I don't know whether to be happy or more depressed. I just got home from spending the night in the hospital.I was shopping yesterday and for no apparent reason had what I guess was my worst panic attack ever. I had severe chest heaviness, paplitations and difficulty breathing. I took an ativan and tried to regulate my breathing but it progressed to nausea and sweating. So...I got scared and went to the ER. Big mistake. Had all kinds of bloodwork, ekgs and a stress test. Happily everything was normal but now I feel like a fool. I felt like some of the staff were thinking "some old lady with a panic attack" add rolling eyes. the ER nurse must have been 25 at most and the Doc was young too. I'm only 50!! But 50 year olds do have heart attacks. I"m glad nothing is wrong with my heart, how can hormones be this overwhelming. I have been dealing with this 2 years and it's only getting worse. When does it end. Some days I don't think I can take it anymore and then to be treated by the medical profession like we're nuts is adding insult to injury. Has anyone else experienced this? I keep thinking they can transplant a heart but can't test or treat for hormone inbalance!!! Come on....
I did find out I have high cholestrol, yeah, another pill to take.
Thanks for listening

oops i should have read the topic about sharp chest pain. Might have saved myself some time and money.
anyway I feel better venting about my treatment at the hospital

Lulu!!

Don't beat yourself up!! Sadly I know a couple of women who didn't go to the ER and DID die from heart attacks!!

It is better to be safe than sorry. Now you have peace of mind. That is worth a little embarassment.

And YES I have done the same thing, for the same reason!! My very very first panic attack too me to the ER. And I felt stupid too. But at least I learned what a panic attack WAS!! And the bad ones make you feel like you are dying!! So enough with the being embarrassed, you did absolutely the right thing!!

I too have been to the ER. Floater is sooo right, better to be safe than sorry.

(((((lulu))))) sorry you had to go through that, but VERY glad you're okay!!

You absolutely did the right thing lulu220! Panic attacks and heart attacks can have very similar symptoms.

I had my worst panic attacks around age 50. Several sent me to the hospital. Tests were always fine and I felt pretty foolish too. But later on I felt relieved that my heart was fine. Once I even had a panic attack in the waiting room of one of the biggest hospitals in Houston's medical center. My daughter was having surgery and I was already a wreck. There were Dr's standing right there and noticed me. They sat me down and talked to me and took my pulse. I was rolled down to the ER but by the time I got there, I felt fine. And totally embarassed! I walked back up to the waiting room and sat down. Some of the same people were there. I'm sure they must have thought I was a nutbag.

I've been about four times now since April 2008 - the last time I went the ambulance crew even said to make me feel better they would take me to another hospital that had heart specialist on hand. I don't care if anyone thinks I am being stupid - I was scared witless! I was kept in over night once and had all the tests - all normal, I actually had a panic attack whilst in there so they hooked me up to the ECG machine and told me it was nothing and that I was just 'panicking'. Didn't feel like it at the time and it took a long time before I believed them. I had an echo booked by my doctor just to shut me up and the cardiologist told me to never apologise that is what they are there for and without us they'd be out of a job! He was probably the nicest professional I have seen out of the many. It's always better to be safe than sorry and I am sure they would rather someone walks out healthy than is in need of serious treatment. It turned out I was suffering from costochondritis which caused my chest pain.

Take care.

Lulu!! I am so glad you were ok! And everyone is right, what if it had really been something and you ignored it??? You absolutely did the right thing!!

HUGS

Kim

You can never be too careful about stuff like that. It is scary when you have things happen to you that have not experienced before. Try not to be too hard on yourself. Anxiety ***** and it makes us feel crazy.

I am glad that you know everything is good and now you can relax about that.

Hugs to you,
Jeaninne

Yep...spent the night of September 18 last year (my mom's b'day) in the hospital -- my only overnight stay in a hospital ever. It was for chest pains that turned out to be -- you guessed it -- a panic attack. I would have thought I was just getting blown off except that the drs ran every heart test in the book -- two years after going through almost exactly the same thing -- and found nothing. This was when my dr FINALLY talked me into getting on some medication.

This happened to my mom.

Her doctor's nurse blew her off, saying the doctor wasn't in, was it really an emergency?

My mom felt embarrassed but the doc... eventually... saw her, took an ekg and called an ambulance.

