Just went for a Coronary CT Angiogram and was told I have what looks like a 50 percent blockage in one of the arteries into my heart (not sure which one).
On two occasion in the last year I've had some mild / chest arm pain for about 5-10 minutes, and thought it was best to get it checked out so I went to A and E. Both times they found nothing but the second time I got referred to Cardiology to get it looked at in more detail.
I had a Calcium CT scan which was mildly raised then everything got put on hold because of Covid. They finally got round to testing me today and that's when they found the 50 percent blocked artery. I now have to go for another test, the cardiac catheterisation one I think, and start taking Aspirin and Statins.
I just don't know what to make of it all. I've had no chest pain since last year and I expected them to say it was just stress.
Been driving myself mad on google since I got home. Does the chest pain and the blocked artery mean I have unstable angina?
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Jmob
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50% blockage sounds very frightening, in reality you don't normally experience angina type symptoms until the blockage is much more extreme, at least 75%, and often people get to 90%+ blockage before experiencing any symptoms at all.
I'm certainly not saying there's no problem. Any level of artery blockage is of course an issue. What I'm saying is there's no reason to panic.
In the first instance look to your own lifestyle. Are you a smoker, are you overweight, do you eat an unhealthy diet of take aways and highly processed foods, do you drink to excess, do you get seven or eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, are you prone to anxieties?
Heart disease is incurable, but a root and branch reform of your life style can slow the progress of the disease to a crawl. So take this as a wake up call and grasp the opportunity to live a healthier life.
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate you taking the time to reply like this. This post has made me feel much better. Am definitely going to make a few changes and try not to get too stressed about it.
There are the obvious life style factors that everyone knows about, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, etc. But then there are other, less well known, causes of heart disease. These include things like gum disease or sleep apnea.
If you're not sleeping well it could be sleep apnea, or it could suggest other heart disease related problems like anxiety, stress, or poor circadian rhythms.
Thanks both for getting back to me. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post. I am feeling a bit better now and I think I'm going and relax a bit tonight, stay off the internet and maybe put together a list of questions for the Doctor when I see them.
Hi Jmob. Dr. Google will certainly stress you so take what you read with a pinch of salt!
Chappychap has given you some brilliant advice.
I can only speak for my husband who had some of the tests you've had after our son booked him an appointment with Bupa! He was quite ill but wouldn't go to our GP! In 2018 he had a quad bypass and has never looked back. Wishing you all the very best and sending virtual hugs.
I only had an ache in my left forearm, have never had any chest discomfort, doc said probably angina. I was sent for angiogram just to be on the safe side. They found a narrowing in the LAD which has been widened with a balloon and it wasn’t until this had been done that I realised that I was much less “puffy” after dashing upstairs or digging the garden etc! Sometimes you can have a problem which creeps up so slowly that you are almost unaware it’s there until it’s fixed..don’t Google, we all do it and it puts the fear of God into us as we don’t really understand it all.
Just think..you wouldn’t ask a painter and decorator to fix you’re car would you...so why do we try to diagnose our own heart conditions 😂
I had a similar experience. I had a couple of instances of tightness (rather than pain) which went away after 15-20 minutes. When I went to the GP, he diagnosed stable angina and gave me a GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) spray. I've never used it. When I had the angiogram, I discovered I had four blockages - one artery was 100% blocked (!), two were 90% and the fourth was 70% ... and I was still standing! So it's amazing what the heart can survive. Try not to 'drive yourself mad' and instead, follow the advice given by Chappychap. From what you have said, it would seem likely that you'll have a stent so take it easy until then. Best wishes.
Hi, first don't Google to much as that will raise your stress level more. 50%blockage can give Angina pain as I my self have two stents and 3rd moderate blockage. Best to speak to your GP regarding your concern.
Just to make sure I'm clear on your terminology, you've only had the CT scans without catheterization so far, correct?
I had 2 CT scans done with contrast dye and they had a difficult time getting a clear scan. One time the IV blew out of my vein when they tried to inject the dye, the 2nd time my heart was beating too fast for a clear picture. But the data they got off the scan indicated calcifications that needed further investigation. So I had an angiogram catheterization done a few weeks ago. Which I'm told gives the most accurate, reliable picture of the condition of the arteries of the heart. I don't know what percentages which of my arteries were at. But based on the angiogram, my cardiologist assured me I had no significant narrowing of the arteries to be concerned about. I have no restrictions on physical activity, exercise, sport etc. I take a low-dose statin and low-dose aspirin now to help make sure nothing gets worse.
