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During the last few weeks or so, I’ve had a niggling discomfort now and then ,Id best describe it as bad indigestion, Centred in the middle of my chest, Thought nothing of it but something just didn’t feel right.
Yesterday morning I decided to jump on zwift and do the 3 sisters route which involves a bloody big climb, while climbing I noticed the discomfort getting worse the more I pushed, heart rate was around the 140-150 bpm, I’m not a fast climber, just a plodder really, but knew at the top of the climb something wasn’t right ?
Cant say it was painful just really uncomfortable, had mild pins and needles in my hands and the hair on my arms was standing up ???
Phoned doctors straight away and explained how I felt and within 30 mins I was sitting in the waiting room of the local doctors waiting to have bloods and a ecg done .. all looks ok on ecg etc, doc gave me a good look over checking heart, lungs etc, all seems fine apart from this chest pain, Booked in to see a cardiologist asap and see what they say ? .. doctor thinks its Angina, and prescribed me asprin and a GTN spray to use if it gets bad , also atorvastatin to help with cholesterol levels despite mine being ok ??
anyone in STW world live with Angina and how has it affected you and what if anything has helped ?
If I’m honest its scared the s*** out of me.
Thanks for any advise
No idea why it wouldnt post above until i replied to myself ??
Take it easy until you've been checked out (they may want to do an angiogram to see if anything needs stenting).
I started getting chest pains just over a year ago and ended up having 3 heart attacks (and a fourth angina/troponin admission back in January); you don't really want to go down that route.
I still get angina occasionally, although I'm on a lot of anti-anginal medication (plus loads to support a partially dead heart).
GTN spray should be enough to settle any pain and if it doesn't it's wise to get help. The advice given to me was to use the spray once, wait 5 minutes and, if the pain remains, take a second puff - if this doesn't work, call an ambulance. Generally GTN spray helps in a matter of minutes, when things are bad, but there are other, slow release medications that can help too.
Hopefully it'll be sorted for you quickly, but again, do take things steady until you've been checked out and if you're getting pain, stop what you're doing and don't work/push through it.
Good luck, it can be scary but modern medicine is pretty amazing with what they can do.
PJay
Free Member
Take it easy until you’ve been checked out (they may want to do an angiogram to see if anything needs stenting).I started getting chest pains just over a year ago and ended up having 3 heart attacks (and a fourth angina/troponin admission back in January); you don’t really want to go down that route.
I still get angina occasionally, although I’m on a lot of anti-anginal medication (plus loads to support a partially dead heart).
GTN spray should be enough to settle any pain and if it doesn’t it’s wise to get help. The advice given to me was to use the spray once, wait 5 minutes and, if the pain remains, take a second puff – if this doesn’t work, call an ambulance. Generally GTN spray helps in a matter of minutes, when things are bad, but there are other, slow release medications that can help too.
Hopefully it’ll be sorted for you quickly, but again, do take things steady until you’ve been checked out and if you’re getting pain, stop what you’re doing and don’t work/push through it.
Good luck, it can be scary but modern medicine is pretty amazing with what they can do.
Cheers for the advise Pjay ... Hospital appointment next wednesday to see whats going on ?
Have you had the GTN spray make a difference? If it does nothing I guess that might indicate something else?
Garry_Lager
Full Member
Have you had the GTN spray make a difference? If it does nothing I guess that might indicate something else?
I do carry the GTN spray with me all the time now, but so far (touch wood) I've not needed it
If I’m honest its scared the s*** out of me.
Allow me to paint a positive picture for you.
My grandad had angina he lived to 102. If I could find it I would show the picture of him climbing the ladder at the end of St Andrews pier on his 97th birthday.
I suffer from Angina due to small vessel heart disease (not stentable), do not assume if GTN does not help its not your heart. GTN actually makes my angina worse.
I suffer particularly badly when i eat carbs, if i starve myself i dont suffer much.
Ended up in hospital in.Feb as i was really struggling turned out a small vessel had completely failed so i had a sort of heart attack. My angina can be so bad i cant hold a conversation or think straight. Be careful
I too am in a very similar situation, the chest pains have been getting worse and I was diagnosed on Friday. I've been given the statins, aspirin and beta blockers, and the GTN spray. I have blood tests on Wednesday and am waiting for the rapid chest pain response team for hospital tests. I'm not allowed to ride or exert till I've had the tests. I'm 50 and in shock.
I was 50 when the chest pain kicked in, mine is not due to pies and beer, the top of my heart is in good nick.
My angina is difficult to cope with, it has pretty much ruined my quality of life.
