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I've been out of the hospital for about a month and have had my first 2 spasms since I left there. Am finding myself very, very exhausted after two nights of them. Am wondering if it's physical or if I'm so tired because I get scared and anxious and that's wearing. Anybody figure this out for themselves? Thanks.
What are your medications? When do you take them?
Do you have heart rehab available to you?
I find that when I am stressed, I get more spasms. I think that stress hormones interfere with making NO ( nitric oxide) which is necessary for the arteries to relax. When your arteries are relaxed, they don't spasms. Some people find that taking L'arginnine supplement helps. IT is an amino acid building block for NO.
Put "Prinzmetal" or spasms in the search at the top of the page and read old posts from ladies that have Prinzmetal. Hope you can figure out what works best for you. Joyce
Joyce is so right about stress and its effects on Prinzmetal's. What is so hard about this disease is that stress can worsen it, and dealing with it can cause stress! When I first developed PA, I had spasms so bad that they would leave me feeling like I had been kicked in the chest by a mule for days afterwards. That left me exhausted. So, you may never be 100% certain if your fatigue is from the spasms themselves or the stress of dealing with them. There is no easy answer. Just know that you are not alone. We all have to find what is normal for us and what works for us through trial and error and working with our doctors. I, too, hope that you find what works best for you - take care!
Dianna
My chest pain causes a vicious little circle. Once it starts, the stress level goes up, pain gets worse, stress level continues. Other factors contribute, like the embarrassment factor. Depending on where I am or what I’m doing, it can shoot the stress level through the roof, or if I’m at home, it’s no big deal. For me it’s HUGELY exhausting, and that factors into the level of pain too. The more rest I can get, the better I feel. Finding ways to relax and take my mind off the pain helps a bit.
Hello,
What kind of medication are you on? Perhaps that will need to be adjusted. All the women are right, stress can definitely bring them on. I was diagnosed with PA in April, so this is all fairly new to me too. I also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so I don't know if my worsening fatigue is caused by my heart or my CFS.
I have found that rest is the best medicine for both my conditions. and overdoing it physically is also not good. You may find too, that your spasms will come in waves, weeks of none and then weeks with spasms.
Good luck and let us know!
Colleen
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