Upon mild exertion (if dog pulls me on lead and I to walk faster) get tightness in chest, difficulty breathing, weakness in legs, end up walking very slow, baby steps to get home. During these periods, I also have to stand still at times.
What diagnostic test determined if you have angina?
Thank you
Mine was first diagnosed with a treadmill and ECG test
Have you reported your symptoms to your GP? It's important you do so - today or first thing tomorrow morning. Please update us once you've seen your medic(s).
He/she, on hearing your symptoms will likely order blood work (to check for inflammation and to see if your troponin levels indicate a heart attack), will either have the in-surgery ECG nurses do a resting ECG or if not available in surgery, will send you to the Rapid Access Chest Pain (RACP) unit closest to you for the resting and a further 'stress' ECG done, as Kristin1812 mentions, on a treadmill (or stationary bike).
He/she will either say, when he/she tells you you'll be referred to the RACP unit, that he/she suspects you have angina -at which point he/she will prescribe a low-dose beta blocker and a GTN spray and will give you instructions on use, especially the GTN.
After 2-3 weeks wait (depending on the severity of your symptoms and the urgency your GP thinks advisable), you'll arrive to the RACP, investigations are carried out resting and stress ECG) and you will either be officially diagnosed with angina and referred forward for further investigations (usually an angiogram or MRI scan depending on which equipment is available) or referred forward with the angina ruled out (that ruling out rarely happens - when a GP suspects angina, he/she suspects it knowing he/she is likely 99.9% correct).
The following link takes you to the BHF publications page on angina, the downloads are free as are the hard copies but the hard copies will be delayed in the post owing to Covid-19 delays:
Please go get this checked out. Sounds like Angina to me. Don’t delay
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