hello all,
I’m on 3 different meds to help dilate my arteries to east angina, but still having issues and having to use GTN spray too.
Just wanted to see who else is having this issue, as feel very alone right now.
they’ve told me some arteries are too diseased to operate on or stent and meds is the only way, but I am feeling like I am just going backward and slowing down.
Any advise? Anyone the same?
thanks in advance
Hi I can relate to feeling alone and the angina. but there is a lot of support on here. You can also discuss with BHF nurses by phone, very helpful. I have angina but non obstructive coronary artery disease. Sorry to hear your meds don’t seem to be helping so main thing is to go back to your cardiologist/ GP so they can suggest changes / different doses. I don’t use GTN as I get angina as soon as start moving so I’d be taking every time I got up from sitting / lying down. Hope you find better medication mix soon and your not alone.
HI how do you cope with angina as soon as you start moving etc?
Hi,
Sorry to hear you are not doing well.
Are you on the waiting list for stents?
There are different meds and/or doses that can be given to help with angina.
I had persistent angina for quite some time that really scared me, and then I found out I also had rotator cuff issues which can also cause ‘chest pain’.
Please see the cardiac team to get some clarification, I would think that you would be able to have CABG or PCI with severely diseased arteries?
Hi there,
Thanks for the reply, and I will push for further appointments.
I had stents fitted last July and this April, along with Drug eluting ballon’s.
They told me in last weeks angiogram that the arteries are still diseased, but not bad enough for more stents or bypass.
The small arteries are the issue they tell me, but I am struggling to see this in general, as I would have thought this would have been a slow process, rather than what felt like hitting a brick wall.
Waiting for a follow up appointment, hopefully they will check other things too now.
Oh, you might have Microvascular disease, it is one of the ‘newer’ diseases in cardiology and not well understood.
There are specialised angiograms they can do to diagnose this disorder, I think they will try and manage it medically and hope the right drugs sorts out the angina.
I am positive there is information about this on the BNF website.
Do you have a lived experience of microvascular dysfunction or vasospastic angina?
Microvascular angina and vasospastic angina are types of angina non obstructive coronary arteries ANOCA.
ANOCA is not new, rather under recognised, poorly understood and difficult to diagnose.
I have lived with refractory vasospastic angina for 10years. It means despite being on the maximum doses of medication I still experience alot of angina.
The BHF website does indeed have some information about microvascular and vasospastic angina.
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
As you're new to the forum would feel able to share a little bit more about yourself with us all?
It helps give the forum members context to your answers.
Have they suggested that microvascular dysfunction is the cause of your ongoing angina?
It is possible to have angina without permanent blockages. It can be due to the blood vessels not working properly either the small vessels due to microvascular dysfunction or coronary vasospasms in the large or small blood vessels.
Sometimes stents can manage the angina due to blockages of the coronary arteries then the underlying problem of microvascular dysfunction or coronary vasospasms is revealed.
The treatment option is medication. It can take sometime to find the best combination of medication that will work best for you.
Thank you all for your help.Hopefully I will have a follow up with cardiology and they look at this
Angina at rest
Angina pain despite clear coronaries?
Angina / ischaemic heart disease 
micro vascular angina
post Angioplasty ?angina - throat pressure
