Hi everyone . I’ve always been, what I considered, fit and healthy; a regular and keen runner - training for a half marathon, healthy eater and wonderful home life. Initially sent to hospital for hypertension crisis, other symptoms prevailed including breathlessness, chest discomfort, stomach and chest pain on exertion, arm pain, dizziness, fatigue and nausea. After
provisional tests and a week in a few days in hospital I have been diagnosed with Microvascular Angina and awaiting a further Cardiology referral, stress and lung function tests.
My life has come to a stand still in many ways, crawling though each day at work, unable to exercise and simple chores a challenge.
has anyone got any good friendly advise to easing symptoms whilst we investigate further. My mental health is taking a knock too.
Does anyone have a similar experience and is there any advise to help with the symptoms? I’m on Statins, Angina Meds and 3 x BP Meds.
Thanks
Written by
Fairy-dreamer
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Unfortunately I can't help you directly on your condition, but there should be someone along who may be able to help in due course. However in the meantime the topic of microvascular angina crops up regularly on here and you could use the site search facility to find them and then browse through the comments, and if you are using a laptop or desktop browser (as I do rather than a phone) there is a table of related posts on the RHS of your post.
I am sorry that you feel that your life has come to a stand still at the moment.
My life was turned upside down in 2012. I was admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack and told incorrectly I couldn't have a heart attack or angina because my coronary arteries are unobstructed.
It then took sometime for me to get a diagnosis. I had a specialised functional angiogram, which showed my coronary arteries and microvessels go into transient constrictions causing a lack of blood supply to my heart.
My diagnosis is Vasospastic angina though technically I have microvascular angina too.
More commonly microvascular angina is thought to be caused by the inability of the small coronary blood vessels being able to dilate or stay dilated in response to extra demands like exercise.
Microvascular and vasospastic angina are types of ischaemia/ angina non obstructive coronary arteries INOCA/ANOCA.
It can take trial and error to find the best combination of medication that will work best for you.
It is at first a bewildering heart condition to learn to live with not helped by the lack of knowledge about microvascular and vasospastic angina amongst healthcare professionals, though awareness has improved since I was diagnosed.
Keeping a diary can help you to identify your triggers and record how you respond to medications.
The cold, mental, emotional and physical stress are common triggers for both microvascular and vasospastic angina.
I manage my stress by practicing yoga, Tai Chi, Mindfulness Meditation and breathing and relaxation techniques.
Overtime I slowly built up my exercise capacity too.
There are several forum members who also live with microvascular or vasospastic angina and I am sure they will be along to share their experiences with you too.
The BHF has this information about microvascular angina.
There is also this website which was created by four patients with over 60 years combined experience of living with microvascular and vasospastic angina.
I have been recently diagnosed with possible Vasospastic/Microvascular Angina. My home and work life has been turned upside down in recent months by debilitating symptoms which have come completely out of the blue.
I was previously a healthy, non-smoker with a good diet. You describe all the symptoms I have been experiencing. I have daily chest pain/tightness, left shoulder pain, shortness of breath on exertion/sometimes talking and exhaustion. My triggers are cold, wind, and stress. Walking from a warm room into a cold room is sometimes enough to trigger symptoms.
Before starting treatment, my blood pressure was rocketing sky high during angina attacks.
I am at the start of menopause so question whether the loss of Oestrogen is playing a role in the onset of my illness.
The medications I take to treat this are Isosorbide Mononitrate Slow Release, GTN and a statin. I couldn't tolerate Calcium Channel Blocker.
Unable to exercise properly, I get tight chested after only walking for a few minutes. On bad days, simple tasks like folding laundry can be exhausting.
It must be hugely frustrating for you to be experiencing such debility after you have been a regular runner.
I have a dramatically reduced quality of life compared to this time last year. Isosorbide Mononitrate has helped but I still have ongoing symptoms. I live in the hope that my condition will continue to improve in time with the help of adjustments to medication.
Remaining in a warm room helps manage my symptoms. I do what I can on better days and rest up on bad ones.
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