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Other than symptoms, how do angina attacks make you feel?

Posted , 9 users are following.

EllieRey68
EllieRey68

I have had 2 yrs of issues with angina which earlier this year was labelled as Prinzmetal angina. 

I go through period - often months with nothing but then it starts up again. I still have no idea what sets it off. 

My question is; other than the actual symptoms during the attacks, how do you feel following them. 

In my case, I am totally weak & zapped of energy and just feel totally rubbish which can last through the next day too. 

I'm just curious to hear other peoples experiences I guess. 

1 like, 20 replies

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  • andrew22534
    andrew22534 EllieRey68

    Posted

    Hi Ellie, I would love ot go months without pain....confused but... i get occaisional good days, which i quietly dread by the end of the day as the next day or two is much worse... Like you tired worn out doing something (stairs or carrying) is an effort and leaves sore muscles and out of breath and vaguely dizzy. Due to fairly regular spasm at present this is how most days are just the level varies. I am not sure though how much my having ME also plays a role though on bad ME days i also notre my glands (esp throat) are swollen. those days really are rubbish!. I hope this helps a little, your symptoms sound normal... sorry
    • EllieRey68
      EllieRey68 andrew22534

      Posted

      Hello Andrew. 

      Wow that's rough, ME aswell as angina. 😔

      Are you working? How on earth do you stay sane hon? I feel for you. 😕

      I have had about 12 weeks with no attacks & you kind of hope & start believing that it may have gone, then it starts again. As to prior episodes, this will now go on for  days or weeks, then disappear again.

      What's getting to me is that when I go back to work, (I have had 1 hip replacement and waiting for another) how am I supposed to manage not knowing how I will be, when will the attacks occur etc AND it's embarrassing if they happen in public. 

      I'm 46 and feel held hostage to this condition - it's frustrating!!!

      Worth mentioning I've had 2 heart stents. 

    • andrew22534
      andrew22534 EllieRey68

      Posted

      Hi Ellie, just been laid off - due to ill health. Works view is that they are not too happy with me  being taken to A&E from work (twice and Twice more before i actually went to work that day) Trying to work out how what when etc for an income. Sadly while frutrated i agree with work and you above, each day is a very different one!! am i sane... some would disagree cheesygrin but i just keep going, do better some days than others, the good ones i ahve learned to enjoy, the bad ones ah well so be it type of approach. Thank you for your kind thoughts though!! i agree it isnt fun being carried out from work on a stretcher... Hips are ok so far and as to stents docs have said why bother as the spasms just move either up or down so rather than take the tisk of surgery just lets go with what we have and treat it as best we can. Is it really worth a few good months to have it all again?... must admit i agree as while stents do work for a while i am less happy with some aspects of it and would rather go with a long term managed programme... just mine and my GP's views in agreement... i am 52 and yes equally hostaged but still charging ahead or trying to! Good luck with the next hip work. How to manage? hmmm  cant advise on that as i am a stubborn old Gt but my view is keep going enjoy what you can and ACCEPT! the bad days / moments etc with a view of ok that wasnt fun but tomorrow is another day to try again...  
    • EllieRey68
      EllieRey68 andrew22534

      Posted

      Sorry for the delay Andrew, absolutely hectic yesterday. 

      Surely you are entitled to ESA/DLA or something if it's affecting you life & ability to work? 

      You have a great attitude towards it and that's all we can do is to try to understand it and get on with it. I just hate the not knowing when it may happen. I can be totally fine and 'normal' one min then bang!! However, I do know that I get a deep ache in my shoulder muscle leading up to attacks - but not always. 

