Chest discomfort

[sally1959]

Hi, I had a HA and 1 stent fitted in LAD on 12 April this year. Things going ok since meds sorted and I’ve been having good days and a few bad ones but more so lately I keep getting different niggles in my chest every day and occasional hot flushes and just feel unwell. I Wake up every morning feeling worried and it’s only when I’m busy I don’t seem to have these feelings. I’m wondering if this is anxiety and it’s making everything seem worse. I’ve been really positive up to now so don’t know why I suddenly feel like this.

[Calliope153]

Hello Sally

It took me over eight months to get my meds tweaked so they were like Goldilocks porridge "just right" after my heart attack and stent. The GP did a little tweak, one med at a time and for it bit it was okay and then the bad days started to outnumber the good days. Then another tweak. If you can get at least a telephone call in with your GP and see what he/she suggests. Anxiety is a possibility we all go through it: the worry about it could happen again initially was my major one but we are all different. I have always thought, although it is not medically proven, that if you are wearing clean underwear you won't need a hospital admission.

[sally1959 in reply to Calliope153]

Thanks for your reply , I will take note about underwear 😂

[MountainGoat52 in reply to sally1959]

Didn't your mother tell you to wear clean underwear each day in case you get knocked down by a bus? Mine did! 😁

[Calliope153 in reply to MountainGoat52]

which of course you did and, I take it, you've never been knocked down by a bus? My mother said the same thing and of course she was right - I got hit by a motorbike....

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Calliope153]

Thankfully I've never been knocked down... had a few near misses though. The hand of God has definitely been on my life!

[Outforawalk]

Had a HA start of March and 4 stents. Have niggles most days and have tried to train my mind not to worry. Remember what the main event felt like and you remember a niggle isn’t it. Not easy to get over when we have been through a HA, but very easy to spiral into a permanently anxious place.

[sally1959 in reply to Outforawalk]

Thank you for reassurance x

[sally1959]

Thank you for replying, had just started doing Saturday park runs before this happened and was loving them, hoping won’t be too long till I get back.

[MountainGoat52 in reply to sally1959]

With park runs you can always park walk. I joined my daughter's park run during recovery and started at the back with the marshalls that walked the course. After a chat I left them behind to make faster progress to the finish.

The key to a good recovery is keeping positive. I find exercise outdoors far better than anything indoors and the more rural the better. Keeping an eye out for birds, animals and insects while you walk or jog is an excellent way of keeping going, even on routes that you are familiar with.

And I too walk home (5 miles) when I've taken the car to be serviced and then back again to pick it up. I could use the bus with my free pass, but it takes just as long!

[sally1959 in reply to MountainGoat52]

Thanks for writing back, everyone on this site so positive and helpful

[SmokeAKipper]

Yah take it easy.. slight chest pains normal... the drugs you are on will be contributing to it... my cardiologist recommended Magnesium citrate powder 350 mg from Holland and barrat

[sally1959 in reply to SmokeAKipper]

Thank you will try the powder .

[Jaynie13]

Hi Sally. I had a HA and one stent to my LAD 9 weeks ago. I was told that the echo afterwards showed 'severe left ventricular dysfunction' with an EF of 30%. I was getting sharp chest pains/niggles every day and I seemed to be conscious of every heart beat! It's a wonder I haven't worn my oximeter out Anyway, last week I had a follow up echo and saw my cardiologist who told me my 'severe LV dysfunction' was now 'moderate' and my EF was up to 45%....and guess what, my chest pains pretty much went overnight! The anxiety affects us more than many of us realise! I too have horrible hot flushes so I empathise....I'd put my down to being at 'that age' and the hormonal changes but now I'm wondering if it's anything to do with the meds etc, or if the hot flushes have been exacerbated by the HA. I keep myself busy as well and use distraction methods when I start to worry....I also push myself a little with physical things from time to time, just to reassure myself that my heart can stand it, it's not going to just explode in my chest...and then when I don't get any pain I silently thank my dodgy ticker for not giving up on me One thing that I've found that helps is that I allow myself to worry...but only for half an hour. I acknowledge how I'm feeling, I let the worry and anxiety wash over me, and then I mentally 'see' myself putting that worry in a box and locking it away until next time.....and I try really hard not to let that box open again until the following day, sometimes longer.

