Little, light pains in the middle of my chest: 4 weeks post HA and two stents!

[RTCLP1]

I do get these little, light pains during the day. I've seen the cardiac nurse and she said if it's more like angina pains then use the GTN spray, which it's not. She said I could do anything so long as I don't get out of breath, or having to hold my breath. So I've been doing a bit more, such as screwing something together, a bit of light cleaning of a bike. When I wake up in the morning, these little pains are hardly noticeable. Am I over doing the 'anything' the cardiac nurse mentioned?

[Comfycousin1]

I'm not saying it is or isn't something but I will say that initially post HA I was EXTREMELY hyper vigilant. Perhaps noticing each and every twinge. It's over a year for me now and I rarely notice anything.

If you are concerned then check with the Cardiac Nurse. I have always had great support from them.

Take care. C x

[Richie34 in reply to Comfycousin1]

Yes,I can relate to this 'hypervigilence',it's quite annoying and draining focussing on every little twinge and ache (I'm 2 weeks post 2x ballon angioplasty) I feel quite selfish and guilty but can't seem to stop my mind worrying about it. I hope it passes

[RTCLP1 in reply to Richie34]

It's 12 days since this original post and I'm more okay with the twinges. I'm getting less of them but, when I do, I've been calming my mind with a bit of deep breathing and the like - something I would never have done before (I'm even reading a book on mindfulness - I've got plenty of time on my hands!). I've started to realise that some of what's been happening is also anxiety, which makes the twinges feel worse. I've also been told a number of times by clinical staff that having a HA and stents, etc are a big deal for the heart muscle so not to expect immediate improvement and it will get better with time (they all talk about 6-8weeks for the heart, but 12-16 weeks for you as a whole). Hope that helps.

[Richie34 in reply to RTCLP1]

Hi, thanks for your reply, yes that helps thank you. Incidentally I've just got off the phone to my cardiologist who, when I asked about pains/twinges/aches in the left side of my chest said it's entirely normal for the heart to be a bit bruised/achy as a result of the whole process and that it will settle down, possibly taking longer than some of the literature suggests (2 weeks or so they report) we're all different having had different procedures after all so it's sort of reassuring that for you it's been longer. I will try some mindfulness as I suffer with anxiety too (got worse strangely as I've got older) to try and shup up the 'chimp' in my brain (he means to protect me but gets it wrong so often!). Cheers Richie

[Blackknight57]

4 weeks in , it seems you might be overdoing things . I get pains in my back and ribs two years in, hospital says it’s not my heart.

[Murderfan58]

When you had angiogram and stents fitted did you have sedation as well as local . I have asked for sedation did it make you sleep if you had it

[RTCLP1 in reply to Murderfan58]

I was awake throughout by both procedures.

[Caleb54]

Hi I have had a similar experience following a HA and the fitting of two stents 16 months ago. I would always wake up feeling fine then later in the day get slight chest pains and discomfort. The advice I received was, use my GTN spray and if it didn't go away go to A&E. GTN made no difference and I followed this advice twice only to be told I was ok and not having another HA. Following that I decided I was being hyper aware and it wasn't anything to worry about. After about a year it happened much less frequently although occasionally I will still get very slight pains. It hasn't stopped me doing anything and I have gone back to doing regular Parkruns. So Im not sure if I'm hyper vigilant or it's just one of those things? Hope this helps. R

[RTCLP1 in reply to Caleb54]

Can I ask you about park runs please? I was running, climbing and all sorts before this happened, and am (other than this) very fit. When I said to the Cardiac Nurse about my typical heart rate when running was about 140, she said that wouldn't be possible in the future. I'm due to start the rehab sessions soon so maybe they can tell me but did anyone say anything to you about heart rates when running? I know we're all different but I'd be interested to know, given you've gone back to running. Thanks.

[Caleb54 in reply to RTCLP1]

Hi. I was running regular 5k Parkruns with very occasional 10 k before my HA in September 2023. In May 2024 I joined a couch to 5k group to get back into running . I found this was a very supportive way of doing it as I was a bit anxious. I am now 70 and my max heart rate should be 150. The cardiac rehab team were insistent I should exercise within 70/ 8 0 % of my max. However while running I regularly reach 148/150 in the last kilometer. Frankly I find it impossible to keep within those limits. Last November I saw a cardiologist as I had suspected thickening of the heart muscle, which has now been discounted as it's minimal. He was very pleased I was running again and said as long as I didn't get any pain not too worry to much about it. Obviously there are limits and you shouldn't go too mad. I'm running a bit slower than previously but it's been a great boost to my confidence and I've met a lot of new people. Best wishes to you with your running .

[Skelligman]

I’ve had similar experience to yours. 1 stent 7 years ago then another to my LAD In October. This one has taken a lot longer to recover from and I’m still getting some chest pains. However they don’t resolve with GTN, and usually feel sharper than the aching I had with angina. Initially after the stent I was told that it was probably stretch pain where the balloon had been inflated inside the blockage in the artery. As I’m still getting it I saw a cardiologist last week - he is adamant that it isn’t angina and has diagnosed atypical chest pain, which seems to be a pretty catch all description for something which doesn’t present classic angina symptoms. Could be musculoskeletal in origin, or as I’ve had acid reflex in the past could be triggered by something gastric.

The most important thing I have learned is that anxiety makes it worse. Like comfycousin and caleb54 I’ve become pretty hypersensitive about every little ache and pain, especially in and around the chest and in the past I’ve definitely stressed myself out. Now I’m trying to recognise when I’m getting into that pattern and using breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques to manage it. Hope that helps

[Winimops]

I had my stents fitted in Canada. They said that the pain was stent bedding in pain and that it would reduce over time. It took around 8 weeks for me if I remember rightly and the pain was more frequent/worst if I had over done things.