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I'm trying very hard to not freak out, and to not get too worked up until there is something definitive to get worked up about.



My husband just had a routine physical, in which our doctor found evidence after an EKG that my husband might have had a heart attack. The follow up at the cardiologist found the same thing.



He has not, in the past, had ANY symptoms of a heart attack.



He has 2 follow ups next month - an echocardiogram and then a stress test. I will say the cardiologist did not seem overly concerned (ie: we didn't get " you need to head straight over to the ER right now"), when I hope we can get some more information. He also hasn't immediately been put on any sort of medication.



I know his mom had had a silent heart attack. I seem to remember- but I'm not 100% sure - that her doctors were able to tell her the damage had occurred quite some time in the past, but again, I'm not sure I'm remembering this correctly.



Has anyone else had experience with this? I know this isn't really a "caregiving" question, but I trust the people here with their myriad of different experiences. If he indeed has had a past silent heart attack, will the medical people be able to give us a time reference as to WHEN it might have happened?



Thanks for any input!

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So the docs told Chuck he MAY have had a mild heart attack at one time because the lower portion of his heart "seems" to have been affected. Ambiguous words are being used here, you'll notice. I don't know that there is ever a way to know 100% for sure one way or another. Chuck did have triple bypass in 2020 and it was successful. He also came thru his stress tests just fine BEFORE he had triple bypass, which convinced the docs his heart was fine and he did NOT need bypass. Had he not had that surgery, he'd have died due to 3 arteries being 60%, 80% and 90% blocked.

The test that ultimately told the doctors what condition his heart was in was a heart catheter. Which is invasive, but conclusive for certain things like blockages. It still couldnt tell them whether he'd had a heart attack though. The echocardiograms aren't conclusive either. None of the docs were able to say when this silent heart attack happened, if it did, either.

What led to the catheter was Chuck was having chest pains and eating nitroglycerin tablets daily, up to 4x in one day.

So here we sit, 3 years after he had an emergency pacemaker put in, triple bypass done, still uncertain about whether or not he's had a heart attack. I will say, he had the ultimate stress test (according to his Cardiologist)by undergoing a liver transplant and his heart did fine.

Idk if his story helps you, but I hope so. And this definitely qualifies as a caregiving topic imo because you'll be caring for him as you go thru this process.

Sending prayers and hugs your way NGE, that nothing serious is going on with DH.
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notgoodenough Aug 2022
Thank you Lea, I find any first-hand experience helpful, especially as I am a type A(+++++) personality. And information is never a bad thing to have, to help make informed decisions.

And I would agree that Chuck did indeed have the ultimate stress test - as well as you.

With any luck, we'll have a better handle on the situation next month; in the meantime, the prayers and support are extremely helpful.
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You can have these in your sleep thats why you don't know u had one. Its called "silent" for a reason because you had no idea you were having one. I think all an EKG can tell you is that its an old one or newer but can't tell you when.

I also do not like stress tests because they take a person to the limit. My DH had one years after an AFib problem. At 75, not sure if I would allow another. I really never understood them.
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notgoodenough Aug 2022
The stress test will be after the echo, from my understanding. I'm not sure if it's going to be a nuclear stress test or not.

I get what you say about taking a person to "the limit". My husband is a distance swimmer, he swims just about every morning...the last time he had a stress test, they couldn't even get his heart rate up to where they needed it to be, he was on that treadmill for 20 minutes, his knees gave out before his heart rate got up. I'm not sure how long they'll keep him on it this time, he has peripheral neuropathy from CIPD, and his feet are not in great shape (hence the swimming). I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
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NGE, my mom was told 40 years ago that she had a heart attack. This came up again this year, they can't tell her when and she has never had meds or symptoms.

Prayers that all is well with your husband.
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notgoodenough Aug 2022
Thanks, ITRR. I honestly don't know what I'd rather hear - that it was recent, or years old.

I'm hoping his stress test comes back OK, he had one 10 years or so ago, and it came back all clear.

It's the waiting and the not knowing that's the worst.

Fortunately, he's an excellent patient, and will comply with doctor's orders, so it won't be a battle on that front!

I appreciate the prayers more that you can imagine, thank you!
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