Take care of yourself

[sally1959 in reply to Jaynie13]

Hi Jaynie, that’s great your EF is up to 45%. Your lucky to have seen your Cardiologist, I’ve only had one phone call. Think like you say it’s good to keep busy and I’m going to try find that box . Lots of great advice, stay safe.

[OldHippy]

Hi Sally

More or less the same experience for me. I had a HA, stent in LAD in Sept 2019. To be honest, it's only in the past few weeks that I've started to feel confident about the various aches, pains, 'strange sensations' in chest, anxiety and generally feeling 'not quite right'. After a long time trying to work out what was anxiety and what was physical/side effects of medications I came to a conclusion (based largely on decades of experiencing working as a mental health nurse).

1. Initially, most of my post stent symptoms were the 'settling down' period of the poor, assaulted, traumatised heart.

2. The mountain of medications I suddenly found myself on were likely to be causing a multitude of side effects, and would need months of tweaking before they were less intrusive.

3. I experienced anxiety on a daily basis, but this felt quite specifically related to surges of hormones/chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol, etc which would swamp my body, at most unexpected times. I used to experience severe PMT and it was like a switch, when chemicals would suddenly whizz through my circulation making me feel wretched, and just as quickly switch off.

Thus, I believe that now, around 90% of everything I'm experiencing is related to anxiety. My response to this has been to go through a back catalogue of tips and techniques to find the best approach for me, as it is an individual thing. This is my recipe:

- Use the relaxation method which suits you best on a daily basis - mine is a 6 minute one from the Heart Rehab folder I was given on discharge. There are a series of suggested exercises which are downloadable from a website - let me know if you would like this. I follow this with a meditation.

- When the chest/anxiety feelings come on, I utilise deep diaphragmatic breathing, then I distract myself with some quick easy exercises, sometimes just sitting in the chair, but getting some muscle exercise.

- Singing - this sounds strange, but if I can put my thoughts into a tune, which requires concentration and using different parts of the brain, I can feel totally distracted and calmed.

- I'm sure long term regular exercise is one of the best ways to mend myself. (Unfortunately I broke my ankle just around lockdown time - twice - and ended up doubling my body weight!). I'm now back to gentle walking again.

Good luck Sally - it's a bit of a journey, but definitely doable. FYI I'm a 58 year old woman.

[Phil_London]

Hi, another add to the lost of similar stories for you, I had a mild HA in May 2019 with a single stent to the LAD, I had a lot of anxiety and still do but as you hear, it does get less. Also I am similar in the fact that a work out, cycle or run tells me if I am OK, I get niggles of strange pains just above or close to my heart, they always seem to be muscular which is often the case for all, you just notice them a lot after a HA as you become super vigilant about discomforts in your chest, when I run and my heart is up to 80-90% I don't get any. In fact I have them this morning, just sitting looking at my phone, I think its the angle I sleep, squashes the muscles up in my chest in the night. Anyway, this is to say that its not unusual and can also be mess, its good to talk to the GP about any feeling you get. My most worrying one at the moment that is also slowly going is of I eat late or drink 1 glass of wine more that I should(that is rare but happens) I wake up in the night with a real hard heart beat like it wants to jump out of my chest, when it first happened it scared me and I went to A&E but all was fine and since then on the rare occasions it does happen I try to sleep through it, I think its my arteries relaxed or a very full stomach late and the heart beats harder to compensate, this is also just to ask if anyone else has similar and just to say, so many things feel as though they are an issue but its more about noticing the now. I am fortunately after good diet and excersise, down to Omeprazol, small dose, Statin and Asprin, it will get better if we look after ourselves. Like so many and if your up to it the Park run when its back on os a great way to work out, role on Park run.

[sally1959 in reply to Phil_London]

Hi Phil, thanks for replying. People on this site are so helpful and suppportive.

[Phil_London in reply to sally1959]

We have all been there or still there on one way or another. for the most of us it's gets better ut the anxiety will always sit at the back of your mind, so keep smiling with every good day and be pleased, that every anxious day is over.

[DCIHarry]

Hi, Not too much to add, other I am going through something that sounds very similar.

I had a HA and 2 stents in Feb 2020 and am now suffering from what has been diagnosed as "Health Anxiety".

I am hyper sensitive to any muscle discomfort, pains and twitches, particularly when it is in my left sided, upper body area.

