Glad I'm not alone in this journey.

[TexasMOMTHER]

Just got diagnosed after years of misdiagnosis. While I am grateful I am also a little freaked out.

[jeanjeannie50]

Welcome to the forum TexasMom.

What were you diagnosed with?

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I was diagnosed with CASCoronary Artery Spasm.

My LAD spasms shut and I have a widow maker heart attack

[080311]

Morning TexasMOMTHER

Welcome to the forum, you don’t say what your diagnosis is? We are a peer to peer help group and we try and support each other as we make our way through our heart issues.

Best wishes Pauline

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to 080311]

Diagnosed with CAS.I have never posted anything or even been on Facebook. So I am absolutely clueless about what I am doing, so please bear with me.

If two people ask me the same question do I need to answer them both or can one see the other answer?

46 years old.... you'd think I would know how to do this.....NOPE not even a lil bit.

[080311 in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

You will find your way through after a little while, you could answer both so each would get a notification that you have answered. If you find someone who as the same condition as you you could follow them so every time they put a new post up you get a notification. Or someone you like the posts they do.You will soon get the hang of it😂

I am afraid can’t help you with your condition, I have had Aortic valve replaced and bypass done with open heart surgery, but we have members who do have the same condition who will be willing to help.

We are a merry band of Hearties and will be here to lend an ear if you want to talk or even a shoulder to lean on if that’s what you need.

Again welcome.

Best wishes Pauline

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to 080311]

Thank you so much for the encouragement and kind words.I am pretty bad at this tech thing and checking my post but trying to do better. Any idea how I add this app or whatever this is called to my home screen?

When I say I am clueless in this regard that is an UNDERSTATEMEMT. Appreciate all the help I can get.

When ( IF )I get this figured out I would like to talk to more folks about this heart issue.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hello TexasMomther,

Welcome to the forum.

I have lived with vasospastic angina, the term, now more commonly used in the UK rather than Coronary artery spasms (CAS) for 9 years.

The BHF has this information about vasospastic angina/ CAS.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

There is also this website which you might find helpful too.

internationalheartspasmsall...

[-007-]

Hi TexasMOMTHER,

Well you’re the second person I’ve messaged in the U.S today. My daughter lives in Santa Monica, L.A.

Ahahah I’m a Welshman living in England with a daughter in the U.S. (and a mother-in-law in France, but enough said there 😳🤣🤣🤣).

Like you I was misdiagnosed for ten years.

They told me that I had borderline asthma. For ten years I had taken inhalers, steroids and I forget what else. They had me breathing into tubes and sitting in a glass box doing breathing exercises while all the time I had angina.

Even after I had a heart attack, in 2016, a local doctors nurse examined me and said I had an asthma attack.

Two days later I saw a doctor proper and he said that he thought I had had a heart attack.

Thank goodness he did because I believe he saved my life.

Once I was in the system I was given medication and tests, scans X-Rays to keep me alive.

They found that I had severe heart disease.

I’ve had various procedures and I’m now two and a half years after my last procedure and I’m living a fairly full life.

I have to take medication and eat healthy and don’t over do things but I’m still here being a pain to my wife and telling bad dad jokes to my kids (well it’s my job and I take my work very seriously 😉🤣🤣🤣).

Like you and the rest of the harties on this forum, I’m a survivor so congratulations and welcome 👍

-007- Licensed to Chill 😎

[080311 in reply to -007-]

Morning, Just really smiled at your post I am English woman living in Scotland, have brother in South Carolina nephew in Ohio niece in St Louis another nephew in the American Virgin Island. Also Son in Perth Australia and Granddaughter in Canberra. So a bit like your family all over the world 😂

Pauline

[-007- in reply to 080311]

Good morning Pauline, 🙋‍♂️

Hahahah reading your reply I feel I’ve just read a book on travel by Michael Palin.

We too have family in Australia, in Sydney and Tasmania also Canada 😂

I couldn’t afford the blessed insurance to go visit them never mind the airfare ✈️

Hope you and Hubby is having a good day 👍

[080311 in reply to -007-]

The world is really a small place when you think about it. I am just thankful that we have the technology to be able to see and speak to family. My brother went to Africa in the 60s and my parents were reliant on cine film and cassettes with messages on! They use to record bed time stories for the Grand Children. Who are now a doctor and a dentist in the States😂 how the time as sped by.John is doing well, as got an app on his iPad for doing jigsaws so is enjoying that, making him use his eyes. One of the horrible effects of his stroke.

But this is making him work at looking to his left.

You have a good afternoon.

Best wishes Pauline

[-007- in reply to 080311]

Yes, technology is wonderful. What you can do nowadays. Even this forum and John doing jigsaws on an iPad is amazing.We often speak to our daughter in L.A. On the iPads. If it wasn’t for that I think I’d have to buy a canoe and paddle my way across the Atlantic with my wife as navigator. She's very good at telling me where to go 😳🤣

Sadly she won’t be able to come across for her sisters 40th in a few weeks time due to COVID restrictions.

So instead of coming over here they’re are going to Las Vegas and also kayaking down the Colorado river.