I debated for a while whether I wanted to press him to give me a percentage of blockage or narrowing. He told me it would have to be at least 50% to consider the need for a stent, though usually, they don't use stents for less than 70% blockage. So I know I'm under 50% because they didn't even consider it. BUT, I know I'm more than 0% blockage, so what number would put my mind "at ease"? I have a friend with 20-30% which doesn't sound too bad. But it's more than 0% and I think any number will likely just sit in the back of my mind and gnaw away at me. So for me, not having the number but knowing I don't need to be concerned is good enough for me.
Like others have mentioned, people with significantly higher blockages have been existing normally before finding out there was a problem. Plus, my cardiologist explained to me that it isn't the blockage or narrowing itself that causes the heart attack. It's when the calcium/plaque deposits become irritated and bleed and clot. The clots formed at the area of narrowing from deposits are what block off the artery. It's probably more technical than that, but that was my layman's understanding of it. So that's why I'm on the low-dose aspirin. To reduce clotting and the chances something like that will happen. The statin reduces cholesterol and hopefully slows or stops the build-ups in the arteries.
This is long, so I'll finish with this. If I were you, and like others here, I have mostly been in your situation, I would look at this as you are now in a position to discover and treat any potential problems before you suffer a cardiac event. You're out in front of it, so to speak. I think that's something to be thankful for. I know I was, once I was able to put away the fear of the problem and the catheterization.
Thanks Paul. Yes the scan I had was without catheterisation. My own experience sounds very similar to yours actually. They had trouble getting my heart rate down, even after 3 lots of beta blockers and then the first time they tried to inject the dye thing popped out of my arm.
At this point I was considering making a run for it but the nurse came in, calmed me down a bit and promised me a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit if I gave it another try. The second time the dye thing worked but the doc came in and said the scan wasn't great and they wanted another go. I got all set to go on that one when the doctor came back in and told me he'd decided there was something on the first scan needed investigating further so there was no point doing another CT scan.
He told me it looked like about a 50 percent blockage but that the cardiac catheterisation would give a clearer picture. He said the CT scanner tends to overblow things a bit.
I'm thinking like you say though what does it matter about the numbers? I'm trying to stay calm, not get too worried and see it as a positive. This is my chance to do something about it.
Hi Jmob, Welcome to the forum!! First of all well done you for getting yourself checked out and persevering with the follow ups! There are a lot of people out there who don’t act, myself included, and end up in far worse situations.
Heart disease, despite all the knowledge thats out there, is very much still a “silent predator”. We are all told from an early age about the things that are good and bad for our health, including our heart health, but a lot of us choose not to listen and indulge more in the bad stuff than we do the good. (Myself definitely included!!). I think, particularly if there is no family history of heart disease we can be guilty of believing and thinking that we cant be victim to it. Until in some cases its too late, and tragically for some its unrecoverable. For some people the first they know of any presence of it, is the last they know of it, it shows itself to them in a tragic and fatal way.
But for others, you and I, and many more like us, it messes up and reveals itself to us before it probably wanted to. I like to think of it like a burglar getting caught out by an unexpected security light. We are the fortunate ones, we now know of it and we can take all the necessary measures to protect ourselves from it. Going back to the burglar analogy, If we suffered a burglary or breach of security in our home, we would be understandably devastated but we would get over it and the chances are high that we would tighten up on the security, now we wouldn’t be able to completely rule out and guarantee against ever getting burgled again, but we could and would massively reduce the risk of it. The same can be said about the heart and heart disease.
Take your time to come to term with things, try not to google!! Use this forum as it is fantastic and has been a huge help to me, listen to the advice of your health care team. Be good to yourself, you don’t have to start living like a saint, just try if you can to start incorporating some of the better heart health behaviours into your life, and crucially don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice!