I have no problems at all when I am mentally (with work) or physically (with exercise) occupied. but it is (ironically) in the quieter moments when I am relaxing that it comes on, I guess when the emotional part of my brain kicks in. So in my personal case I am convinced it is definitely a mental issue.

Knowing that doesn't stop the pain, but it does help me not panic less about it.

A combination of exercise, controlled breathing and clinical pilates each day works best for me.

One final piece of advice. My community cardiac rehab nurse gave me some very sensible (and for me at least) reassuring advice. If it hurts when you touch the area where the pain is coming from, then it is not your heart and it is more than likely musculo-skeletal pain.

Not sure if this helps but, ....

[sally1959 in reply to DCIHarry]

Hi, thanks for your reply, all your comments are really helpful. can definitely relate to how your feeling. Am going to try meditation. Is clinical Pilates different from standard Pilates?

[DCIHarry in reply to sally1959]

My cardiac nurses didn’t want me to do standard Pilates during my recovery, because of some of the extreme positions you can end up getting your body into, that can put undue pressure on the heart muscle/arteries.

Clinical Pilates is different in that it is taught by trained physiotherapists (as opposed to a fitness trainer) and as a result it is more about mat work, stretching and controlled breathing, rather than raising your heart beat.

It is therefore very good for overall body toning/conditioning/mobility (which I need at my age 😁), while at the same time being extremely relaxing.

I do it on alternate dates in between my BHF workouts.

[Denva]

I discovered ASMR on YouTube and it settles me right down. Give it a try. Good luck.

[Imin]

I have experienced something very similar!

Take a look at my previous posts - I’m sure you will recognise yourself in them! The replies I got on my posts, like those you have received here, helped enormously!

Good luck with your recovery and I hope you start getting more good days than bad days very soon x

Just in case you don’t know how...if you click on my little picture icon to the left of my name it will take you to my previous posts 😉

[sally1959 in reply to Imin]

Hi Imin, just read all your posts and replies and Have found them so helpful and reassuring. I feel my journey is following yours so it’s good to see how well you are doing. Definitely feel it’s a circle of events where I feel fine, randomly get chest discomfort which brings on the anxiety and so it goes on. Like you I’m lucky as I have 4 children and husband who are very supportive, I’ve gained a love for my garden, fresh air and walks. I’m interested in trying some meditation but not sure where to start. Did you find counselling helped? I had just done the 5k and started parkruns before HA and was loving them. At the moment can’t see Getting back to Parkruns or am I just been too impatient as only been 4 months. Had no cardio rehab because of Covid so have felt a bit “left to get on with it”. Interesting about Ticagrelor and whether it has these side effects. Will be interested to know how you get on when you come of it. You’ve had quite a journey and Reading your posts can see how far you’ve come on. Garden looks lovely too. This is a great group and everyone so supportive. Thanks again for your support

sally

[Imin in reply to sally1959]

Hi.

I can’t wait for the park runs to start again!! I’m sure you’ll be able to get back to it. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to 4 months into my recovery so maybe pace yourself a little but I can understand your eagerness...it kind of gives me a sense of maybe all isn’t lost just because I am now living with heart disease. Actually I was living with heart disease before my HA, I just didn’t know it!!

I found counselling did help. I wasn’t only grieving my mum but also the life I had and the life I had planned. Now I can plan that same life but with a few tweaks, I couldn’t be that positive until a couple of months ago really!

I have the ‘calm’ app on my phone and do some breathing exercises, listen to audio stories and do some relaxation exercises from it.

I find fresh air really helps and I often sit in the garden even when it’s cold and wrap up and read. I go for long brisk walks with my daughters as they’d never be seen out with me when I’m running and I try to do an outdoor 5k once a week and a treadmill 5k once a week. I used to go to circuit training classes twice a week at the gym but can’t see me going there for a few months yet!

I never suffered from anxiety before but it kind of hit me like a bus after my HA. Like you say, ended up like a viscous circle with anxiety, chest pain, more anxiety, more chest pain. All I can say is I am much better when busy, distracted or occupied! But I need to rest sometimes and then that quiet voice gets into my head. It does and has got better and I have everything crossed that when I stop the Ticagrelor the chest discomfort will ease!

Take care and keep in touch if it has helped at all

x