strange horrendous pain

[Karenedawson]

Hi, I’m wondering if any of you lovely lot have had a similar experience please?

I got very ill in January , extreme tiredness, stumbling, having visions, breathlessness , poor memory and pain and parathesia down right side of body .

Long story short I was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia in February, had lots of B12 injections, still poorly through to May this year.

I then had TPO antibodies test and thyroid test , TPO very high showing Hashimotos and thyroid levels showing sub clinical hypothyroidism but apparently not bad enough yet to treat, still poorly fatigued, breathlessness , pain down right side,

Out of the blue I had a heart attack , full blockage on left side of heart and stent fitted in June. Since then I have these horrendous pain attacks for no apparent reason - can be resting, bending down, asleep etc any scenario sometimes several times a day and have to have GTN spray. It starts with pressure in my chest ,then pain radiating from my central chest down my arms with a kind of warmth feeling and then my heart starts beating hard and nearly doubles in BPM with me getting really breathless- GTN spray calms it down within a minute .

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Yes,I have vasospastic angina, my coronary arteries go into transient constrictions causing a lack of blood supply to my heart.

I was originally told incorrectly that I couldn't have angina or a heart attack because my coronary arteries are unobstructed.

Vasospastic angina leads to notoriously severe and prolonged episodes of radiating chest pain at rest, especially during the night.

My coronary vasospasms feel like being in labour to me.

You can have vasospastic angina as well as obstructive coronary artery disease.

The BHF has this information about vasospastic angina.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

I suggest you keep a diary of your symptoms, how your symptoms respond to GTN and discuss this with your GP and Cardiology team.

Unfortunately vasospastic angina is rare, not well understood and often overlooked by healthcare professionals.

I hope you find the answer to what's causing your symptoms soon.

[Karenedawson in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you that’s so kind to reply. It’s quite scary isn’t it - it feels like a heart attack all over again. I went for a cardiac perfusion test MRI yesterday and fortunately and unfortunately it didn’t happen whilst I was having the MRI. Can I ask have you had it long and does it lessen over time?

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Karenedawson]

I have had vasospastic angina for over 10 years. I take lots of different medications to try and manage my coronary vasospasms and reduce the possible complications, which are a heart attack, heart failure and major cardiac events.

Many people with the appropriate medication and lifestyle changes do well.

Usually when you have had a heart you are prescribed beta blockers.

Beta blockers however can make coronary vasospasms worse.

I ended up in hospital with unstable angina when I was prescribed beta blockers.

I would encourage you to discuss your symptoms further and ask your Cardiology team to consider whether microvascular or vasospastic angina are responsible for your symptoms.

I had a special functional angiogram to confirm my diagnosis.

My cardiac perfusion MRI was normal as my blood vessels can dilate in response to exercise.

It's important to rule out these types of angina non obstructive coronary arteries ANOCA, so you can receive the appropriate treatment.

[Karenedawson in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you so much for your long reply, it massively helps . Can I ask do you ever risk going on a flight ? That’s the bit that really upsets me as I love going on holiday with my family.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Karenedawson]

Yes, I do fly.I am going away on holiday in a few weeks to catch some warmth and sunshine.