Am I just paranoid or did I really have a heart attack?

[pitasmom]

I was woken at a few minutes after four a.m. by left sided chest pain which at first felt like a muscle spasm in my chest but then the pain was very strong in my left arm. This all lasted for only a few minutes so I tried to go back to sleep so I wouldn't bother my husband. I tossed and turned and finally just got up at bout 6 a.m.  I mentioned it to him on the way in to work at about 9:30 a.m. but told him it was no big deal and I'd deal with it later. I was sure it was nothing. The more I think about it, the more I think it may have been something. So now it's Sunday late afternoon and I feel fine. Should I be concerned. Should I call the doctor? Am I just being paranoid and a hypochondriac. I have also been experiencing muscle cramps in different parts of my body for several weeks and a part of me thinks that it may have only been a muscle cramp in my chest muscle - but the arm pain still has me concerned. So...am I just an idiot? I hate to bother anyone and have it be nothing. Oh and I'm an almost 53 year old female (53 next month).

[Al Dente]

You should follow up with your doctor, and for any chest pain that you have that feels out of the ordinary, your should minimally make a phone call to your doc.  Most likely they'll send you to the ER.  Believe me, the worst thing you can do is just ignore and shake off chest pain.  You can survive minor heart attacks, but a series of them will become a major issue.  You won't be able to tell unless you start talking with your doc.