I am booked for my angiogram next week and really really scared. I started my 'journey' 2 months ago when I was admitted with high BP of 220/135. Stared meds for this. Then a month later at a spin class I had chest pain and sweating and nausea. Took myself of to A& E and was treated as a poss MI. However discharged home with 'heartburn' despite ecg changes and slightly raised Cardiac enzymes. Fortunately a very on the ball GP referred my to the urgent chest pain clinic and I am now waiting formal diagnosis and treatment. I am on 5 different meds for my heart which make me feel lousy. they tell me exercise is good for me but I am too tired (and scared) to do it.
I feel my life has been turned upside down. My weight is normal, i've never smoked, I eat a good diet..... but stress in my life this year has been enormous.
I now can recognise my angina pain that I have had for a very long time and told myself was indigestion..
Will I ever get back to cycling, i'd planned to cycle 100 miles next year!
Written by
Cyclemania
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
It is a good thing that you are going for an angiogram so that you can find out exactly what is going on inside. When I had the procedure it was very straight forward and the only pain I had was like a sort of strong heart burn feeling. I did have to have a stent fitted but again, this was at the same time as the angiogram so was not a big issue (in terms of the procedure itself).
I am also very healthy and eat well but have had a family history of heart disease and almost expected it to happen eventually (I'm 48). There was no heart attack but I had a blocked artery.
Two weeks later I was back in the gym and working out to a decent pace and full on within the same month (circuit training included). My diet is now focused on being plant based and I feel way better than before the angiogram. There is a bit of meditation thrown in for good measure to help push away negative thoughts and stress (which will be natural at the start).
My biggest revelation was positive forward thinking. It's been a reset for my body and mind . I know it's not easy and will take a tremendous amount of will power but once your over the hump, life will find its groove again.
Sometimes stress is unavoidable but whenever you can avoid it like the plague.
I am sure everything will be ok. The doctors that treated me were awesome and made me feel much calmer about the situation. Also, ask for cardio rehab. This will give you the confidence to build back up to cycling 100 miles. Check some of these guys posts. There are iron men/women on here!!
thank you for the reassurance. stress is something I need to address, son=me this year has been huge and unavoidable but i am being to look at stress I can manage better, I am self employed and that brings its own stress and I may consider giving up work or reducing gradually. They unfortunate thing I have used the gym and cycling to manage mystress and a) it clearly hasn't helped, and b) i miss it!
I would like to echo everything Jimmygallow has said to you, what a great response. I was also in same boat, family history as well. Very concerned at the A&E treatment you had bye the way! Don't worry about the drugs you might not need to be on many of them after you have been sorted out, the beta Blockers in particular will make you feel rough. I am not an iron man bye any stretch but I am now doing a very decent amount of exercise and fly past a lot of 20 year old's on my regular parkrun, so yes you WILL get back on the bike. I was also self employed, all I can say mate is, if you can, jack it in, you are a long time brown bread, far better to modify your lifestyle if you can. Just keep chipper and look forward to the spring on your bike.
yes, i am of an age when I can consider retiring although i don't get my state pension for another 3 years, my NHS pension should be enough! It is a stressful job in itself let alone worrying about marketing and getting the next client through the door. Your reply has made me feel loads better, especially the getting of the beta blockers, hate them.
I take it you did not have a HA, therefore your heart should be OK, like mine was. it might not feel like it but we are some of the luckier ones. Personally I feel, looking back, that I was starting to suffer with fitness for a good while before being diagnosed with 96% blocked LAD, and my heart was probably getting "tired". Now I am feeling much better than I have for ages and able to exercise within the limits of the rest of my 61 year old body! It is my opinion that they will have given you a "blanket" prescription of drugs that will include Beta Blockers, which you might not actually need, they will certainly make you feel tired and restrict your exercise ability (and other things if you are unlucky if you get my drift). if you can get off them after treatment it will be a bonus believe me, I am only on a Statin and one anti platelet drug now, and have become a vegetarian. The doctors just expect you to go home and sit on the sofa watching TV and eating pizza, I feel. If they have told you exercise is OK then crack on, even just walking will be good, or swimming, although they told me in rehab that might not be the best environment until you are sorted for obvious reasons. If you are near the end of the race employment wise jack it in man!
