MV Angina - Beaty fluttery heart when eating and drinking

[DorsetBlue2002]

I was diagnosed last year with MV angina and put on tildium and aspirin with GTN spray as a side order to use when needed. All has been relatively ok until past couple of days - when eating or drinking it feels like palpitations(?) a very heavy beaty chest and almost breathlessness sensation. It passes after each mouthful and when not eating am seemingly ok. Tried GTN pre food today and if anything it felt more amplified? Other external changes are that There is a new hefty anxiety at play at home and am also due my infliximab infusion in a week or so but been on that 20 years so unlikely to be at play here. Can anxiety cause this? Or need to attempt to get a GP appt?

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hello,

I live with another type of angina without blocked coronary arteries,

I have transient constrictions of my small vessels and coronary arteries, coronary vasospasms, vasospastic angina.

The main triggers for my angina are the cold, mental, emotional and physical stress.

I manage my stress by walking my dog everyday, Tai Chi, yoga, breathing and relaxation techniques.

I found this free website helpful it has lots of different strategies to help manage anxiety and stress.

insighttimer.com/en-gb

I can usually exercise and experience most of my symptoms at rest, however during an unstable phase of my vasospastic angina I will have chest pain on exertion, feel breathless and have chest pain when I eat.

Chest pain when you eat is called Postprandial angina.

I suggest you make an appointment to see your GP or Cardiologist, it sounds as though you may need a review of your medication.

[DorsetBlue2002 in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you - managed to book a GP appt to my amazement - it’s odd that it is only during eating and not after eating. Beyond my pay grade and hope GP has a solution - I have no cardiologist - they did the angiogram and then and extra thing and set up the new drugs said some other things that due to sedation have no idea what they said to me. In the letter it’s says if this combo doesn’t work try the nitrates route… am worried about the headaches everyone talks about though if I take that option. …

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to DorsetBlue2002]

I have been on isosorbide mononitrate for about 12 years.I drank plenty of water and took paracetamol to get me through the headache.

It was worth getting through the headache.

I suggest you ask to be referred back to a Cardiologist who understands microvascular and vasospastic angina . It can take a while to find the best combination of medication to help manage your symptoms better.

The BHF has this information about microvascular angina.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

This website created by four patients working with 30 world expert Cardiologists, it has lots of information too.

internationalheartspasmsall...

[DorsetBlue2002 in reply to Milkfairy]

I have re-read the letter just now and appears I am either MV Angina or MV Dysfunction due to the rheumatoid arthritis (I did query that with my biologics people and was a new one to them) - like you say though, a referral and refine the way forward I agree - will defo read your links - thank you