Tension or tightness in chest, wanting to take a deep breath

[Robbie1964]

I had a heart attack back in March, my second. On the whole I'm doing well. Blood pressure is fine, my blood sugars are under control (I'm type 2 diabetic) and heart rate is normal. However I've had one problem that has been bothering me now and again since March. I have a feeling of some tightness around my chest and I feel like I can't get a big lungful of air. There is no pain there, just a general feeling of tightness in addition to a slight breathless feeling.

I did mention this to the cardiac nurse back in April and based on a series of answers I gave she felt it was nothing heart related. Now, as back then, I can go for a lengthy walk and don't get out of breath. The tightness or tension in my chest sometimes even vanishes when I'm walking. I do however sneeze a lot. I was doing the same back in April and in fact all summer long. I have had a problem in the past with hay fever so assumed that perhaps the cause of the tightness / slight breathlessness was this due to the excessive sneezing. The sneezing has carried on though until I started taking an antihistamine tablet every day about a week ago. The sneezing has stopped but the slight breathlessness / tightness has continued. My nose feels almost permanently stuffy though thankfully my sinuses aren't as bad now.

If I could get rid of the sensations around my chest I would feel happier as I feel they are causing me to think toomuch about what it could be. I would contact my GP but I really don't know what to say and I can't always describe things too well over the phone (face to face appointments are still a rarity for my GP's practice). I was thinking about phoning the cardiac nurses at the hospital but in all honesty this is exactly the same thing i had back in April and which the nurse reassured me it wasn't likely to be heart related.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do, phone the GP or the cardiac nurse? Or maybe it really isn't heart related - it could be something like allergic asthma or rhinitis. I did think it might be the latter given I have had periods of excessive sneezing many times over the years but I haven't sneezed for a week now but the chest feelings are still there (though so is the stuffy nose).

To add: I do suffer from anxiety a lot but I don't think this is caused by anxiety though that won't be helping.

[VelvetSky]

Hi Robbie, noticed no one had replied to you. I can only speak from my own experience. Apart from the HA, type 2 Diabetic, I am also Asthmatic and often have chest tightness, particularly after the HA. I find my Asthma inhalers relieve it, it might be worth asking about possible Asthma. I also take Loratadine an antihistamine every day and last thing at night I use a puff of Otravine Sinusitis Relief. Other brands are probably available but I find this particular has a very light spray and is sufficient to give me 24 hour relief from the very annoying stuffy nose. I find it very difficult to distinguish what exactly is causing certain symptoms, at least we are still here to be able to have symptoms😸

[Qualipop]

Are you on ticagrelor? that feeling of needing a deep breath even though you are breathing normally is a well known side effect. I had to come off ticagrelor because it was so bad. I was changed to clopidogrel.

[Robbie1964 in reply to Qualipop]

I'm on clopidogrel. I did wonder if it could be the clopidogrel as it's the only additional medication I've been taking since my heart attack (I was already on the same blood pressure tablets, beta blockers, aspirin, cholesterol tablet and diabetes medication that I take now). However the problem with shortness of breath appears to be a side effect that is related to the ticagrelor you were taking rather than the clopidogrel. I only have three more months to take clopidogrel so I'll take it until March next year unless my GP advises me that i can stop earlier. I haven't been too bad today and in fact am OK at tyhe moment so I'll see how it goes.

[Qualipop in reply to Robbie1964]

It's not supposed to happen with clopidogrel but definitely does with ticagrelor. I felt as if I had asthma and couldn't breathe yet my oxygen levels were fine. I think you need to speak to your GP or cardiac nurse. The GP should investigate as it could be anything. At the very least he could do a lung function test

[Robbie1964 in reply to Qualipop]

I'll phone my GP's surgery in the morning and make an appointment.

[Qualipop in reply to Robbie1964]

Good idea; say you need your chest checked so it needs to be face to face.