Nothing helping husband's daily chest pain
Posted , 4 users are following.
My husband was diagnosed with prinzmetal angina in 2003. It was pretty well controlled for years. Maybe a chest pain every 6 months to a year. They gradually got worse they've tried every combination of medicine that there is. He had his first heart attack in Feb. 2015. He had his second Feb. 2016. He's now on all the medicine they have fore this & several supplements. He wears two nite patches at once the highest dose they have, plus the nitro spray. He had a sympathetically in August that got them down to every 4 days for a couple of weeks. Now they are back to daily. It's Sunday night, we've been setting in ICU since Friday afternoon morphine doesn't touch it. He's been on nitro drip from Friday evening until last night. They were gonna send him home today, but the pain is back at a 7. Can't get it blow that. They gave him diloded last night that stopped it. Dropped it from a 3. They can't get his blood pressure to stay up high enough to give him diloded again. He's getting immune to all the other medicines & the nitro. I'm scared to death & don't know what to do. He's 53 HELP!!
0 likes, 3 replies
samuels michelle68106
Posted
Hi michelle, unfortunately that's the case with Prinzmetal, the top notch anti angina medication doesn't really help with this condition and yes people become immune to them, I can have up to 30 srays of GTN and it doesn't even put a dent in getting rid of the pain, I even became immune to the GTN infusions, when I have an attack GTN does nothing to my blood pressure, the one drug that I found to help more was Perhexiline. have been reading how magnesium sulphate can stop / reduce the spasms , also I found it interesting that soaking in Epsom Salt was the most beneficial as it gets into the bloodstream quicker than supplements taken orally. I myself have just started this old remedy, not one doctor had even thought / suggested this approach, a paramedic had asked me if it had been suggested, I said no so the paramedic suggested I try it. I googled it and epsom salt does aid in a lot of conditions and coronary artery spasms was listed. Sorry I can't be of much more help but I do understand what your hubby is going through.
michelle68106 samuels
Posted
Hi,, thanks for it reply. I looked up the medicine & of course it's not available here. I gave the Dr. the name of it & He's gonna see what he can come up with. Tey took him off the drip again & 4 hrs. later it hit again at a 10. They gave him diloded & it brought it down to a 4. The Dr. said he would try juggling the medicine around again. He said maybe put a catheter in so that they could get the nitro right into the artery. Said it would only be a temporary thing. His heart is now down to working 30%. I asked about a heart transplant he said he never knew of them doing one on somebody with this. I don't know I feel like I've hit a wall, but at least coming here I don't feel alone. Thanks everybody
fiona82663 michelle68106
Posted
I'm sorry to hear of the terrible pain your husband is experiencing . I can't imagine how worrying this must be for you .
During the last acute phase of Prinzmetals I went through I began to realise whatever the cardiologists tried the spasm would soon push through it . I realised they couldn't help me and I cried and really let my heart release lots of the sorrow it was holding. It hurt like hell crying whilst having angina but it bought painful memories up that I was then able to release. The spasm would return again later of course but I would let myself feel sorry for myself and cry with the pain and ultimately ( plus a big increase in nitrates ) the acute phase ended. We are so stoical about pain and being brave but I really think it helped me to feel what my heart was feeling.
I don't know if this helps at all . Please give your husband a hug from me . X