great advise! I have already made moves to reduce my workload. My foot op next Jan will see me off work and off my feet for 6 weeks, so a good time to really review how much or little I want to work. I think at the mo not at all. Im staying of exercise except my weekly PT, my trainer has a heart condition so really understands my limitations. thanks for saying about the meds, it did seem a rather blanket prescription of meds plus i was already on a hypertension one. Im wiped out so its great to think I can come of them some time in the future
Welcome to the forum Cyclemania.I was diagnosed with high blood pressure like yours on March at 244/133.I'm on ramipril.and amlodipine and straight away I got a burning feeling mostly in my chest.I presented at A&E twice but no sign of raised troponins etc.I also started getting palpitations.I eventually got referred to a cardiologist who I saw last week.He thinks the pain is musculoskeletal but has ordered a ct angiogram as a precaution.Personally I think it's a side effect as it is a lot better now.It really rocks your world getting a diagnosis like this doesn't it.I'm glad you've been referred as they can check you out.
yes very similar here, the pains I recognise have been around for a ling while but significantly worse since starting the meds. Yes it has totally rocked me, as I am the fitness freak in the family, 'It was never going to happen to me'!
Well I didn't have any chest pain until I took the meds and now it is a lot less and barely there plus it never corresponded with what I was doing.That said I am still nervous about the ct.To be honest I was overweight and not the fittest when I was diagnosed but I've lost four and a half stone to get to normal weight and I've upped my exercise as well.
Hello and welcome to the forum! The good news is you are now on the cardiac radar. All things being equal. A cycling friend did a stress ECG as part of a medical for frequent overseas travel. The results were so bad he was admitted, transfered to Papworth and after further tests had a triple bypass. His return to cycling was mainly delayed after the normal recovery period by problems with the scar where they harvested the vein. Good luck.!
good news then, so he got back into cycling eventually? I think what amazes me is how bad things can get before we either do anything about it or before they show serious symptoms. What made me take a bit more notice was my much younger brother at the age of 51 only had pain in his chest when he went out in cold wether, he subsequently had 4 stents put in!
I have multiple heart conditions one of which led to my being booked for an angiogram. During the wait for The Day, I was afraid to move much at all beyond the barest minimum for fear of bringing on a HA or CA.
Best advice? Ask for anxiety and pain relieving medication to be administered right before the procedure. I had an angiogram and right heart cath (angio at my wrist, right heart study through the femoral vein at my groin) at the same time. Scared doesn't begin to describe my terror - I loathe needles and the thought of those thin wires working way through my body was creepy - I had nightmares the three weeks waiting for The Day.
The cardiologist gave me so much 'anxiety and pain relieving' medication before he started it took three blissful days for the meds to wear off
My results were fab - no blockages and I've been told I can get on with returning to fitness sensibly ('if it hurts, stop, if you have chest pain use the GTN...' etc) whilst awaiting a cardiac MRI to see if I have microvascular angina (on top of my other heart conditions, sigh).
If your cardiologist is doing your angio, you'll know your results before leaving the cath lab and you will have answers that should help you decide the way forward for your return to physical activity.
I found reading and commenting here on the forum quite helpful staying calmer (not calm, mind, but definitely calmer) during the wait periods for the investigations I've had so far. Please update as you go along - it really does help!
at least I have only a week to wait! b3 weeks would have been a nightmare. Yes i will definitely ask for sedation, but better not have too much son is taking me to a Sweet concert the next day lol
Yes I will keep you updated, i can see already how helpful everyone is.
Hubby has come home feeling ill ? flu so Im getting no sympathy or support from him
I didn't realise Sweet were still touring. In the nineties I worked with someone who was a massive Sweet fan with a vast collection of memorabilia. He also looked like Brian Connolly although that may have been deliberate! Brian was brought up in Harefield the site of the famous heart hospital.
When I had my angiogram I did not bother with a sedative and found the whole process fascinating. Mind you I had expected it as my father, his brother and their father all died prematurely from heart attacks! I had been referred to the Urgent Chest Pain Clinic when I suddenly developed severe angina.
If you need something to take your mind off things whilst they do the procedure why not ask if you can view what is happening on the screen. Can be fascinating and before you know it everything is done and time to go back to the Ward.