The nurse apologized over and over.

My mom's been gone 25 years now and I still miss her!

Don't ignore these warning signs-- you did the right thing!

I am health conscious because my mom died when she was 56.

She was menopausal and on anti-depressants.

She gained weight and developed diabetes.

She had a heart attack. And then another.

This is a common scenario!

Oh my gosh.............(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))))
)))))))))

Been there, done that, twice!!!! It was panic and stomach problems all at once, the palpitations were acid reflux related. the er people said it was smart to get checked, you never know and some women really are having heart attacks. YOu absolutly did the right thing, no question about that. Better safe than sorry.

I hope you are feeling better today.

You did the absolute right thing.....I was just there myself last November due to heart palps.

Hugs,
Karen

I'm due for a trip to the ER. I think I've been five times to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack. I'm not kidding. Once was so bad, an ambulance was called (I was a passenger in a car and not only couldn't I breathe, my left arm went completely numb.) I spent 3 days in a cardiac intensive care unit having tests done. All normal.

With me, they diagnosed with me severe costochondritis. It's basically chest wall pain...in my case, the doctor said it was one of the most severe cases he had ever seen. My rib cage was so swollen that it couldn't expand fully and that's why I was short of breath. The pain was crushing, absolutely horrible.

But I'd go again in a minute. I have an aunt who was a nurse...she went to the ER at the hospital she worked at (it was her night off) complaining of shortness of breath and back pain. They gave her a Xanax, told her she was having a panic attack, and to go home. She died in her sleep that night of a massive infarcation.

I have only the most minimal trust of doctors and nurses (don't mean to offend anyone in the medical profession here)...I myself have been misdiagnosed so many times I can't count. When I was in the ambulance on my last heart-attack-trip, there was a woman in her late fifties in the back of the truck with me. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Don't let them dismiss you at the hospital! Stand your ground--trust me!" What does that tell you?

Lulu (love the name, btw, reminds me of that movie in England about the teacher...)...don't feel embarassed. Doctors and nurses see far worse than menopausal women with chest pains. They have to deal with drug addicts who are withdrawaing, or who screwed up their injection that night...crazy people who harm their own kids for attention, you name it. My mom worked in an ER for 10 years and the stories she told would make my jaw drop. If you need medical attention, get it. i'm glad you're okay!!!!

Lulu, please do not feel foolish. You absolutely did the right thing. I had a similar experience a few years ago. Here's what I learned:

Heart attack symptoms in women can differ dramatically from those in men. While men will typically have chest pains, difficulty breathing, and pain radiating down the arm, women more often complain of back and abdominal pain, nausea, and a more generalized feeling of "unwellness" in the upper body area.

I had just dropped my son off at his summer job when I was hit with a pain under my rib cage that left me reeling. My arm hurt, I was nauseous, and my back was in spasm. I pulled into a shopping center parking lot and called 911. The fire department responded first, followed by the EMTs. They immediately put me on a heart monitor and rushed me to the nearest ER (fortunately one with an excellent trauma center).

I was in the ER for 5 hours. Cardiac enzyme tests came back completely normal. And over time the pain subsided. Result? I had had a huge esophageal spasm (a gas bubble in the espophagus) that can exactly mimic a heart attack. All subsequesnt EKGs have been perfectly normal.

I went to the hospital because I needed to burp.

But the ER doc said that I had done the right thing. The symptoms I had were classic female heart attack symptoms. He was as kind as could be.

I urge everyone to go to the American Heart Association web site to learn the symptoms women suffer pre-heart attack.

Plese don't let anyone make you feel negative about taking care of yourself. I think you should feel very proud.

Warmest regards,
Marcy

Thank you for all the kind words. It makes me feel alot better. This is such a confusing time of life. I have always been lucky to be in good health and now I feel like I'm falling apart. What is real, what is hormonal. I thought this was going to be a good time in my life, my children are raised I have a decent job, but every day is a struggle to feel normal. And there seems to be very little help out there. Oprah had a show on hormones and perimenopause and Dr Phil's wife spoke about how she went to a special center, had all kinds of tests and a "team" worked to develop her treatment. Try to get that in the real world, I can't even find 1 doctor who understands or cares about what perimenopause is. So I go from Dr to Dr. and basically rule out what is not wrong.
I guess I can rule out my heart for now.

