Signs of Heart Disease
There are many signs of heart disease that can be easily mistaken for something else, or not even noticed as in my case. Depending on your risk factors you may wish to pay more or less attention to these symptoms. Risk factors such as cholesterol levels, family history, age, diet, weight and waistline. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself with heart disease you may wish to look at the strategies I used to recover here. It is important to realize that the term 'heart disease' is an umbrella term that refers to a number of different specific situations that can afflict the heart. - coronary artery disease
- heart attack
- arrhythmias
- atrial fibrillation
- heart valve disease
- congenital heart defects
- cardiomyopathy
- pericarditis
... to name some specific ones.If you find yourself with presenting signs of heart disease it is very important to have the correct testing done to see what might be the cause. In my opinion a tell tale sign would be the consistency and persistence of any of these symptoms. In my situation it was an ever increasing sense of fatigue, tiredness and longer recovery periods for situations that I used to take in my stride. It was only after I was diagnosed that I realized that this had been going on for some time. A gradual increase in symptoms is easy to accept and overlook. Here is a list, in no particular order or reference to a specific disease: - stable angina
- presents with exercise
- after a heavy meal
- unstable angina
- changes in intensity and character
- chest pain
- difficulty in breathing
- decreased exercise tolerance
- easy fatigue
- lack of concentration
- pain that can spread to the left arm, back, neck, throat or jaw
- numbness in arms, shoulders or wrists
- ecg changes during exercise testing
- shortness of breath
- irregular heart beats
- faster heart beat
- weakness or dizziness
- nausea
- sweating
- palpitations
- pounding in the chest
- a feeling your heart is running away
- weakness
- lack of energy
- swelling of ankles or feet
- quick weight gain
- sharp pain in the chest
- low grade fever
- indigestion
- tightness in the chest
- a sense of weight pushing down on the abdomen
Before I was diagnosed I had reached the stage of pounding in the chest, arrhrthmias, sweating and exercise induced (brisk walking) angina.I could have been far more advanced with my recovery if I had have been more aware of these signs of heart disease at the time. I hope you don't need it, but I hope it is useful for you if you do. Return from Signs of Heart Disease to Healing through the Mind Return to Create a Healthy Flexible Body home page


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