If they go through your femoral artery via the groin then you will have several hours flat on your back - so make sure you go to the loo first. If they go through your wrist then it is not quite as restrictive. Hopefully if done early enough in the day you will be able to go home later if everything OK.
I think some cath labs do provide headphones on request (you'll probably have to bring your own eye mask ) and a fair variety of music genres to listen to.
I’m actually only on this forum as I asked questions previously for my dad, but I did have a private heart scan (64 slice CT) and there was some soft plaque on my LAD which was narrowed by 10 to 20% as a result. I was a bit concerned as I exercise a lot too and my heart rate often hits 160.
The heart consultant said I needn’t be concerned as the risk (in my case) was low, and it was important that I kept on doing the cardio exercises. I’m 50.
But that’s me. Everyone must, of course, ask their own doctors. Good luck and hope you’re biking soon.
Hi - I was in a similar boat and was told the good news is you haven't had a heart attack! After AE not really doing anything until I was eventually given an Echo, stress gest and then CT scan I was then was given the angiogram which should have been the priority based on my symptoms. The angigram is a simple procedure and the only after effect is your wrist being fairly sore and bruised a little and the stress of not knowing! My results are being reviewed but I am pretty sure that they will recommend bypass surgery over multiple stents. I am positive and after extensive reading ...good and bad I see the procedure as something that can gove me peace of mind, the opportunity to accelerate behaviour to move to old plant based diet as much as possible with limited intake of oil to combat the causes of CHD. The recovers will be at least 4-6 weeks and I feel that staying positive and being motivated to get back to a active life will allow me to get back to the gym and a level of exercise. The community here has been super helpful in my journey of understanding the multiple problems and expertise ces people are goi g through to put my situation into perspective and allow me to feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel to move forward and progress to a better place. I hop this helps you - stay positive and good luck l.
Thank you each and every one of you for taking the time to reply, it has helped so much. I was in a right old tizz yesterday having just come home from pre op assessment and it seemed so horribly real ( denial has been a good place to be)
I am calmer today, still nervous and will now be counting down the days.
Hi Cyclemania, a year ago I was diagnosed with heart failure. Classed as severe at the time. I was 55, none smoker, healthy diet (plant based), healthy weight, regular Walker. It was a massive shock. The diagnosis came out of the blue as a result of a routine check up for something else. The last 12 months have been difficult, with aniexty being my biggest challenge. But I kept doing what I'd always done, after getting over a fear of going walking alone. Last week I had an appointment with my Cardiologist for a number of test results and its positive news, my heart function is now just below normal from being significantly impaired a year ago, my outlook I'm told is good if this level of heart function can be maintained over the next 3 to 4 years. So, while I'm not completely out of the woods, I can see a clear path out. Good medical care and medication (which I'll be on for life now) can turn things around. Wishing you all the best.
thank you, that sounds quite a journey for you, and how lovely to be improving so well. there is so much more to overcome than just the illness itself! Well done you xx
You just have to accept what you have for what it is. You're still alive, just maybe your lifestyle is about to change. Be happy. Do what you can and accept you're human and not immortal. It'll help you live a full richer life... And be happy in all you do.
I had my angiogram last week . 20 mins as all arteries were clear .Try not to worry as it will be over before you know. If they find a blockage in your arteries another 20 mins or so puts in stents. For me and probably for you Hearing 'Good News all clear' isn't really good news as it means your heart has another problem. Mine is heart failure with left bundle block. I thought I was invincible too. Life throws problems at you which you will overcome in time so just take it easy now and be thankful for the chance you have been given to get sorted out.
thank you for such a lovely thoughtful reply. I wish you well getting yours sorted. You are right it is a good time for me to do some rethinking over the stresses in my life
Thats lovely I hope you enjoy it too. Stay strong anyway. I loved my bike too but think I'll just stick to the Morrris 8 now. I was a short distance cyclist anyway never more than 2 or 3 miles. I thought nothing of 150 or 200 miles in the 8 though, I'll have to rethink that too.
I also was filled with trepidation at the thought of the angiogram as my Mother had a bad reaction many years ago.
Of course that was then and things have improved.
I was able to have it through the wrist and thought ‘this is a doddle! I had only an ache in my left arm for around a year but didn’t take it seriously as I’m only 8st 3ib, never smoked and pretty fit.