      I do wish you well and hope you have a lovely but pain free Christmas. 😉😁

    • andrew22534
      andrew22534 EllieRey68

      Posted

      I know the feeling, today is my rush day.... dont know will see after the retirememnt  / dissmissal process is complete... Thank you! - i try... yes that annoys me too it seems like you cant relax and you cant get stressed .. hmmmm i get migraine feelings or aching arm / shoulder or it just slaps in, like you, no longer warnings though. Hope you and all on here have a fantastic time and all good wishes for the year to come  
    • popeye62
      popeye62 andrew22534

      Posted

      Hi andrew I have just gone back to work after 17 months off,after a ha and 4 cardiac arrests have 2 stents and a icd,just diagnosed 2 months ago with angina like everyone else it comes and goes, s I was on esa during my rehabilitation only 73 quid a week hence my return to work.if these episodes carry on I will go back on the sick feel like one of the living dead.get to citizens advice you carnt live on nowt or go on entitled too Web site.
    • andrew22534
      andrew22534 popeye62

      Posted

      Hi popeye62, well.... after a long battle i am on ESA Support. Still fighting the council. It helped that i had ot request an ambulance to the job centre being carried out on a stretcher doesnt do them any publicity good...i also did a quite good appeal letterafter my assesment- amazing that they can find anyone able to work, but then reading more about DWP assesments i came to realise that they always find you able to work no matter your condition. It is the appeal and appeal tribunal that do the real work. Part of it i quoetd the health and safty at work act back at them and pointed out i would be breakin gte law by not informing any potential employer of the risks and also amending their contract to say i would holed them personally and severally and corporately liable for for any accident caused by me falling asleep while driving to or from a job cenrtre or job centre required activity. and said they would be liable for my medical care and ongoing support or my funeral costs ... and compensation. Again gave them the stats on ME Prinzmetal macro and micro and intermitent arrhythmia and heart attacks strokes etc ...they then said due to me being a risk to to others in the workplace or driving or getting to or from work or my ability to drive or use public transport being impaired if under regular compulsion to have to get to or from they accepted my appeal and put me in permanent esa support however they thought the origional finding was correct but that the extenuatiing circumstances of my likelyhood of collapse etc meant that i would put people at risk or in danger having to deal with me......

      ​good luck and think of your self and your family!!!!!!    

  • lynette16906
    lynette16906 EllieRey68

    Posted

    Hi Ellie, yes I too feel totally zonked after angina attacks, they usually come in a cluster maybe three episodes till settled, that's the nature of prinz metals, mine are set off by stress, or excursion or getting cold, 
    • EllieRey68
      EllieRey68 lynette16906

      Posted

      Hi lynnette. 

      I too get clusters, they come in the form of lots of little attacks but sometimes big ones that bring me to my knees. 

      I didn't think I was that stressed but I think I am more than I realised. 😏

      My last episode which took me to A&E was a week before major surgery, again I didn't think I was that worried - I obviously was!!! 

  • Sheri54949
    Sheri54949 EllieRey68

    Posted

    Ellie, My first attack was in the middle of the night. It felt like someone punched me in the middle of my chest. The pain radiated up to my temple, in the roof of my mouth, through my back.  It felt like someone was squeezing my aorta shut.  The pain would build like contractions and then ease up a little and then build again. Lasting 30 minutes.  When the attack was over I felt perfectly fine. Over the years the attacks started lasting longer, anywhere from 30 min to 1 1/2 hours. I finally was diagnosed 10 years later and started taking calcium channel blockers.  The attacks lessened in intensity and duration but now after being on them (ccb) for 6 years the attacks are starting to intensify and lasting longer.  Now after a severe atttack I will feel totally wiped out the rest of the day.  I only have big attacks every few months but now I am having mini attacks where my chest feels tight. I dont mind the mini attacks but Im terrified when I have a big one. I never know if I should wait it out or call 911.  I wonder if the attacks throw our hearts out of rhythm a little bit and that is why we are so tired after????  My concern are the attacks causing damage?  Nitro gycerine does not work for me. I recently found out that i have the mutated eNOS T-786C gene which most prinzmetal patients have. You might want to read up on this; its very informative. On researcher feels if you take large doses of L-arginine that will help drastically the attacks. I havent started taking it yet which you can get over the counter.  I have an appointment with a new cardiologist and want to discuss these findings first. Anyway, if you google endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) I think you will find helpful info on prinzmetal. 
    • EllieRey68
      EllieRey68 Sheri54949

      Posted

      Hi Sheri. Yes they can be very frightening sometimes, especially as you don't know if this one could be a heart attack. 

