I had heart attack and cardiac arrest in 2017 and had 5 stents fitted across the 3 main arteries. I made good recovery and am active but I've been struggling with unstable angina since April 2020. I have episodes in which I have chest pain and I am panting heavily which come on when at rest and typically in the afternoon and last into the evening and night. One several occasions it has not cleared by night and I have ended up in A&E. NHS cardiologist eventually did angiogram, 24 hr ECG and echo and concluded nothing wrong with heart, suggesting the cause could be digestive or respiratory. I saw a chest man privately and after carrying out CT angiogram confirmed lungs and digestion were fine. Since then I've seen an expert cardio who is confident that the cause is either small vessel angina or a narrowing of the LAD which has appeared between two of the stents. He is working through drug treatment, but whilst we reach optimum dose I have to tolerate these attacks.
Does anyone have good coping strategies ? I seem to be locked into a angina/ anxiety/angina spiral
Written by
Gibson01
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I am sorry that you are living with a challenging to manage angina too.
I live another type of angina without any blockages of my coronary arteries, Coronary vasospastic angina. I experience most of my angina at rest especially in the night.
It is difficult to treat as my vasospasms in my coronary blood come and go.
' Small vessel angina ' is also known as Microvascular angina or dysfunction and is not uncommon after stents have been inserted.
Because I have no blockages my only treatment is by medication which isn't that effective for me.
Over the nearly 9 years that I have lived with my vasospastic angina which when it becomes very severe and unstable lands me up in hospital, I have used these strategies.
I kept a diary to try and spot my triggers.
Mine are the cold, mental and emotional stress.
I manage my stress by using Mindfulness meditation, yoga and Tai Chi.
I use breathing and relaxation techniques.
I exercise as much as I can.
I walk my dog every day.
I attended a pain management programme where I learned cognitive behavioral therapy and the Spoon theory of pacing.
Milkfairy, Thanks for your thoughts and advice, we are still at the stage of adjusting and increasing medication, so the cardio is confident that if we follow his plan we will triumph.
He has mentioned refractory clinics but tells me we are not at that stage yet. I walk my dog daily, and keep a diary to see if I can spot triggers. Overtiredness and emotional stress are triggers for me too, I cannot even watch sport any more!
I really hope your Cardiologist's confidence is born out.
I can't watch tennis or any thriller or horror film on the TV either 😳.
We'll have to hide behind the sofa which I used to do watching Dr Who as a child, the cybermen I thought were really scary
🤡😨👹
I feel for you. You've more or less said what's going on with me too. I've also had 5 stents and am still getting unstable angina, yet everything checks out as OK. I've resigned myself to living with it as part of who I am. Best of luck though in trying to get to the bottom of it all.
Pretty much been told I've got to live with it. I've had an mri, he was happy with the results.. Heard this 2nd hand via one of the other secretaries. GP has been pretty good and I'm using my Gtn. Fed up with it but what else can I do? It's part of the condition as I understand it.
Until my angiogram & emergency CABG some 18 month ago, I was angina free. Now it's a different matter & I'm almost hoping my upcoming echocardiogram will reveal something that can be "fixed".
I find a good, old-fashioned hot water bottle helps sometimes.
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Coping Strategies
Angina attack 
Unstable angina 
Angina?
Vasospastic angina 
