My Heart Scare

This has been posted in the Heart Forum, just wanted to also put it here where I spend more time, even though it does not qualify as Chronic Pain-thankfully!! Does anyone have experience with this? There are a very few others who reported having it on the Heart Forum.

My experience with Takotsubo Syndrome happened March 13, 2018. For three days prior to this I was thinking about a little speech I had been asked to give about my personal life. My memories were difficult to relive in part, but the day came, the speech was given and well received. As soon as I sat down I felt tightness/pressure/discomfort in my left jaw and left arm. I drove myself home without telling anyone at the meeting what was wrong-dumb! I just wanted to get home and tell my husband. He took me to the hospital where all the typical testing was done. When the blood work showed elevated enzymes a cardiologist was called. I was told I was having a heart attack. Nitro removed ALL my discomfort and gave me a terrible headache. I was kept on medication and scheduled for a catheterization the following morning. Before that test my Dr came into my room and spent time looking over and over all my test results. He told me that since I had never experienced anything like this, I had been stressed recently, the shape of my heart muscle was odd, and the left ventricle showed damage he thought it might be Takotsubo Syndrome. He said that would be my best case scenario at this point. He was thrilled to tell me that was my diagnosis after not finding any blockage. He put me on meds to help my heart heal for six weeks, then I will have another echo cardiogram which he expects to be normal.

The name Takotsubo came from Japan where this was first written about in the 1990's. That word means octopus trap which is the shape the heart changes to. I've read that 2% of people presenting with heart attack symptoms actually have this. They are most often women over age 50. So we are a small group. I feel well now two weeks after the incident. That day was certainly not the most stressful day of my life, so I wonder why it happened then. My doctor suggested the stress of leading up to that day was the problem rather than the actual public speaking which can be the cause for some people. I don't expect it to ever happen again, but was told IF it does, still go to the hospital to be checked out. I would probably also tell the people around me what is going on and not drive myself home!

Wow! You do have quite a history there, yet you keep on going. Bless your heart and the rest of you, too!
I agree on avoiding more surgeries as long as possible.

My 2nd knee replacement was last June and it's also doing well. Glad I got that done. I went to the new Clear Fork Hospital. That was quite a nice experience for one night that I was there. They have a chef and meals are ordered like room service and delivered whenever you want them. We've even gone back to eat in their cafeteria when we're in the area. But that is only an orthopedic hospital so I did not have that service with my last event.

Alcie, thanks for that information. I didn't know any of that was possible. It seems to be something you have to be constantly aware of, which makes me all the more thankful for my episode not being any bigger. I'm doing very well and do not expect to have any more issues with it.

Abilene, this is fantastic news. I do like what your dr said to say rather than trying to explain what happened. How is your new knee doing. A friend of mine had her knee done & she has done well.

Take care.