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Heart Attack, Gallstone Pancreatitis or Broken Heart

 

When Grief Feels Like a Heart Attack

Not long ago, after a traumatic life experience, you could not have convinced me that I wasn’t having a heart attack. For more than two weeks, I lived with an unsettling chest tightness. It would wrap around my chest and sometimes radiate up my neck, into my back, and even along the left side of my jaw. I didn’t feel dizzy, I didn’t have shortness of breath, and I didn’t throw up but the symptoms were enough to leave me reaching for low-dose aspirin at least twice a week.

The worst part was the timing. I had just lost my mom unexpectedly. With my grief weighing heavy, I believed the discomfort was the start of what’s often called “broken heart syndrome.”

The ER Visits and Test Results

After finally making two trips to the emergency room within two weeks, doctors reassured me that it wasn’t a heart attack....whew.  Instead, an MRI suggested possible inflammation around my pancreas and gallbladder. They explained that gallstones sometimes don’t show up clearly on imaging, which is why they encouraged me to follow up with an endoscope.

What I Found in My Research

Like many of us, I went online afterward and searched for answers and one of the first articles I found was titled Heart Attack: Imposter or the Real Thing? from Premier Health. It explained that while chest pain can be alarming, many conditions can mimic a heart attack such as gallbladder disease, heartburn, inflammation of the breastbone (costochondritis), muscle strain, pneumonia, hiatal hernia, shingles, and pulmonary embolisms (Premier Health, 2019).

The article quoted Dr. Chandra, who emphasized, “If you're at risk for heart disease you must keenly tune into your symptoms. If you’ve had diabetes, have been on high blood pressure medicine for years, if you smoke, are obese, are over the age of 65, or have a family history of heart disease—always consider heart disease as a possible cause for your symptoms” (Chandra, 2019).

At the same time, I looked into the condition I feared the most, broken heart syndrome. Medically known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, this condition temporarily weakens the heart, disrupts the way blood is pumped to the heart and can sometimes cause intense systolic contractions (Mayo Clinic, 2023).

My Turning Point

Thankfully, since my last hospital visit a month ago, the chest pain has faded. Whether it was grief straining my heart, gallstones, or simply one of the many “imposters” that mimic heart attacks, I’m grateful to be healing.

Today, I pay closer attention to my health, recognizing symptoms early, and respecting the signals my body sends. Losing my mom reminded me how fragile life is, but also how resilient the human body can be, even when grief feels like it’s breaking your heart.

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