Most people know of cardiac care centers as places that provide care for patients who have had heart attacks. Indeed, this is a large portion of the services they offer. However, some signs of cardiac trouble are not as obvious and immediate as the classic signs of a heart attack. Below, you will discover some more subtle signs that you could benefit from cardiac care or at least a consultation with a cardiologist.
You have heart palpitations.
Palpitations are instances in which your heart either skips a beat, puts in an extra beat, or flutters for a second. You can feel them through your chest. Some patients describe them as feeling as though butterflies are in their chests. Palpitations can be simply caused by stress, but they can also be an indication of heart valve problems or issues with your heart's conductive circuits. It is a good idea to see a cardiologist for an evaluation so you know for sure whether something is amiss.
You've been diagnosed with diabetes.
After being diagnosed with diabetes, you might be ready to take a deep breath and hope you don't have any other health issues to deal with any time soon. But you'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't see a cardiologist. Diabetes and heart disease so often go hand-in-hand. High blood sugar has a negative impact on blood vessels. There is a good chance your blood vessels are stiff or have plaques that could lead to a heart attack or a stroke if not addressed.
You feel tired a lot.
Do you often feel tired and like you need to sit down, especially after physical activity? This could be a sign that you're in the beginning stages of heart failure. Your heart is struggling to keep up with supplying blood to your tissues, which is why you are feeling weak. Heart failure can worsen at any time and puts you at risk for a heart attack, so it is never something to ignore.
Your extremities are always cold.
Do your hands and feet always seem to feel cold, even when it's a decent temperature outside? This can be a sign that your heart is not pumping out blood as well as it should. It could also be a sign of peripheral artery disease. A cardiologist will know best.
Don't ignore any possible sign of heart trouble. Contact your nearest cardiac care center for an evaluation before things get any worse.
Share18 September 2020
My name is Katie Langer. For a long time, I was bed ridden and I felt like I had no control over my life. I simply went along with what was instructed by my doctor and I didn't ask questions. It wasn't that my doctor wasn't willing to work with me, but I preferred to simply not think about the illness I was suffering from. I didn't realize that some of the symptoms I was suffering from were side effects of my medication and were not normal. After communicating more with my doctor, I was able to alleviate my symptoms. Since then, I've taken an interest in patient-doctor relationships and how to improve them.
