I Just Had A Heart Attack And I Don't Have Health Insurance (Long)

[Peter666]

"At least I think it was. This wasn't a run-of-the-mil acid reflux ordeal. I've had heart burn before like almost everyone else but this was different. I thought I was going to die while going through it and everything I've read about heart attacks and their symptoms seem to confirm that's what happened: My arms, under pits, shoulders and legs were tingling: my heart was beating so rapidly that I felt it was going to burst through my chest; I had a feeling of impending doom, thought I was gonna die; had slight nausea; felt like I was losing control of my body parts, as if my soul/spirit/consciousness was leaving my body and I couldn't control my body anymore; was damn cold. This episode went on and off, and especially when I would sit, for about 5-10 mins total. I did nothing except walk around and drink fluids."

Meh, my ex-girlfriend gave me the same symptoms.

It's not completely true that pre-existing conditions are exempt from coverage. Many state laws have changed recently and now require Health Insurance companies to cover you for any pre-existing conditions. Check your state options and what insurance companies in your state offer.

But, this ISN'T a pre-existing condition because you HAVE NOT been treated for it yet. Go get insurance. At your age it will only probably cost about $90 a month for decent coverage.

And it's probably not a heart attack...not at your age. Go get insurance and then get it checked out.

[HopeydaFish]

Yeah, exactly. I forgot to mention that part in my reply to the OP -- what makes this a "pre-existing" condition? Unless he tells the insurance company that he's been having chest pains, there's absolutely no way they can nail him for this. He hasn't been to a doctor in 14 years, so he has no medical records that indicate his chest pains are anything but a new problem.

To the OP: If you actually get off your butt and go and get insurance and go to a doctor, DO NOT tell the doctor that your chest pains have been going on for years. Tell him that the pains are a new problem -- otherwise the insurance company will disqualify you for making false statements when you applied for insurance.

[LittleOldLady]

Heart attacks do not just go away, although angina can be intermittent. Lose the smoke (both kinds), get yourself some decent health insurance--possibly the high deductible-health savings account type if you can afford to be partly self-insured, and get yourself checked out. Anxiety attack may well have been the problem. See a family practitioner and possibly s psychiatrist. If you need a cardiologist you will get a referral. And keep your mouth shut about earlier problems, as others have mentioned.

Diabetes is familial, so get yourself checked for that. That can show up in people your age. Uncontrolled diabetes will wreck your heart, your kidneys, your eyesight, and your sex life. Nothing to fool around with.

Also the various hospitals and health charities often offer free screening for various ailments. Look in the paper for when they are offered and take advantage. Another way of getting some free screening is to volunteer to give blood. You will get a mini-checkup--blood pressure and blood tests--and they will tell you if they find something of concern. If everything is OK, they will take some blood and you will have helped someone. If it's not OK, you can deal. But get that insurance first--like today.

[Blarg]

Time to get insurance bro. Don't tell them a damn thing before getting it.

And take this as a cue to keep in shape and eat right. Heart attacks do happen, so if you don't want to be worried about this coming back on you, take preventive measures now by being in better health.

The tension in poker and the self-medication it's easy to indulge in after can be a real strain on the system and a deadly lifestyle. You really should stay in shape if you want to make it sustainable and not become a health basket case.

[Mvcode3]

II’ve been an EMT for a few years so I can ask some questions and give you some answers.

1) Where you just sitting and smoking when this pain happened (no physical activity)?
2) Did doing anything (i.e. deeply inhaling or moving your body) change the pain or feeling?
3) What did the pain feel like exactly (pressure, stabbing, crushing) and exactly where did you feel it
4) On a scale form 1-10 how severe was the pain (1-nothing 10-worst pain in my life)
5) Time- how long did the pain last--was it on and off or constant?
6) Where exactly did the pain radiate to

Some real quick Possibilities:
Heart attack: no you’re too young/not dead
Silent MI: (minor heart attack where a small piece of the heart muscle dies) very low
Heredity undetected heart problem: not that likely but needs to be checked out
Panic attack: possible
Drug induced panic attack: very possible
Angina: Definitely possible, ignoring angina will lead to long term heart damage,

Regardless YOU NEED TO BE CHECKED, these are just a few possibilities in my limited medical experience. Your health is always more important then your bankroll. It’s hard to win when you’re dead. Based on your answers to the above questions we can further narrow it down, but if it’s bad enough for you to seriously consider calling 911, you need to be checked.

[Brainwalter]

This is incredible. You were pretty sure you had a heart attack, and instead of seeking medical attention, you posted on OOT.

[Jgents]

[ QUOTE ]
Dude, relax, YOURE FREAKING OUT.

No way you had a heart attack. Youre 26. Most likely, it was a drug induced panic/anxiety attack. These can be VERY convincing. Go see a doctor to be safe but seriously, I think youll be fine.

Weed can do this to people, I know. I had to stop because out of the blue, it started making me think I was dying everytime I did it (this was after years of regular use). Weird problem, and it runs in my family. Every person in the fam who indulged stopped in their early 20's for the same reason. Weirdest part was I could still do other psychedelics and be totally fine. Anyway I digress.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for bringing this up. As soon as I read your post, I did some research on the symptoms and effects of anxiety disorder/panic attacks and found out of bunch of info I wasn't aware of. I knew of panic attacks before, but didn't really delve into what it was and how it struck. One site I found particularly enlightneing:http://www.panicattacks.com.au. Reading that site was like reading a carbon copy of my experience and symptoms during the attack. I also read that I really wasn't crazy for believing this was a heart attack, as victims of panic attacks describe the attack as a heart attack in the same manner I described it

[Jgents]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, you probably should have gone to the ER when this was happening. Even though you don't have health insurance, if you require medical attention, they have to give it to you. What will happen afterwards is someone from the welfare office will visit you and if you qualify, they will pay all of your hospital expenses for you.

A few years ago my mom was suffereing from congestive heart failure, with no insurance and barely any money to her name. She ended up seeing the best heart doctor that the hospital had, stayed in a sweet ass private room with a view and didn't pay a damn cent for any of it. (This was in FL).

If anything, pay a little out of pocket to go to a clinic and get a check-up. At least you'll know where you stand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I definitely agree that it would have been smart for my well being if I had just gone to the ER, even if the problem wasn't actually a heart attack. Unfortunately, I was very high and very, very paranoid in this particular case after smoking. I couldn't think straight-- I was only thinking about how I was gonna die and if I didn't wanna die I had to call 911 to get admitted into ER only to live and then say goodbye to all my money. Needless to say, I won't be smoking again. This was a very bad experience for me, one that I'm still coping with.

[Jgents]

[ QUOTE ]
The cold clutches of death score a near miss. Darwin almost chalks up another victory.

[/ QUOTE ]

This made me LOL. Because it could very well be true.