Did I have a heart attack?

by Angel
(Virginia)

I was changing my clothes the other days, and as I was slightly bent over to remove my pants, using my left arm, I got chest pain and it got tight, my back across my shoulders also got tight and sore, my left shoulder (shoulder and clavicle area) felt sore and my left arm went numb and tingly. Since I've had a few 'heart' discomforts. Slight jolt of pain. I'm 27 years old and female. Was it a heart attack, angina or a sign of heart disease?

I've almost always had a clean bill of health, rarely getting sick. I fainted when I was a child, due to something with my blood. And in high school I had a 'dizzy' sickness for a few days, every time I stood, I got extremely dizzy, only fainted once.


I only have OTC sleep aide.


I smoke about half a pack a day, been smoking for roughly 10 years.


My grandmother had 7 heart attacks and 5 strokes in her 70's. My mom has COPD, but nothing with her heart.


I haven't tried anything, not knowing what really happened and really not having the money to see someone to have my heart checked out.

Chest Pain In A 27 Year Old

Chest pain in 27 year old women is unlikely to be cardiac in origin, although it can occur. Your symptoms are more likely to be musculoskeletal in origin, particularly as it occurred whilst stooping over to remove your underwear. You do have risk factors for heart disease and given your mothers COPD and your grandmother’s heart disease/stroke disease, you really should stop smoking.

I would always advise having any chest pain checked by a doctor as there are so many causes to consider, but that decision is clearly yours to consider.




My name is Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI and I am a consultant physician and gastroenterologist in the UK. I have an interest in internet based medicine and administer this site in my spare time. I hope you find this site useful and informative. If you have any suggestions, please Contact Me or if you would like to comment on my site, please do so by Clicking Here. If you like the site and would like to make a donation to support what I am doing please do so by Clicking Here. Thank you for visiting and please drop by again!