Hi Lulu ( my cats name is Lulu, and she is so cute)

I haven't been to the ER ( although I have thought about it) but my sister ( who is 52 and has been post since she was 46) literally called the rescue on herself 4 times. She went to 4 different hospitals because she was convinced of heart problems and they kept telling her she was normal and having panic attacks ( which she was)...her husband made someone sit with her for a month so she would stop calling the rescue on herself! She finally went to her primary care doctor, conviced she was dying, he gave her and AD and prescription for klonopin. She was fine in 2 weeks and has never been to the ER again. I just skipped over the trips to the ER and got the klonopin right off the bat. It helps so much. Sometimes I still get the palps but I know its from anxiety.

Don't feel embarrased by your trip. Many people go to the ER with panic attacks. They mimic heart attacks so much its hard to know the difference. You are not alone!

Lulu,

I agree with all the ladies, I am 51 and when all this started I was 46 and yes, I've been to the ER
twice; once actually being placed in an ambulance because EKG showed something going on... spend
4 hours in the ER and other time, I could not breathe... gave me an inhalant (similar to what they give asthmatic patients) was better. I have taken numerous EKG, cardiac echo, holter etc...all normal thank God.

Heart attack is the leading cause of death for women and you can never be to careful so you did the right thing. I had a friend that had a stroke when she was 50.

Do take care and glad that all the heart tests were normal.

Plumeria

Yesterday on the News they had a segment on heart attacks and the difference between men & women. One woman said she had chest pain & jaw pain and the paramedics said it was an anxiety attack - so she waited 13 hrs in the E.R. to be seen...turns out she had had a heart attack! Really how are we suppose to know the difference. Two years ago I experienced an episode of feeling like I could not breathe, I was scared crazy that my lungs were failing...I then hyperventilated & husband called the paramedics. I was freaking out and crying for oxygen, but they just told me I was having an anxiety attack...I just freakin' wanted cold air for my lungs. I couldn't believe it 'cuz I had experienced an anxiety attack 10 yrs before that and it wasn't even the same feeling. In the drive to the E.R. I started to feel embarrassed & worried about us calling for an ambulance for a panic attack but the paramedic said "we see this A LOT". Anyway, I definitely believe it was all triggered by fertility hormones I was taking back then....fast forward to now when I feel similar weird chest aches/skipped heart beats which must be hormone related for perimenopause. It's so hard to know if something is really heart related or not...heck, I've already been to the urgent care twice this past month for the symptoms 'cuz I just don't know - and both times had an EKG that was normal & gave me Xanax...I'm always afraid they are gonna think I am the kid who cried wolf. I have reason to be concerned as my sister had had a heart attack at age 42 & subsequent bypass surgery. At the time she was skinny, but a smoker. A brother died of heart attack at age 52, so of course it runs in our family.
I'm trying to get heart healthy now, but I do have a lot of stress with a special needs kid.
Oh, and the chest wall pain? I have that - a searing shooting pain that is under the breast, but I didn't know there was a name. They told me a few years ago when it was really bad that it was muscoskeletal and to use a heating pad. I finally got a new softer mattress and it went away - only recently has it come back once in a while.

I'm glad your heart checked out okay. You should not feel bad about going to the hospital. In women, heart attack symptoms can be difficult to distinguish from other problems. Often they are silent. They generally are not the same as what men experience. The only way to know for sure is to get checked out. Kudos to you for doing that. My mom had a heart attack and nearly died. Her only symptom was the worst case of "stomach flu" she had ever had. Nausea and vomiting, very pale and weak, No chest symptoms. No shortness of breath. I'm a nurse and did not recognize what was happening to her until I found her in a coma in the middle of the night. That was in the days when the symptoms of female heart attack were presumed to be the same as those for men. Never ever put yourself down for going to the ED if you think there is something wrong with your heart, or any other organ for that matter.