      I did some research on angina as I wanted clarity on my condition. There are so many different forms of angina and after so many attacks, my cardiologist said it had to be microvascular. So the next time I saw him, I gave him a list of all the names of conditions I'd found. One by one he crossed them off and ticked some saying I had elements of Cardiac Syndrome X, Female Pattern CAD & Prinzmetal Angina. 

      I'm on a variety of tablets which did help with the amount of attacks but if I miss even 1 dose, I get quite unwell. 

      I will read up on the one you've mentioned thank you. 

      I hate calling the paramedics and mainly just try to deal with it, even though they tell you to call them if it doesn't go away after a few sprays of gtn. They don't do anything in A&E, just check if you've had a heart attack - which is if course important. 

      How do you manage when at work or out & about Sheri? 

    • andrew22534
      andrew22534 Sheri54949

      Posted

      Hi Sheri, thank you for this i have as per previous post started self trialing Arginine and Taurine Ar for NO and Ta for blood vessel cleaning and support generally so far i have only the positive comment of being able to sleep better... not sure whether this is due to the tablets or due to being better in mind as the leaving work process has started. will be doing self trials, GP is also interested. If it does show support then i will be referred for genes test. Some interesting documents ref your search though... greta and thank you! It is interesting to note that of the 30odd% helped by Ar supplements they all respond poorly to GTN - i tend to respond reasonably which makes me think i may have ok genes but something else is broken in some way (stress and ME influenced due to inflamation processes) inflamtion processes are shown to also impact on micro and macro vasospasm (the forms of Prinzmetal) i have mostly gone with the inflamation route as i also get bad migraines which are made worse by GTN etcMigraines and Pm are also linked but not known why? I have not read so far wheter these groups are mirgaine +ve and whether their migraines are helped, that would be interesting.  If you show raised Troponins then this is and indication of heart muscle damage. It is usually repairable in a non scaring way but lots of attacks can scar (same as getting lots of muscle cramping will eventually have an effect) which is why cardiologists like us to keep exercising as this promotes heart muscle repair regenoration... phew off to dentist now... 
    • mary73394
      mary73394 Sheri54949

      Posted

      Hi Sheri

      I'm new to this site and have followed this discussion a little. I have MVA (microvascular angina) but often wonder if I have PA too. I was really interested in reading your comments on the way that it affects you as that is how I describe mine but not seen that written down anywhere else before, either by a patient or any research papers. Mine build up like yours, then ease, then build up again so I would have a few over a period of time. On really bad days, I will have several clusters like that throughout the day. Is that typical of PA or could that be MVA/CMVD? I get it at rest (typical of PA I know) but also after effort and effort can be anything as simple as moving about on a really bad day. I've recently gone on nitrates and patches really help. GTN tabs do too but can be too short lived. I wouldn't be a typical PA patient though as must are during the day. Every so often I am woken up at night by pain (oddly seems to have every couple of weeks and for 2 or 3 nights) but don't always feels spasms but have very bad pain down the left side of my neck, shoulder and arm to my hand which tingles. I then need to take a gtn that helps. I feel better usually when I get up. Suppose it doesn't matter too much as long as I have the right treatment but I would sort of like to know if I have PA too as think you need to be more careful with that. Any advice would be great. I like this site as lots of practical advice from you all! Cheers

  • cathymcphee
    cathymcphee EllieRey68

    Posted

    Mine is similar to yours.  I'll have a few good weeks, but then a week or two of chest/jaw pain along with feeling run down.  It takes a few days after the pain stops before I am able to resume normal activites.  Gotta remember, the heart is what supplies everything else in your body with the oxygen it needs.  When the heart is having a rough day, everything else is effected at varying levels and also needs time to recover.
    • EllieRey68
      EllieRey68 cathymcphee

      Posted

      I am so sorry Cathy, I have only just read this!!

      Yes I guess I have to realise that if the heart is struggling then its enevitable that everything else will suffer. I feel so great when things are going well and just like my old self again, so much so that you tend to forget that you have a condtition during these periods. 

      I went on my exercise bike earlier and have had discomfort ever since; I now have no energy and just want to snuggle up on the sofa. Yesterday was a good day and I managed to get loads done. :-/

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