Ask the doctor: Did I have a heart attack?
The other night I woke up at about 2 a.m., and my heart was pumping hard and my lower jaw ached. It lasted about an hour, even though I took aspirin. Then I fell asleep. In the morning everything was fine. Was that a heart attack?I'm a little worried about a heart attack because of that aching in your jaw that lasted for one hour. Usually the pain of a heart attack is felt mainly in the chest. However, the pain often travels from the chest to the jaw, shoulder, and arm, and sometimes the pain is felt only in the jaw. Of course, other conditions can cause pain in the jaw, like a tooth abscess. But that wouldn't come, last an hour, and then go away. So your doctor needs to test you for a heart attack or for another heart condition (an acute coronary syndrome) that can develop into a heart attack.
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