Another post today reminded me that NHS guidance for Angina includes "If your coronary arteries become partly blocked, it can cause chest pain (angina). This can be a mild, uncomfortable feeling similar to indigestion. nhs.uk/conditions/coronary-...
I wondered what our experience of this has been in practice and an antacid such as Gaviscon would ease indigestion but not angina symptoms?
In my case I had mild indigestion if I ate within 2 hours of running. Turned out that my heart artery (LAD) was 90% blocked; a stent cured both my heart and my indigestion.
I wonder if reacting to signs of indigestion could help early detection of potential heart attacks especially in women?
(I will probably give the BHF nurses a call; although my wife is not concerned she has been having indigestion) .
L8Again - thanks for the article.
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Flimflab
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certainly my husband - who had been diagnosed with a peptic ulcer which to him felt like back pain - had a bout of what he thought was indigestion. When he told me the symptoms he had been suffering for a few weeks I knew it was angina.
Twenty three years and four stents later, all well!
Certainly women are thought to feel angina differently, and the BHF is pushing for more research. Bring it on!
I thought I had heart burn, felt like stomach acid burn, i was munching antacid tablets but nothing seemed to settle it, the pain went on for a month or so then I started getting breathless with it too, I went to GP to get some stomach meds... I was hospitalised a couple of weeks later with acute cardiomyopathy.
What I thought was heartburn was hart failure with EF 13%
Should have gone to GP alot earlier, but at least im not dead eh! 😀
Indigestion was a symptom I had for quite a while leading up to my Heart Attack. Never thought anything of it at the time, but would usually be late at night and I would feel the urge to burp to clear it, just putting it down to normal indigestion.
Had this for over a year I think, but as soon as my heart attack and meds, prior to the 2 x stents being fitted it has not happened again. Never ever thought of it being serious and didn't even bother speaking with a doctor about it at the time.
Hello Flimflab, I have been suffering from what is thought to be Vasospastic Angina. I initially mistook my angina pain as indigestion because the pain felt like a fullness/pressure in my chest and a burning sensation. I got no relief from antacids. The episodes of pain became more frequent, debilitating and made worse by cold weather.
Indigestion and chest pain are easily confused, the location and type of pain experienced can be very hard to tell apart
The stomach and heart are very close to each other, separated only by the diaphragm (a membrane which separates the lung cavity from the abdomen).
Women reporting to A&E with chest pain are more often misdiagnosed as having reflux/ indigestion than men - I have experience this myself, i was furious with the doctor who skilled off duty and left the nursing staff to give me his "diagnosis" as I have ha enough of both symptoms to know the difference.
However, if "indigestion" is not relieved by the usual measures advice should be sought.
Hello, Flimflab. One of my symptoms of unstable angina, having started for the first time ever, was indigestion, accompanied by huge burping, neeeding to keep stopping to catch my breath, and "not feeling right", whilst walking up a very steep hill. Three weeks later, that started ocurring whilst walking on the flat. I ended up needing a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft x 3 Op, because of so many severe blockages. An aunt of mine had a fatal heart attack at the age of 56, and the only symptoms that she had been reporting to her family was indigestion.
Before my heart attack, I suffered bad 'indigestion' and also had a very productive cough for months. Other weird signs were blue/black toes, headache everytime i came back from a walk, out of breath so that I struggled to speak, whooshing noise in my ears, swollen fingers and ankles, tiredness, dizziness, but absolutely no chest pain.
Indigestion/reflux and angina/heart attacks often present with the same symptoms. In my case, it's been vice versa -- I had heart problems (blocked LAD, stents, HA, more stents...) but only afterward started to have reflux/indigestion, likely due to aspirin/statins etc. What I now believe to be severe reflux landed me in the hospital 3X as I was convinced I was having another HA.
I talked to a cardiologist in the hospital one time who said it's due to the vagus nerve controlling cardiac and digestive tracts. I've learned, more or less, that a heart attack or severe angina will have a "deeper" sensation than indigestion and generally doesn't change if you take a deep breath. For me, if I'm feeling chest pains or soreness, and they get worse when I breathe in deeply, I can convince myself that it's indigestion. I've recently passed all my cardiac checkups just fine, more or less.
I wish I'd known about indigestion 6 years ago then I would have acted on my heart attack much sooner. The ONLY symptom I had was sudden, horrific indigestion for 3 days then at the end of day 3, a very mild, almost imperceptible tingling in my arm and neck. I didn't act until the tingling started.
I too thought I had indigestion and tummy troubles, just putting it down to my age (58) and perhaps the menopause? I had a stash of indigestion/irritable bowel remedies that I carried around. After feeling very rough on a walk I finally made an appointment with GP and by 5.00pm the same day I was admitted to hospital, having had ecg and blood tests which showed a heart attack. Turned out I had been suffering from angina for about a year and had high blood pressure. That was on a Monday and by Friday I was discharged having had an angiogram and stent fitted. My "widow maker" was severely blocked. Since then have had no tummy troubles! I would recommend all women who have a dull ache in their chest which feels like indigestion to go to their GP, rather than leaving it. My understanding heart attacks/angina present differently in men and women. Physically I feel great now, just trying to get my emotions in check!
I was diagnosed over the phone with indigestion/acid reflux and dr gave me lansoprazole. Pain and burning getting worse over 2 week period so i rang back and he told me to up the dose. 2 weeks later i was being blue-lighted to the cath lab with complete blockage in lad artery and very lucky to be here! So my advice is always ,if the gaviscon doesnt help get it looked into x
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How many times can you have bypass Grafts?
Cardiac symptoms with gastointestinal cause
Do I need these or are they 'precautionary'?
RIP Dad
