I’ve been absolutely fine, diagnosed a few weeks ago with angina ( vasospastic and microvascular) I’ve a couple of other life changing medical conditions, for some reason I’m getting really upset.
Suddenly panicking about angina, how it feels and what it’s doing to me when it happens, what if the GTN spray doesn’t work?
It could be it’s just hit me ? I just took the news no differently than saying ‘blimey I forgot to shave my legs’ or something like that.
I’m usually very upbeat life and soul of the party sort of person, so really odd.
Anyone who can give me a talking to, to pull my socks up and get on with it 🙄
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Fluffybee
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Be kind to yourself it's okay to feel overwhelmed by the diagnosis of microvascular and or vasospastic angina it can feel bewildering at first. There are ' no socks to be pulled up' .
Take each day as it comes. I have not got the energy to worry about what ifs because what ifs may not happen.
I find Mindfulness meditation very helpful along with yoga and self hypnosis techniques to help manage the uncertainty of living with my coronary vasospastic angina.
If you have an episode of angina that doesn't respond to your GTN spray after 3 separate sprays you call an ambulance.
Have you spoken to your GP about how you are feeling?
I attended a Pain management programme and I found it very helpful. It gave me strategies to build resilience to help me manage.
Perhaps ask your GP to refer you to a talking therapist?
you have me getting upset again now, but In a supportive very kind person that you are way.
I think it’s the uncertainty of what might happen ‘the worst’
And not knowing from day to day, I’ve got a bag packed ready as I’ve been rushed in a few times, frightened my family which I feel terrible for, they helped and organised my things.
I will see my GP, waiting for CT scan results for liver problems. All happens at once doesn’t it.
Thank you so much for being there for me.
I am the same as you when I’m told anything I’m all upbeat and accepting then after a few days it seems to sink in and I feel a bit panicked. I think it is due to my upbringing that I don’t show externally how I’m feeling at the time of being told anything serious. It’s perfectly normal to feel apprehensive. I’m sure you will settle down.
I’m usually fine and just take it as it comes, want the facts so I can learn about what I’m being diagnosed with so I can deal with it and be confident in what I have.
But this has just really got to me, hit me like a ton of bricks about 4/5 weeks later I’d been told.
My mum died at the age of 42, I was 14 had odd ECG readings on and off but told it’s just normal for me which is fair enough but it’s now changed to what I now have. I have a family history of heart problems my uncle had lots of heart surgeries and my mums mum also died in her early 40’s.
Luckily medical things have moved on a lot to help prevent more now.
My son has just had the same ECG results as mine so waiting for an echocardiogram.
I feel I’ve given that to him, I know I shouldn’t blame myself but I do as a mum.
There are so many people on here that have much more complicated and serious conditions than I do, so I’m sorry for whinging about this.
How are you now? Have you accepted your diagnosis ? Chat to me anytime, always here for you.
You sound like your torturing yourself with all these things that you have no power over, when they found a myxoma in my heart both my daughters had to have echocardiograms to see if they had the same , they didn’t but at least if they had it could have been monitored and operated on when needed. So you shouldn’t feel guilty regarding your son. ❤️
My family has a high record of cancers but my myxoma, as most are was benign. Finally you are not whinging at all everybody’s illness is important however serious or not.
When I had my surgery the tumour was close to my tricuspid valve which was very healthy so my surgeon didn’t want to replace it, he believed that he had removed all the tumour, unfortunately a tiny bit must have been left because it is showing up on scans, I don’t blame the surgeon I agree that he shouldn’t have changed a healthy valve it’s just one of those things.
What makes me anxious is if I dwell on the thought of having open heart surgery again, not the operation but the recovery afterwards because I’m feeling great now. 😊
So I’ve jumped over to the positive wellbeing site which talks about lots of different topics which takes my mind off myself and I pop on and off this site just to see if anyone needs a little bit of a lift up because this site was very helpful to me when I needed it the most.
I totally understand how you're feeling. I've felt the same and still do at times. It's good to have a positive attitude but having said that receiving a diagnosis of heart disease is still a shock and I have found that it takes time to learn to live with microvascular angina you have to accept a new normal, and as Milk fairy rightly says be kind to yourself it's okay to feel upset, we feel how we feel but you'll feel good again your positive attitude will come back. mindfulness and meditation are good to help get through the bad days, just taking each day at a time
Thank you so much for understanding, it definitely is an amazing place to talk to people who understands, it was the BHF helpline that suggested to look you all up.
I'm quite good at the moment and have been able to walk my dog and do the garden, but when I feel good I always do too much and then I have to rest for a few days as I get a tight heavy feeling in my chest and feel exhausted and get breathless from getting up and walking around. Just have to get the balance right, and keep taking all the tablets.