Hi Jmob, welcome! I’d like to second all the great advice here. I had a similar issue to you which was diagnosed in early January. I had no symptoms and only got checked as a sibling discovered a severe issue and we have a family history of heart disease. My dad died at 57 from a heart attack having had 2 in his late 30’s and then a triple bypass. I foolishly pressed the cardiologist for a % blockage which still keeps me awake at night. I also read every study and piece of info on google, none of which helped or made me feel better. In fact Ive been told by mental health professionals that when we feel negative about something, we seek out info that backs up our belief so basically this habit of google, for me anyway, was only ever going to make me feel worse. I would try to keep away from google and speak to your doctor. Have you got a lipid clinic referral? I went this week for my first appointment and the Dr I saw was fantastic, explained several things that had been on my mind and was very reassuring. I had high cholesterol and am now on statins as well as meds from my blood pressure. This was all a complete shock to me as despite my family history I assumed smoking (dad smoked) was the culprit. I’ve looked at my diet and made changes to that as well as cutting out alcohol which I was indulging in far too much previously. The lipid clinic can also help with dietary advice. Good luck and try not to google
Thanks Vicky. I've not had a lipid clinic referral yet but am already looking at ways to improve my diet etc. Just had the scan yesterday and didn't really follow what the nurse was saying at the time so just waiting for the follow up. Glad you're feeling better too. Sounds like there's some light at the end of the tunnel.
What you are going through is in my personal experience, perfectly natural - many of us on this forum have been where you are, some of us still there, but many of us (more importantly) have come through the other side and can help you.
I myself had an angiogram back in 2014 which discovered a 30% blockage. I was told then that the surgeons would take no action until it was at least 80% blocked. Of course, that sent me into a bit of a tailspin, leaping to catastrophic conclusions, largely driven by Dr Google (so don't do that).
My GP asked me to attend local cardiac rehab sessions, purely as a preventative measure, to educate me, change my lifestyle and help slow down the rate of deterioration.
It was a revelation. I started eating healthier, exercised every day and lost 4 stone lighter later.
While this did not stop me from eventually having a heart attack 6 years later, both my cardiac support team and I are convinced that the steps that I took at the time, helped me to survive my heart attack when it happened. And that there is life after a heart attack.
So the only advice I can give, based on my own experience, is to ask/push for whatever help you can get from your GP and other NHS sources.
Don't take no for an answer - if you don't ask, you won't get it!
The community cardiac nurses and BHF nurses are fantastic - get in touch with them, they will never think you are wasting their time.
Stop self-diagnosing via Dr Google - it's a one-way trip to mental purgatory.
Talk to others with similar conditions, there are plenty of os about (this forum, in particular, is very useful)
Stop worrying about what you can't change (particularly the past) and instead focus on what you can change in the future like your diet, your overall lifestyle, stress/anxiety management, exercise etc and use that to retake control of your life going forward.
There really is a good life ahead of you, if you listen to the warning signs you have received and take the right action now.
I hope this doesn't come across as being too "preachy" and that it helps
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who replied above. I'm blown away by the responses I've had on here. I'm amazed by the amount of thought and time people have put into these replies and I just wanted to thank everyone and to say how much I appreciate it.
I'm still a bit shell shocked but I'm trying to do as people have suggested above and take the positives from this. I was talking to my wife about this earlier and she was asking me why is this a bad thing? I now know about this and can take action to address it, whereas before I was running the risk of letting things get worse further down the line.
Thanks again for taking the time to get back to me and best wishes to everyone one on here. Hope you all have a great weekend too.
I too had chest pains. I have had chest pains many times, and it mostly turned out to be wind. In January It turned out to be a heart attack.
After being admitted to hospital, all the examinations, blood tests and angiogram, it was found that I have a 40% blockage. I am back to walking (not as long as previously, but getting there). I will be on tablets for the rest of my life.
My problem is trying not to query every pain I get in my chest, is it wind this time? should I ignore it? should I take the spray? Is it another heart attack? I am back to walking, at least 3 times a day with my dog and have been told that this is the best thing, but these questions are still in the back of my head.
I completely understand where you are coming from. I can't help also to think about it on a daily, maybe hourly basis.
I don't feel as bad as I did when I first got the news, but cannot help wonder at the least pain if it is another one? I don't know the answer to it, I just wanted you to know you are not alone in these thoughts.
I've always been a bit of a worrier so I just don't handle this kind of thing very well.
I've been doing some guided relaxation stuff off You Tube and it's helped a bit. I'm also going to check out that Headspace app this weekend as that's supposed to be good.
Am taking this whole thing as a sign that I need to be kinder to myself in lots of ways. Look after myself physically and mentally and just to try and relax and enjoy the moment. Easier said than done though!
I know someone got knocked off his bike few years ago ago and he was saying he was terrified first time he went back on and was jumping at every sound. I suppose this is something similar. You forget about all the years you've had without a problem, and you can't yet see all the years in front when it's all going to be fine too.
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