference to be able to stay home and not have to go in. In some ways, I felt like a big baby, but it did hurt and it scared me because I really didn't want to mess around with my heart, you know what I mean? In the meantime, they found 2 nodules on my thyroid, which I have no idea what that even means. Is that anything to be concerned about? I have no idea. I am going to my rheumy today which is good. I have found that my mtx injections are now causing me to swell a little at the back of my throat and make my skin itch at the onset which is a new thing so I'm not sure if he is going to switch my meds or not. It is making me feel really weird when I take the shot every week.

Monica

Monica

YOUR NOT BEING A BIG BABY!!! your sick try and stay on top of it

When i had this problem, after a lot of test they said that the vesals in my lungs were constricting causeing low ox level and it was causeing HELL with my heart. this might not be your case, but don,t take anything for granted and if you got to go to the ER everyday untill they find the cause DO IT!!!

As for the nodules some times that can be a sign of infection, but hey i'm not a dr.
with the Metho hope you and your dr can come up with something for you.

PS. there is no such thing as wasteing time with the WOLF!!!! or he'll bite you in the BUTT!!

I'll be thinking and keeping you in my prayers

Take care RAY

Hi Monica,

I'm sorry to hear you have so much going on right now. I also think it could be lungs too and not your heart. I hope after seeing your rheumy today he will send you to a cardiologist or pulmonologist for further testing. It is very scary to have that kind of pain and especially if it affects your breathing. But Ray's right, don't take anything for granted. Let us know how you made out today with your appointment.

Hi Monica:

I have had the same symptoms as you have over the last few years. I had the symptoms of pain in the chest and going around to your back. It almost feels like its squeezing or having a muscle spasm. I have not had the shortness of breath, though. I have only had a few of them and they are scary - it does make you feel like a heart attack. I, too, have been checked out with EKG's, chest x-rays, nuclear stress test, ultrasound of my carotid artery, etc. All is well with me - thank goodness.

I'm glad I had all the tests done over a period of time because now I can feel less anxious about things like that when they happen.

It is a good idea to have your docs check you out and then you'll know what you are dealing with.

Good Luck to you - keep us posted.

thanks for your responses. I went to the rheumy and although I really like him, he isn't a man of many words like I am. LOL!!! He increased my mtx, which I am a little concerned about because I mentioned the reaction I am getting, but what he wants me to do is break it down, 1/2 Sunday night, 1/2 Wednesday night so we'll see. If not, we'll change the meds next month. Last time I took this much of the med it made me sick so I'm not too thrilled about it but on the flip side I didn't break it down twice a week like this. He didn't seem concerned about my little episode and said it was very typical of inflammation and I asked him how do I tell the difference of a real heart attack and just inflammation so I can stay out of the ER? He basically just told me now that I have had the experience to remember what I felt. I had another thought too. I was going to accupuncture until right around Thanksgiving and when the holidays started I got busy and started feeling really good and quit going. I am wondering if that had a big impact on my improvement from my last big flare over the summer and why I am declining right now since I haven't been going. I think I am going to start going again. Reason I haven't gone is because my accupuncturist is about 30 minutes away but I like her alot plus she doesn't charge me anymore than what the insurance pays. She is much more affordable than a lot of them in the area. Anyway, I think I need to start going back to her.

Poppy, yes, it did feel like it was squeezing my heart with some sharp pains periodically. I don't think I nervous again if it happens either.

As far as the nodules, I am having to go to a different doctor but from what I hear, 90% of the time they are benign so I am hoping for that percentage. My MD said that depending on the size, sometimes they just leave them alone and monitor them every 6 months to see if they get any bigger or sometimes they do a biopsy, just depends on the situation but she told me not to stress about it at this point because most of the time it isn't anything to worry about. So that made me feel better. I am typically not one to worry unless there is something to worry about anyway. Thanks for your responses. Good to know I'm not alone!!

Monica

Hi Monica,

I'm sorry to hear you are feeling badly and had this recent scare with your heart. I have had episodes like that, actually I had an appt with the pulmonologist yesterday as a result of shortness of breath that I have been experiencing for the last 6 mo or so. I get some chest pains and tightness with it, they did a heart echo and ekg and ruled out issues with the heart. It is looking as though I may have pulmonary hypertension the more testing and research they do. Here is an article on that if you are interested in reading on it. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11076

Apparently PHT is very common within lupus patients. As I stated I get chest pains, but I also get pains up into my shoulder and stabbing pains clear through to my back. I didn't know at first if it was my heart or lungs, but I knew something was seriously wrong.

Onto the nodules on your thyroid, my sister had nodules removed a few years back, as you stated most are begign. How they came about findind hers was she had an odd feeling in the back of her throat, as if she was having an allergic reaction, swelling or a lump in her throat. She said it was as if something was stuck there and she couldn't get it out. Perhaps this is the feeling you are experiencing? That is why they ended up removing hers I believe because as it went on she felt as though she was choking.

Be persistent with both the shortness of breath issue and they thryroid. It has taken me at least 6mo to get the doctors to take me serious about the shortness of breath, like I said I just had my first real appt about it yesterday with a specialist! It's sad but we have to push sometimes to get them to believe what we are experiencing.

Take care.

Melissa

Hi Monica, Ray, Chris, Poppy and Melissa,

Monica I know how you feel as far as "creeping up on a flare" goes I feel I have been doing the same thing for quite a few weeks now and it is Summer here and I started a flare at the same time last year! I have been trying to ignore it and hoping it will go away but it's not working , my pain is increasing and it is waking me through the night which isn't a good sign!

I experienced the same thing you did with the heart attack symptoms last year and was told that it was the inflammation from the Lupus, I too felt like a nuisance taking up the ER staff's time but they said to me "hey it's better to be safe than sorry", I would still rather know the difference though! My GP and Rheumy ended up getting it to settle down by increasing my Pred, it is a horrible experience though.

I'm sorry to hear you are increasing the Mtx, when you know it is going to make you sick it is very hard to take!

I can't help much with the Thyroid stuff because I don't know alot about it, I was interested to hear what Melissa had to say about what her sister suffered because I have suffered this before too, it seems to hang a round for a while and then settle and start again ! Such is the craziness of this disease.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

Take Care
Love and Hugs
xxxMaz

Monica
How scary!! I know it has been a few days, but I do pray that you are feeling better

Let me know if you need anything.

Elizabeth