I am now age 52, since age 50, two years, I have had chest pain off and on, one severe episode of crushing chest pain sent me by ambulance to the ER. Since my dad died at age 53 with heart disease, and I have had elevated cholesterol for 5 years and on medication, it was decided by my heart doctor to immediately do a heart catheterization. That came out negative, everything was fine in my heart, which is good to know. However, when my heart doctor came in to discharge me from the hospital he stated... and I quote... "get out of here crazy lady." My very not supportive husband, heard the comment... and remains to believe it is all in my head. My husband was irritated when he was called from work to the Emergency Room on my behalf. I have had heart palpitations all through out my perimenopausl, menopausal stage of my life, and as menopause approached the chest discomfort began and continues. There is know way to change mens opinions of women and their "ladies issues. " I have had heard continual abuse from men, and health professionals, sad to say, regarding PMS, PMMD, Baby Blues, Perimenoupause, Menopause... At times I still think we are living in the age of dinosaurs.

Hi Lulu;
I'm going thru something very similar right now...(I'm 47)..I started having heart pals/racing pulse that never stops...it's very fightening! I feel like I'm running from one doctor to another and noone can tell me what's wrong--I saw my OBGYN who said that this couldn't be menopuase related as I'm on HRT, then I went to the internist who checked my blood, ekg etc and said that he couldn't find anything wrong and gave me anti-anxiety medication....while the pills have a calming effect, they don't stop the heart palps...so now I'm waiting for an appointment for a cardiologist--unbelievable! I can't get a staright answer out of anyone---if you should find a doctor that can get to the bottom of this, please let me know....Many thanks, Helga

I know exactly what your saying. I was in the ER twice in one week! The same symptoms...heart palps, heart racing chest pressure. I was admitted on the cardiac floor as they found a slight heart flutter. Every test possible and tons of bills later. All the doctors I had said anxiety. This was 5 months ago and feel like there's something they missed. When I go for monthly check ups they still say relax get a hobby. Now I'm starting to feel like I am going coo coo. Doctors are not God so there are always a chance they miss something. We know our bodies best.
Char

Hi ladies. I can so relate. I've been to the ER numerous times for what I believed to be a heart attack. The sweating, heaviness in the chest, burning, shortness of breath, etc. I've had extensive cardiac workup and they were fine. However in my mind I truly believe that there is something amiss. I do suffer from anxiety/depression due to horrible stressors in my life. I try to calm myself down with the klonopin when these attacks happen but still feel the need to get my heart checked out. My died had his first heart attack at 42 and my mom died from one at 72. My dad did pass from one at 66.

I went through early menopause and was on hormones for 5 years (BHRT) and was taken off when I had a weird bout of non sustained ventricular tachycardia on a 30 day event monitor back in oct. They took me off my antidepressant and my hormones. It's been down hill since then.

I just started Paxil about a week ago not liking it very much. I'm allowed to resume my hormones tomorrow.

I guess because I live alone, I get scared when the palps hit and it just escalates my anxiety. I know they think I'm a nut job in the hospital, but I don't care. If I were a man they would take me more seriously.

I have fibromyalgia, cfs and now dysautonomia which sends me in to tachycardia and my b/p is all over the place.

So, if you have symptoms, trust your instinct and go to the hospital. Who cares what they think of you?? After all, it's your life.

Rene S.

My doctor says if you're scared-go to the emergency room.That's all I need to know.

I had a horrible episode last night, I kept repeating to myself that I would be okay, it always starts(well almost always) when I am laying down and lay on my side, I felt like I was getting something caught between my breasts, like they were sqeezing something and then I had two huge SKIPS, turned over on my back and my chest to my face felt numb, I could feel it but if I felt the back of my neck I felt normal, the front and side were numbish.....For the next 2 hours I kept getting the weird blurbing,pulling,odd feeling about my left breast (This always happens everytime) This has happened on and off for 2 years and seems to get worse. I have had the stress/echo etc done, saw a heart doc that said I was okay.

My Regular Doc says I have reflux and stones and I am semi symptomatic, getting tested for those next week. I have even asked it nerves can cause this but he says he doubted it.
He at least listens. I have 3 thyroid nodules too, normal blood work. Could be many things, but it all feels it is caused when I do a Physical thing, does that make sense. Tried to go bakc to sleep after I took my daughter to school, laying on my back, I could not, tons of skips, but these didn't scare me. Just annoyed the heck out of me. I got up, and after I have hours of skips I always feel "off" for the rest of the day.

Thanks for listening. Doc took tons of blood again doing a full work up, lets see if anything comes up.....Oh by the way I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, never know by looking at me, been under control for 7 yrs....Just on tons of meds for that too.