They have a hard life don't they!

-007- Licensed to Chill 😎

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to -007-]

If you don't mind me asking, what was the procedures that were done? My spasm is in my LAD right before it splits three ways and feeds the entire apex of my heart. It is too small to stent. So the hope is that medication will keep it from happening.......That is a mighty BIG what if to depend on. The other option is a possible bypass.

While scary, less scary then a maybe and a what if. Dr told me if I have another widow maker chances of living through it is pretty slim. I'm still raising little people and not ready to sit around and waited for another one.

I got WAY too many Mom jokes to tell and CHEESEY Dad joked to listen to.

I am glad to hear your take your job of bad Dad jokes so seriously. All Dads should

😁

[-007- in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

I had a heart attack December 2016March 2017 I had 5 stents

8 to 10 months later I started having angina symptoms again.

Sometime in 2018 I had another angiogram and was told my arteries are in a mess. Two of the stents were blocking back up and I was told I’d need a bypass operation.

I was booked in to have the operation end of March 2019. I didn’t make that date. My angina went from "stable angina" to "unstable angina" and I started getting "events" whilst at rest.

After on event early March 2019 I was taken into hospital.

Whilst in hospital I was wired up to some monitors and I set the alarms off a few times. They said I would not make the planned date for the op. So I was moved to the hospital that would actually do the operation.

Operation was cancelled a few times due to emergencies coming in. I eventually ended up in intensive care on drips to make sure I got to the operating theatre.

I had CABGx5 (LITA to LAD, LSV to D1, LSV to RCA-PDA, LSV to OM1 & LSV to OM2).

No idea what all that means, all I know is I owe those people my life.

I had the op Monday morning and the following Saturday evening I was home drinking a glass of a rather cheeky little red wine and eating a wonderful steak whilst watching my fellow Welshman, Tom Jones, on T.V. in The Voice. Ahhhhh lovely.

I have not taken medication for asthma since my first heart attack.

In the last two years I have taken great pleasure in embarrassing my wife and kids whipping my shirt open at every opportunity to show my scar on my chest 😂😂😂😂

At first my family were concerned and saying "poor you". Now they roll their eyes and say "not again, put it away pops" 😳😂😂😂😂

Hahaha I love it, I get my scar out at every opportunity.

——————

My name is Bond, James Bond and I take my aspirin shaken not stirred 🍸

——————-

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to -007-]

Well Bond, your post make me smile....so thanks for that and thank you for sharing your story with me. I'm pleased to hear you and your family can now enjoy life with their husband and father again and I pray it continues for MANY years to come.The aspirin bit truly made me giggle as did the cheecky red wine....I unfortunately go into anaphalactic shock when I take aspirin and if become shaken, stirred and scrambled. So I believe I'll leave that to 007.

😁😁😁

[-007- in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

Thanks 👍

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hi, Just to say that coronary artery vasospasms are transient constrictions of the coronary arteries so cannot be treated by a stent or by a coronary bypass.

The only treatment option is with medication.

Stents can make coronary vasospasms worse.

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to Milkfairy]

My last one lasted for over an hour and the first one was almost as long. All 3 have been in the same spot and lasted a good bit. The last one they had to balloon several times while having my heart cath and when they ballooned it the third time they left the balloon there for awhile while dumping Nitro directly on the artery to get it to stay open.

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

I am glad to hear that there are some attacks that dont last that long. That is encouraging.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

My vasospastic angina was confirmed when I had an angiogram with acetylcholine.

I had vasospasms in my coronary arteries and small blood vessels.

I still have frequent episodes of chest pain, at rest mainly at night.

This is a classic symptom of vasospastic angina.

Have you been assessed by a Cardiologist who has some expertise in diagnosing and treating patients with coronary vasospasms?

Are you still having symptoms and are you taking any medication?

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to Milkfairy]

I have spent some time with a cardiologist with a long background innthis area, unfortunately he is in Alaska where I was visiting when I had my last heart attack and now bacon in Texas waiting to het together with a new one. I am having some symptoms still but it has just been over a week since my heart attack and my troponin levels are still pretty elevated. Left the hospital and it was.still 4327.

I am on meds.

Meds for inflammation, blood thinners and BP.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

I am on a calcium channel blocker, Diltiazem and long acting nitrates, as well as, nicorandil, clopidogrel and statins.

Depite all my medications, my vasospastic angina does become unstable and I end up in hospital on IV GTN/ nitrates and morphine.

If you are on Facebook there is along established group listed on the BHF website information page, that you might find helpful.

It's a worldwide group with lots of US members.

I am in the UK.

facebook.com/groups/6267594...

I suggest you look up.

Myocardial infarction no obstructive coronary arteries, MINOCA.

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to Milkfairy]

I have done a lot of homework on that very topic is am also a paramedic.I am not however on Facebook

I do appreciate you takimg the time to share your experience, strength and hope with me and when I get to talk with a new cardiologist I will let ya kmow what they have to say.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to TexasMOMTHER]

Good luck! I hope your new Cardiologist can support you well.

[TexasMOMTHER in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you so much