I was diagnosed with GCA in March this year. Apart from the usual symptoms I have a symptom which I first noticed in January and I wonder if anyone else has experienced anything similar. It is very difficult to describe but I will do my best.
I was walking back home from having coffee with friends. I was very tired, and it was very cold so maybe I was rushing a bit. It felt a bit like I had acid rising through my chest, but the whole of the upper chest area not just the middle into my throat and around my jaw. There was no reflux and my stomach did not feel acid. It felt difficult to breathe, as if I could not take in any air beyond the level of my breastbone. An ache spread across my shoulders and into my elbows and wrists. The pain in my elbows was quite bad. There was no pain in my chest. Once I was home and sat down it passed quickly.
This happened every time I walked more than a few yards or climbed stairs. When I am tired, I get the same sensation in my jaw and my face feels numb and tingles a bit.
I have been on 30mg pred for 6 weeks and since last week I have been able to walk much further and climb 2 flights of stairs without stopping. I also just feel better. The jaw and face sensation still happen when I am tired though.
At my OH insistence I saw a GP a couple of weeks ago. The GP said the symptoms were not typical of angina but felt he ought to refer me to cardiology anyway. (The hospital phoned yesterday and the earliest appointment they can offer is in November so it is a while before I can rule this out completely) He thought it could possibly be a symptom of GCA but he obviously didn’t really know much about it.
As I mentioned, this started in January at the same time as my jaw claudication and temple pains started and as it seems to have responded to pred I wonder if it is just coincidence or it could be a lesser known symptom of GCA?
GCA symptoms on latest reduction?
GI \"queeziness\" as a symptom of GCA?
Symptoms of a GCA Flare?
Is a droopy eyelid a GCA symptom?
Hmm, well it could be some obscure muscle spasmy or neuro thing, but looking for a cardiovascular explanation would be prudent which your GP is doing. I don’t know whether one can get like a global arterial spasm if you have inflammation in the larger arteries or you had cramp in all your respiratory muscles due to the same thing. It may have been angina and/or a minor version of a major cardiac event. I once had a lady patient for whom I was doing a dressing and she stopped yakking as her finger tips went blue. A few minutes later she recovered and went back to her story. Intrigued I did an ECG and took a troponin blood test. The GP looked at the ECG (I was rubbish at that) and said heart attack so off she went in an ambulance looking very confused about the fuss because she only come in for her wound. It is know now that some, especially women, can have atypically presenting cardiac events.
Did your GP do an ECG? The conditions were certainly ripe for angina; cold air and extra cardio load. I’d say if it happens again dial 999 and say chest pain, because call it what you like, acid or other, it was chest pain. I’d say you need more enquiry into the state of your larger arteries and cardiac function sooner rather than later and perhaps another trip to see another GP might be an idea.
My daughter says "Congratulate that lady, what a b£**%^ good nurse!!!"
Great advice.
Thanks for this SnazzyD. I did have an ECG which was fine. I have not seen my usual GP for a while as my last two visits were seen as urgent and I saw the duty doctor. I think I possibly have not been taking these symptoms seriously enough so have made an appointment with my usual GP but the soonest available is 30th May. I am back at the eye clinic next week and this doctor says he has had a lot of experience with GCA patient in Leeds. So I will try and talk to him about it.