Thanks for the replys and advise , forgot to say , Ive just gone 53 ... Just want to ride my bike 🙁 ...... time to look at E Bikes yet ?
55 here with all the meds and non obstructive CAD. 2 ebikes, 3 regular ones, and Garmin alarms and riding loads..
@oldmanmtb2 I'm the same as you With small vessel heart disease. Zero calcium score for the arteries.
None of the medication I was offered did anything but make me worse and GTN did nothing.
Since I've been riding a lot less duration and a lot less intense my micro angina has practically gone. After a recent couple of 2 hour rides back to back days (but steady and first in ages) I started getting some twinges again, but quite mild.
Its tricky small vessel disease not much can be done, it also gradually gets worse which is not great. I have zero calcium on the big arteries and a really good pump function which doesn't help as my heart does its best to force blood through the small vessels hence the pain.
In answer to the original question what helps with angina pain? not much codeine has no effect, i wouldlike to try a stronger pain killer but they wont prescribe me any, drinking ice cold water relieves it for a few seconds ( dont know why?)
I have to be very careful to avoid it as it can literally shut me down.
I've always been fit, not overweight, eating healthy and been riding 10 year+.
If E bikes mean I can continue riding then so be it.
I had a big accident 5 years ago in Wales and tore out 2 nerves from the spine, I've been recovering ever since but left with a very weak arm and limited movement. It just seems that this body is trying its best to tell me something.
Cant really plan until the tests are done but it aint gonna beat me.
Keep strong, keep positive, life goes on 🙂
Saw hospital doctor today at the rapid access chest pain clinic, did all the usual checks including a very short ECG ? , also used a hand held ultrasound to look at the heart, things looked and sounded ok , which is good news,
I've now got to wait for a treadmill stress test and see how the heart performs under load and then if that doesn't show the problem , its onto a Angiogram to see if I have any blocked arteries !
But the biggest problem is , I've been told I CANT ride my bike until all the tests are done 🙁
But the biggest problem is , I’ve been told I CANT ride my bike until all the tests are done 🙁
It's a bind but sensible advice; I wished I'd been told this. I rode my bike and had a big heart attack which killed off part of my heart.
You might need nothing beyond medication but if the major arteries are starting to fur up they should be able to stent them and you'll still have a heart that's not be damaged.
Take it easy and good luck.
Before I type anything else - listen to the advice given by your medical team!!
2016 i was getting what i thought was occasional heart burn symptoms (discomfort in the back of my throat/into my back teeth and a dull ache in my left forearm). Thought nothing of it and carried on with life. At the time i was mountain biking up here in the lakes whilst also putting in between 100 and 125 miles per week on my road bike. It was on the road bike rides when putting the hammer down on climbs trying to keep up with guys half my age that the discomfort would become more noticeable. Over a period of 2 to 3 months the discomfort became more worrying so ending up having numerous ECG's, all of which were inconclusive. Next had a stress induced ECG - ran on a treadmill for the required length of time, got my heart rate up to 180bpm and still no indicators. At the end of the test i mentioned to the nurse that i was a quite fit cyclist and that i regularly would ride for quite long sustained periods of time with a heart rate at 170bpm plus. I was told to get back on the treadmill and give it my all. Boom! Indicator of an irregularity appeared on the print out, but nothing spectacular.
Doctor said that i had angina and gave me a GTN spray to use if the pain occurred again. Ended up using the spray 5 or 6 times within a week period so was ordered to have an angiogram. Went to the local hospital and had the test done - the test showed a 95% blockage of the main right side artery in the heart and there is was being blue lighted down the M6 to Blackpool where i ended up just missing out on a heart by-pass (missed out on a critical illness payment that would have cleared the mortgage) and having a stent fitted instead. I was 46 at the time, in good health with low cholesterol and no family history of heart disease.
Pleased to report that the stent sorted me out. I will still have to take asprin, statin, ramipril and omeprazole for the rest of my days and i always carry a GTN spray with me at all times. But, i can still ride my road bike hard with the lads and i still mountain bike, albeit on a Levo SL but I'd have this bike by choice now whatever my health position.
Heart disease can very easily lead to on to mental illness as the worry and uncertainty can be very off-putting. Just try to keep it in perspective and always listen to the advice from those who are paid to know more about it than you and STW.
the test showed a 95% blockage of the main right side artery in the heart
It is amazing that you can still race on a road bike with only 5% of an artery! The human body is quite amazing.
Even more remarkable that John Entwistle's last moments were showing a lady a good time when the ortopsy showed a 100% blocked artery and a 75% blocked artery IIRC - and they had the cheek to say it was the coke that gave him the heart attack. 🙂