"Regular chest pain and shortness of breath."

Dear dyspnoea,

I was concerned to hear of your wife's symptoms as chest pain can be a warning sign of a heart attack. Warning signs of a heart attack include:

Discomfort or pain in the centre of your chest – a heaviness, tightness or pressure, like an elephant sitting on your chest, or a belt tightening around your chest, or a bad case of indigestion discomfort in the arms, shoulder, neck, jaw or back other problems such as: a choking feeling in your throat, your arms feeling heavy or useless feeling, short of breath,feeling nauseated, having a cold sweat, feeling dizzy or light-headed.

Chest pain symptoms can range from a mild sensation, to a severe pain. All chest pain is considered to be heart-related until proven otherwise.

If your wife has any of the symptoms above, call triple zero (000) immediately and ask for an ambulance. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

If your wife feels chest pain, but doesn’t have any of the symptoms above, it's still a good idea to see a general practitioner as soon as possible, so her heart and respiratory health can be checked. Have you and your wife talked to your GP about her condition? Your GP is your key primary health care professional and will be able to make any necessary referrals to specialist doctors for further assessment/treatment.

Fiona Stanley Hospital provides a full range of cardiology and respiratory services including tertiary services and secondary services for residents within our catchment. If you are not within the Fiona Stanley Hospital catchment area, the referral will be to one of the other public hospitals, all of whom will provide excellent service to your wife.

I would strongly encourage your wife to seek face to face medical advice as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Janet Zagari

Executive Director

Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group