angina pain

[Winimops]

hi all. Since my NSTMI in Early July I have been lucky not to experience any chest pain or required to use my GTN spray.

When I had my heart attack the pain was mainly in my back.

Does anyone suffer from pain in the back during an angina attack?

Yesterday evening when exercising I felt pain in my back between my shoulder blades & I could not distinguish between muscle pain or was it heart pain. I wasn’t exercising hard but I was moving my arms a lot.

Pain went after I had stopped for around 5-6 mins but shoulders are stiff today.

it wasn’t severe pain.

I just assume that angina pain would be in my chest - or am I wrong in thinking this ? 🤷‍♀️

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Women in particular seem to experience angina as chest pain, upperback pain, stomach ache, neck, jaw or left arm pain. Accompanied by extreme tiredness and sense of unease.Some people feel pressure or chest tightness.

I sometimes feel my bra is too tight. I feel my angina in chest, back, stomach, left kidney, shoulder, left side of my face and left arm.

I suggest you get in contact with your Cardiac rehab team, Cardiologist or GP to discuss your symptoms.

[Winimops in reply to Milkfairy]

Thanks. I will contact the cardiac nurse on Monday. I just can’t work out if it was angina or muscle last night.

[Tos92]

I also experience pain in my upper back and between my shoulder blades from angina. The pain manifests itself differently. Sometimes it’s a deep pressure, sometimes it’s a stabbing type of pain, and sometimes it feels like a squeeze.

Perhaps try your GTN spray the next time it happens to see if that alleviates it.

I hope you feel better soon.

Tos

[Winimops in reply to Tos92]

Thanks. I am quite scared to use the GTN as I haven’t used it since that night in hospital when I had the heart attack. I had one hell of a head spin from it 😵‍💫

[Tos92 in reply to Winimops]

The GTN spray can lower your BP which can make you feel dizzy. I have the same side effect so I always make sure I’m lying down or sitting down when using it.

[Winimops in reply to Tos92]

How long does the dizziness last for you ?

[Tos92 in reply to Winimops]

Somewhere between 20-30 minutes and then it passes.

[Hatchjd]

In the initial weeks after my NSTEMI/stents I could not walk 100 yards before I would get significant aching between my shoulders, and for about a year after if I started out walking too quickly. It would ease up after 5mins and be fine after that.

I had an echo the day after the stents and my EF was 46% with left ventricle stunning due to ischemia. This improved to 65% on a repeat echo 2 years later. It does take time for the heart to heal. It was about 18 months before I felt "normal"

[Winimops in reply to Hatchjd]

Thank you for replying. I had an echo just before my angiogram and there was no issues, but as you say it takes time for the heart to heal . 🙏🏻

[Lowerfield_no_more]

I am a long term sufferer of reflux disease ( as well as post NSTEMI). Although reflux is mostly controlled by PPIs and diet I do get occasional relapses when I get pain in my back, less so in my chest. So do not discount gastro problems. Indeed when I turned up in A&E two years ago with chest pains, after a stay in hospital and an angiogram the cardiologist concluded that my pains were gastro related not cardio.

[Echo24uk]

I started with pain in upper left arm, above nipple, shoulder and back, 3 stents later I have been to see a private cardiologist who agrees with my nhs cardiologist that it

‘Doesn’t sound like cardiac pain as it’s not in centre of chest’

I’m confused as everything you read and see says left sided and arm pain could be heart attack yet the experts are disagreeing …

[momander]

HiThe pain can be in different places. Chest , left arm, in between shoulder blades, jaw. My first 2 heart attacks were painful in jaw and chest, and 3rd heart attack wss in between shoulder blades. Perhaps have a chat with your GP just to be on the safe side. Please let us know how you get on. Take care.

[lizzieloo2]

My husband has angina but only since his stent was fitted. Amlodipine has sorted this but he has had breakthrough angina which was sort of top right chest and up the neck. More discomfort than pain, just slightly different position from heart attack which was more central but again, more discomfort rather than pain. Breathlessness was the main factor for calling 111 who sent an ambulance and heart attack was only diagnosed from troponin levels. Several trips to A&E since with similar discomfort showed no heart attack looming but put down to angina. Now he takes Amlodipine in the morning before we take the dog for a walk as that is when the angina was coming on. He worked that one out for himself as medics just seem to confuse issue

[Dannysnan]

Of course I'm not an expert but my angina pain did go into my shoulders and my back. People present different symptoms and research shows that women can experience very different symptoms from men.