A bit better thanks, it’s just so nice to be able to talk to people who understand what it feels like.
Do you have the same as me ? Do you have any other children? I know you’re worrying about him we cannot help it, have you asked the Dr about him having a check up as it was my Gp who said to have my children/all adults now 2 daughters and 1 son 😊
Or im pleased your feeling better its a lot to take on board but the main thing is to stay positive .I have connary spasms and an arrhythmia. Yes its a worry i will ask the cardiologist when i see him if i need to tell him i dont want to worry him if theres no need .I only have one boy.
What symptoms do you have, do you get woken up at night, 😊
Yes just when you want to rest.Ive a problem with my legs at the moment keep getting woken up with cramps which is very annoying Usually the days are better than the nights for me at the moment although the morning s can be a bit of a challenge i think thats probably the medication im on.Im hoping things will improve in time .What symptoms are you having ?x
Cramp is really painful, it’s awful suddenly being woken up in pain like that, is that the meds or part of the condition, I don’t know much about it yet.
I get woken up at night gasping for breath, I have several deep breaths then feel better for a bit and chest pain and a heavy feeling. It seems to come in clusters since I’ve started the medication I have days When I don’t use my GTN spray.
I get it also first thing in the morning, chest pain and that heavy feeling, I know once that happens it’s going to be a bad day.
I find I cannot do as much as I used to, even small things I need to sit down after about half an hour, I’m absolutely wiped out, don’t know if it’s the meds or the condition.
Do you have GTN spray and meds ? 😃
Im not to sure about the cramp just know its painful. Im on the usual meds and gnt spray which i use dont hesitate to use it to get rid of your chest pain. I find the good days i can do more aslong as you pace yourself.Bad days just take it easy if you can.The breathless is unnerving but when you know its part of the illness you will be okay and it will pass. I hope you feel a bit better soon
I’m learning all the time, so much to take in, I sort of have to be careful as my body just won’t let me do what I used to a few months ago.
I’m sort of rebelling against it a bit as I don’t want to give into it and keep going but it’s sinking in and I’m exhausted so need to listen to my body 😳
I found that at first but i think you have to listen to what your bodies telling you and learn to take it a bit easier and i find it best to pace yourself when you do jobs. Im still trying to adjust to this illness
You’re doing really well it’s still not very long, but I’m the same, just started. Found out if I was taking my dog out in the cold my chest really hurt and couldn’t get my breath, it took a while before I went to the Dr as I didn’t think much of it 😳😳😳
Oh well we can keep each other updated on our journey x
That’s what I go, feel not so bad then do more than usual then regret it.
I started gardening the other day pulled a few weeds up and couldn’t do anymore, sweat pouring off me literally.
Going to be difficult when my daughter has her twins in October 😳
Just do what you feel you can do.Take one day at a time and try not to stress to much because stress makes this illness worse.How lovely for you and your daughter having twins something to look forward to
It’s hard not to keep doing the things you’ve always done, I used to be on the go the whole time, things have changed a bit now 😳
Twin little girls, cannot wait, it’s going to be hard work so looking forward to help.
She’s a nurse trying to be careful and safe in this pandemic, her husband cannot even go with her to the baby scans at the moment.
Hope you’ve been ok?
Hi had a good day yesterday not so good today.How lovely little girls they will be hard work but well worth it.Its worrying times for health workers does your daughter understand this weird illnesss .How have you been today
I’ve used my GTN spray today, I’ve found out this thing we’ve got comes in clusters !!!! Makes sense now I know that’s what happens.
She specialises in diabetes and asthma, she’s been looking at more detail of the condition but it really seems like it’s not that well recognised.
Did you have to go through loads of tests to get to your diagnosis ?
Did the gnt spray help? I'm not sure what you mean by clusters do you mean they come on Daily on monthly. I. had several trips to a@e in the ambulance and about three hospital stays I had a suspected heart attack and they did an angiogram and that was clear,also something shows on the ECG that corresponds with this illness.
When I spoke to the BHF nurses they said the symptoms can come in clusters as in some days/nights you can have quite a few symptoms and others nothing or not much at all, I didn’t know that until I explained what mine were like.
Sounds like you found out your diagnosis like I did, clear coronary artery’s, ECG abnormal with lots going on and ultrasound scan showed my heart isn’t squeezing at the bottom to pump the blood around properly or efficiently and other bits they picked up.
So lots of meds that have been adjusted since then but still have pain and heavy feeling but not as much as before.
Think I’m being a bit daft but I’m worried going for a walk, which I need to do incase I have really bad chest pain. I do always have my GTN spray but still worry.
I should have another appointment with my cardiologist in the next couple of months so see what he says then.
Take care today
Thats interesting about the clusters . Im taking it easy today as didnt feel very well yesterday. Hope you manage to get out for your walk today
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