How does a heart attack feel (seriously)?

Question

How does a heart attack feel? I'm only 29 (M) and get a severe sharp pain in the bottom left part of the heart every once in a while. I'm not sure if I can describe it properly, but it feels to me like a small part of the heart muscle is stuck behind a rib or something and can't get out of there. The pain is usually relieved after 15-30 seconds but only after I make a movement with my body (as if to give it more air) and press a little at the place where it hurts. Doctors say I'm completely ok, ECG is normal, I've had slight arrhythmia since birth, but am otherwise healtyh (knock wood). Does this 'qualify' as a heart attack or does anyone know what it is? The doctors are clueless but claim it's not a heart attack. Can anything be done to prevent this? Not that life is a picnic, but still - I'm too young to croak lol lol!! Thx. :)

Answer 1

It feels like there's a 2 ton elephant sitting on your chest. I don't know how else to describe it.

What you have doesn't sound like a heart attack though. Don't know what it could be though.

Answer 2

Believe it or not heart attacks can be felt differently by woman and men. Men feel the classic pressure, left arm tingling and difficulty breathing as well as a rapid heart beat.

Woman feel symptoms differently, often they have pain radiating from the neck and jaw and the can also feel nausea. They too can have the feeling of pressure, but often it is jaw pain and nausea.

A sharp pain is not associated with a heart attack. Although it can be associated with a pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart). This pain is increased when a person leans forward.

The pain that u feel maybe just a muscle spasm or possibly coming from the lungs. I get those "crampy" feelings sometimes its hurts to inhale all the way until i massage the area. I doubt it is significant and I doubt you will croak anytime soon! :)

Answer 3

NE medical journal identifies the sharp pain from the broken tiny piece of cholesterol plaque which they say it is sharp like a razor and it may hurt the artery wall. A small crack at the ribs can hurt just like inside the heart too. None of cardiology technology can do anything with this kind of pain from the vascular disease yet except an aspirin and they are not regarded as the sympton of the heart attack.

Answer 4

A heart attack does not feel like a sharp pain in the chest. My cardiologist says what you should worry about are pains that you can't easily say, "It hurts HERE," about.

Really, heart attacks start with sort of a weird sense of impending doom, which gets worse. Then, you start sweating. There's a dull sort of pain your chest. A squeezing pain. You may feel very nauseated. You start to have sort of a burning pain in your chest, through your shoulders, in your left arm. You will probably be a little confused. It will be hard to dial the phone. Sweating. Struggling for breath. Confusion.

Not the stereotypical "Elizabeth, I'm coming to join you, Honey!" Sanford and Son kind of scene at all.

You could have some sort of breathing disfunction. Almost certainly NOT heart related, from what you've described.

The pain you're feeling may be your diaphragm getting out of sync with your breathing. Often, this can be alleviated by breathing out as much air as you can, then slowly beginning to breath normally.

I hope this helps.

:)

Answer 5

My father had 2 heart attacks back in 1999 and he told me when it started, he was in a bad mood for an unknown reason, then he said it felt like a muscle spasm in the middle of his back, he felt nauseous, out of breath and he passed out.

Answer 6

I have the same symptoms too. There's a sharp pain around your heart area but goes aways after a while. It's probably heart burn. Or at least I hope it is lol...

Answer 7

Someone else was writing about this phenomenon recently. It is something I have had on and off for most of my life at odd times, and is evidently not serious. I used to find that taking a deep breath - which took a lot of self-control, because at first that makes it worse - would eventually stop it.

Answer 8

For me it felt like someone sitting on my chest (pressure and pain), dizziness and I was unable to breathe.

Answer 9

Could be heart burn, but you should get checked out.

Answer 10

What you're feeling may not involve your heart at all. It could be gas, esophygeal reflux, stomach ulcer, hiatal hernia, gallbladder problems, chest muscle strain (my husband had that and it was similar symptoms to heart attack). If you have had at least 2 doctors tell you it isn't your heart, then chances are it is something else.

A heart attack feels like tremendous pressure on the chest, and sometimes pain and/or numbness in your left arm. You can feel breathless, sweaty, clammy, nauseated, shaky, have chest pains etc. With those symptoms you always want to go straight to the ER or call an ambulance. Take two aspirin, too, immediately. It will help prevent damage to your heart muscle. The quicker you get to the ER, the more likely you are to survive.

Also, I think if your pain is relieved after thirty seconds or it goes away when you change positions, it is not a heart attack.
If a sharp thirty second pain in your chest bothers you "once in a while", I would have it investigated by your regular doctor, but I would expect it to be something relatively minor.

Have you been lifting heavy things lately, that you aren't used to lifting? That is how my husband injured his chest muscles. He was in pain for several days.

What is your diet like? Sometimes certain foods can cause gas severe enough to cause you that kind of pain (and would be relieved by a change of positions). Do you notice heartburn often? Have yourself checked for acid reflux disease. This is something you should not put off getting treatment for, because it can eventually lead to more serious problems, like esophygeal cancer which is difficult to treat.

Depending on the location of your pain, also make sure you do not have an enlarged spleen.

Do you notice the pain more often 3-4 hours after eating a big meal? You may have gallstones. But don't rush to get your gallbladder removed, as a low fat diet will probably allow you to keep your gallbladder. And sometimes even surgery does not relieve the problem; people who lose their gallbladder often have frequent diarrhea.

Also consider Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Try including more fiber in your diet and see if that relieves your pain. Try also excluding things from your diet, like wheat, to see if that resolves your problem.

You're definitely too young to croak but what you describe doesn't sound like a heart problem. I hope you can get to a doctor who is up to date enough to help you figure out what it is. Some ailments do take a while to figure out. It could even be stress! Try getting some rest and relaxation and see if that helps. :)
Good luck!