Microvascular angina symptoms

[Tannigirl]

I have microvascular angina. Sometimes when I have chest pain there is a feeling that my bra is too tight! Anyone else have this?

[Sunnie2day]

Funny you should mention that - when mine hits I do find a small bit of relief changing to a looser bra. It's almost an instinctive thing, the first few times it happened I found myself pulling the chest band out away from my body and the immediate relief sent me to the drawer for a more loose bra.

[Tannigirl in reply to Sunnie2day]

Hi Sunnie2day it’s good to hear of someone else having the same then I know I’m not losing my mind 😆 Hope your keeping well and thanks for replying.

[XmasEve24 in reply to Tannigirl]

Hello ladies. I had a successful emergency CABG x2- 5 years ago and currently still suffer from Angina and am on all the necessary meds. I would highly recommend you purchase A WOMAN'S HEART by Dr Angela Maas a great book (available on Amazon) regarding female heart matters and how we differ from men. Removing your bra in the evening is symptomatic for us girls, along with many other annoying symptoms. I found this book so helpful being looked at from a female perspective.

[Tannigirl in reply to XmasEve24]

Hi XmasEve24

I bought ‘A Woman’s Heart’ several weeks ago and found it very interesting to find out how we differ from men. Also the section on Microvascular Angina was very informative . Highly recommend it too.

Hope you’re keeping well.

[Hidden in reply to XmasEve24]

I’m going to get myself a copy, thank you for the recommendation c

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Angela Maas' book is a great read.

I live with both vasospastic and microvascular angina and I definitely have my ' bra feels too tight feeling' when I have a lot of chest pain.

It feels as though my chest is in a vice and the air being squeezed out of my lungs.

[Tannigirl in reply to Milkfairy]

Hi Milkfairy yes Angela Maas’ book is well worth reading.

‘My bra feels too tight’ is this something I should mention on my frequent visits to A&E?

When describing my chest pain I often feel the doctor thinks I’m making it up without adding something weird!

The previous 2 visits to hospital have shown slight rise in troponin levels of 5 and 6 but thankfully reduced to <5 in 6 - 9 hours. My doctor says levels can rise by thousands so my small numbers seem to be insignificant!

Keep well

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tannigirl]

I wonder because women may use different words to describe their symptoms which can be more than central chest pain this passes over the top of many doctor's heads.

Any troponin rise above 5ng/l is relevant.

It can be like chasing a wil'n the wisp catching a vasospasm. The nurses now do consecutive ECGs whilst I have my chest pain and then they can see the ECG shifts. It makes the Cardiologists sit up with interest. In fact one very senior cardiologist ended up performing a series of ECG on me himself as he was so taken with this result.

Normal ECG, then T wave inversions followed by ST depressions then back to normal as the vasospasm ended.

It's not the usual way of recording a patient's ECG.

Are you seeing a Cardiologist?

[Tannigirl in reply to Milkfairy]

I had 2 phone consultations with a cardiologist last June to change my medication after having chest pains every day for a month.

I requested a consultation with him after ‘blips’ leading up to hospitalisation on Boxing Day with chest pains. I haven’t heard from him again despite having had another trip to A&E! It did take 4 years for the cardiologist to diagnose me with microvascular angina when he said I just had indigestion!

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tannigirl]

Have you asked for your diagnosis to be confirmed?

The symptoms of Microvascular angina caused by microvascular dysfunction can be very similar to vasospastic angina however the treatment is different.

Beta blockers can make vasospastic angina much worse but helps those with microvascular dysfunction.

There are 2 clinical trials going on into Microvascular angina you maybe interested in.

The PRIZE study

clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...

Characterising disease mechanisms in coronary microvascular disease

isrctn.com/ISRCTN94728379

[Tannigirl in reply to Milkfairy]

No, I’ve not asked for a confirmed diagnosis as yet. Reading your past posts it has been something I’ve been thinking off since the two similar conditions need different medications to treat them.

The cardiologist took me of Isosorbide Mononitrate last June and given Veramipil instead with Nikorandil cut down by half. Both of these tablets have since been doubled by my gp in January but now have ongoing angina most days again.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tannigirl]

Where are you based in the UK?

[Tannigirl in reply to Milkfairy]

North Scotland - Grampian Health Board although some heart scans take place in Highland region

[Tannigirl in reply to Tannigirl]

I had an angiogram May 2018 which showed a little plaque in LAD but not enough to cause any obstructions. Because of ongoing chest pains the cardiologist then suspected microvascular angina last year.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tannigirl]

I have sent you a message

[OAPjust]

Hi Tannigirl - yes, have experienced the same feeling just under my breasts, right under the bra line. Sometimes a sharp pain, sometimes a dull ache. Yes, I remove my bra and it does seem to help the angina!

We're all a bit strange though, my dear late Dad used to wear his cycle clips when driving his car!!

[Tannigirl in reply to OAPjust]

Hi OAPjust - looks like we ladies with microvascular angina need to go braless! 😆

[OAPjust]

Sounds good idea to me Tannigirl! - Perhaps Cardiologists should be told about this phenomena (can't spell it) as part of their specialised training!

[Tannigirl in reply to OAPjust]

If only they would listen to us!!

[Mazmum]

I thought it was just me! I haven’t been diagnosed yet as Covid has made waiting times so long, but I recognise the feeling of needing to relieve bra pressure. I’ve even bought new soft bras with no underwire to try to ease things - no difference!

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Mazmum]

Hi Mazmum,

I wear a soft sports bra when I have alot of angina.

I live with vasospastic and microvascular angina.

My bra definitely feels too tight and I told my Cardiologist this as well as vasospasms feeling like being in labour except you don't get a baby at the end.

[Tannigirl in reply to Mazmum]

It feels like an exclusive club now!

Hope you get a diagnosis soon.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tannigirl]

Exclusive but not a club you would choose to join😥

[Tannigirl]

Definitely not!

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Tannigirl you might like this written by Carolyn Thomas in her Heart Sisters blog.

I remember reading it back in 2012 when I was newly diagnosed with vasospastic angina.

google.com/amp/s/myheartsis...

[Tannigirl in reply to Milkfairy]

Hi Milkfairy

Thanks for the link. It’s amazing that ‘my bra feels too tight’ was mentioned 8/9 years ago!

I had to have an ECG this morning and mentioned about my bra being too tight and the reply was “nothing wrong in going braless to be more comfortable”!!

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Tannigirl]

We need to get it into the psyche of the Cardiology professionals!

[Arizona18]

Constantly! God bless you, I have never found anyone who understands the too right bra syndrome! Have had two NSTEMI in three years with clear arteries after two angiograms. Working diagnosis is microvascular angina causing vasospasms. Reactive angiogram scheduled for December. Absolutely in love with my cardiologist. He maintains a full practice, rotates at our university hospital, teaches, and does research. Went through seven cardiologist before finding this one. Please believe me that it is imperative to find yourself an excellent cardiologist if, in fact, it is your heart as this is a complicated heart disease that many doctors either do not recognize or fail to treat properly.