angina

[tennis-guy]

Hello. I had a heart attack when playing tennis 3 weeks ago. It was a bolt from the blue as I had no symptoms that I noticed before hand. Since the heart attack and subsequent angioplasty I have been getting chest pains. I don’t know if this is common but it is concerning me. Can anyone in a similar situation describe their chest pains and tell me what is normal (and can be ignored) and what should be referred for medical consideration?

[Lowerfield_no_more]

My understanding is that after angioplasty you may get some discomfort until things settle down, probably dependant upon where the procedure intervened. As far as the heart attack is concerned there is probably a range of damage to the heart muscles during one (I was lucky and no damage) and so that again will be a factor in settling down to a new norm. And as you have been diagnosed with (stable?) angina you will have been prescribed medication including a GTN spray which you will obviously use to get things under control. But if your angina attacks are sustained for more than a few minutes the advice is a 999 call as the situation might be serious. Finally as you have had a heart attack you will hopefully have been offered a cardio rehab course which normally occurs a few weeks after your event and will help with questions like yours amongst many other things. If you have not been told, contact your cardio team, noting that not everyone is offered rehab it seems to be dependant on where you are. But in the meantime if you need any general professional guidance there is a BHF Heart Helpline service which may be of use to you.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[baly_2023]

Hi

chest discomfort/pain due to the angiogram and stents is quite normal, it took around 3 to 4 weeks for mine to disappear.

Also remember the heart is healing and also still working so imagine an injured part of the body which still has to function, it will probably cause discomfort.

I've attached a picture from a post on this forum which does it's best to categorise chest pain.

It's just a guide and you should always contact your GP or phone 111 or 999 if the chest pain is accompanied by the usual symptoms of something more serious.

Is the pain bought on by activities? If so does GTN spray help? Can you " touch " the painful area or does it feel less muscle/ skeletal and something deeper?

I would keep an eye on it, note down when it happens and if still worried give the above numbers a call.

hope that helps

pain index

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

You have had some great advice already.

The other important factor to consider is does your chest pain happen at rest? Chest pain at rest can indicate unstable angina which always needs immediate medical attention.

Don't hesitate to call 999 if your chest pain is at rest.

[tennis-guy]

Hello again. Thank you for the posts so far. I would describe the pain as a localised severe stinging pain. I think it is related to my heart because I have never had a similar pain before I had my heart attack. I was wondering if it might be to do with one or more of the medications I am on or the angioplasty or if it is just normal angina. Medications are

bisoprolol 2.5mg in the morning

atorvastatin 80mg at night

aspirin 75mg in the morning

ticagrelor 90mg twice a day morning and night

lansoprazole 15mg in the morning

ramipril 2.5mg at night

[baly_2023 in reply to tennis-guy]

I had no angina type pains which I could attribute to my medicines. You should speak to 111 at a minimum to get some expert advice .

Could be nothing but always worth satisfying yourself and feeling better.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to baly_2023]

Just a thought.

Those of us living with vasospastic angina can end up with worse coronary vasospasms due to being prescribed beta blockers.

I was admitted to hospital with unstable angina when prescribed beta blockers before my diagnosis of vasospastic angina was confirmed.

[Eddie64 in reply to Milkfairy]

Hi milkfairy could you explain the symptoms of unstable angina please.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Eddie64]

Unstable angina feels different to your normal angina. Your symptoms of angina can become more frequent, last longer and feels more intense. The chest pain can come in crescending episodes

The angina starts sooner after exertion or with little exertion.

The chest pain isn't eased by 2 sprays of GTN 5 minutes apart.

Chest pain at rest is a potential sign of unstable angina.

Other symptoms of angina are feeling faint, lightheadedness, feeling sick, feeling a sense of unease, breathlessness, a tightness in your chest or feeling very tired.

I feel I can't get enough air into my lungs when I breathe in and my bra feels too tight.

It's important to ring 999 if you feel your angina has become unstable.

The BHF has this information about angina.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Crabedu]

I had a HA on November and 1 stent fitted after angioplasty. Yes i felt discomfort for a while after...I could almost sense an area/line across my chest..possibly where the wire travelled along the blood vessels. I felt bruised..not badly but definitely a little sore. My cardiac nurse helped by saying if the pains are nearer the surface it's likely to be muscular...but very deep may be more of a concern. However she also said don't be afraid to tell them and ask at any time, they honestly dont mind! Also after an event like this especially out of the blue like mine was too..I was hypervigilant about any sensations from the waist upward..this lasted a while(weeks)..and it does settle ..even now if I get any sensation in my upper body those thoughts can come back.

Be amazed at your body..it is healing and doing wonderful things to heal and can be alot more resilient than we think!

Take good care and enjoy your day!

[LylaR]

I had a stemi heart attack and stent fitted last year. Straight after procedure I had sharp chest pains especially breathing in and couldn't lie flat, had to sleep sitting up. It turned out to be pericarditis, due to damage to my heart. I was given colchicine tablets which I took for about six months until it gradually subsided, it was very painful.

[Jedi14]

I can't say I had any chest pains, angina after my stents! Several months later I developed chest, stomach pains due to angina. It was then that I ended up in hospital and had meds changed.

[tennis-guy in reply to Jedi14]

OK. Can you tell me what you changed your meds from and to? Thank you for your advice.

[Jedi14 in reply to tennis-guy]

Started off on basic meds, they seemed ok until I started to get heart burn which was actually unstable angina. I was taking the GTN spray everyday for several weeks.

Back to hospital for tests then started on Bisoprolol 1.25mg. Lowest dose to see how it would affect me, to be taken at bedtime, to avoid the side effects. Is working quite well so far and I no longer have to use the spray.

[Qualipop]

Heart attack out of the blue almost 6 years ago. Only symptom was horrific indigestion for 3 days then a very slight tingling in my arm and neck. Had two stents next morning. absolutely no pain or discomfort of any kind afterwards but did have horrible side effects from the meds ie so tired and BP so low I couldn't get out of the chair- bisopralol ; unbearable stomach pain -atovastatin, bouts of being unable to take a deep breath- ticagrelor; allergy to lansoprazole. ALL meds were either changed or stopped apart from aspirin . I often get chest pain but I have a disc compressed right at heart level, and I often get costochondritis so it's usually really hard to work out what's causing my pain. I had very minimal heart damage but in a second angiogram, they did find two other blockages at 65% which they didn't feel a need to stent so I do wonder now whether those blockages may have got worse. I've ben referred back to cardio but they are only just now doing referrals from June 2023.

[tennis-guy]

Thank you for the information on your reaction to the medications. I do wonder whether the medications are doing me more harm than good but presume I am better off taking them than not. The first 3 days after starting the medications I did have terrible headaches (the worst I have every had). I persevered and have since had no more. I do get tired easily but not sure if that is a normal part of recovering after the heart attack and angioplasty. I would be interested to know if other people have had the kind of reactions you have had or whether it has all been smooth sailing.