If I hadn’t been lying down already you could have knocked me down with a feather! I was told I had chronic artery disease and within 8 weeks had CABG x4. That was 15 months ago and I am constantly thankful that I had that test and have been given a 2nd chance.
Back to a normal functioning life and forever grateful that I had that test .
Stay strong, this will give them all the correct information that they need to give you 2nd chance.
Hi Lily rose. wow what an experience, it sounds like genetics does play a huge part. My dad had a bad experience bleeding but like you was over 20 years ago. My brother had his last year and just took greta delight in going into gory graphic detail about the pain it caused (I think hes a bit of a drama queen!). Its really good to hear you are back to a norma life now, this forum has given me so much hope and courage
Hi !
I have had three angiograms this year resulting in 2 stents after 2 mild heart attacks ! I too was healthy before this happened but like you have had a lot of stress over the years . I am in no doubt that this has contributed to it.
I am on a barrel load of meds I never had to take before (hate that)
Anyway , the anticipation of the angiogram is worse than the actual
I had a heart attached in January of this year where I was rushed into hospital and had two stents fitted, all after playing squash. Eleven months on I'm in a spinning class for an hour, HIT class for an hour and platies for an hour. I walk everywhere, where before I would take the car for journies under a mile. After my MI I could bearly walk 0.2 of a mile and over the course of 6 months I worked up to walking 5k (3.2 miles) in 46 minutes. In the New Year, I'm joining my local running club and doing their 'Couch to 5k' programme.
I'm currently on 7 different drugs and one or two of them make me tired, but I have found, where I miss an exercise class I feel worse. Exercise is very important and once you have had your procedure, you will probably have up to 6 weeks off work, I did, you can start exercising. As part of your discharge, you may be given a booklet that guides you through the next 6 weeks. You should also in that 6 weeks be given an invite to join the Cardio Rehab team (assuming your NHS region runs a Cardio Rehab Programme). For me, this was a gym session once a week with the Cardio Physio team in the gym at my local hospital, there was about 20 of us. The Cardio team will encourage you to get breathless but you will still be able to hold a conversation. They may also ran information sessions, these were at my local sports centre and I found the talk about all the Cardio drugs to be most informative, there were 6 topics over a rolling 6 week period.
Once you have finished the Cardio Rehab Programme, you should be given information about Phase IV instructors. They are Gym instructors who have done a Cardio course and understand the needs of Cardio patients. It is likely there will be a charge for these sessions and run for an hour once a week. There is nothing stopping you from your more if you feel up to it.
Your confidence at the moment is all shot to bits, mine was and I'm guessing everyone here is/was the same. I would not do any exercise with someone else in attendance in my early days and I was so nervous when I did my first 5k walk on my own, which I did just under an hour. I still don't do strenuous exercise without someone in attendance, hence the group sessions I mentioned above. Your confidence will return and depending on how fit you were before your incident could determine how quickly you recover. Listen to your body and talk to your Cardio Rehab team and or your Cardiologist. This forum is a great source of information and encouragement but please remember, most of the information here is given by people with personal experience, just as I have done above. If you are not sure about anything, seek advice from a health care professional.
That said I wish you all the best in your recovery and if you don't make you 100-mile ride next year, don't worry, there is always the following year. Work well within yourself and if that's 'slow and steady', slow and steady it is then.
HA and 2 stents last year now an excellent electric bike with bosch drive . Longest run on bike 36 miles and 2400ft ascent .wear a heart monitor so as not to overdo it
wow! yes i have thought of an electric bike, but want to see how meds help my heart rate on hills. up till now its always got far too fast for me to do them. but good to have that option
Feeling scared is normal. I was scared too, but then I was referred to cardiac rehab gym at local hospital. Best thing ever! Yes your life has been turned upside down. Use this time to take stock, see what you can tweak, even if its something small. Stress needs to be dealt with. My cardiac event was caused by stress. I'm awaiting consultation with psychology ,as I have stress that I need to deal with, work related.Most negatives can be turned into positives, dont let this event rule your life to the extent you're just worrying constantly and not functioning. It's happened, you're getting gold standard care in the angiogram, which may be clear, mine was. Give your heart time to rest and recover. I'm betting you will be out cycling again soon!!!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Heart Disease and Benefits
Possible Coronary heart disease 
Viral infection and heart disease
Holidaying with heart disease
