Ongoing chest pains

Hello Everybody,

I am new to this discussion forum but I've read quite a few topics and found it a wonderful source of information and support for heart disease sufferers.

I haven't been diagnosed with heart disease but was experiencing ongoing chest pains (mostly on left side and left arm) for a few years and they seemed to get worse during the past few months. I had a few tests (stress test, echo, CT angio) that came back negative and the doctors seem to rule out heart disease. I am 39, not a smoker (used to more than 10 years ago), but have some family history.. All these being said, my question is, is it possible for a heart condition to go undiagnosed but not progress into something more severe or I should still expect the worst to happen? Or in other words, for those of you who experienced MI's or other bad complications, how long before your MI you started having symptoms of heart disease. I realize that in a lot of cases, the MI occured without prior symptoms..

Thank you so much for your help!
Ann

By gracie62
Posted September 29, 2009 at 5:03 pm
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Ann:
There are no easy answers to your questions. I had my MI 18 days after triple bypass surgery and it was caused by a combination of a blood clot and coronary artery spasm in one of my new bypasses. I had symptoms for about a week and a half before it, which I attributed to my surgery - jaw pain, cramping chest pain with left arm involvement.

You don't say how long ago you had testing done. I passed a Cardiolite stress test in August 2007 and was told I could not have new blockages when my symptoms worsened in the months after that. By December, I cold not walk across myself without crushing chest pain, nausea and sweating. They still said no way could I have blockages after a clear stress test. I lied to get another cath (I had had a clear cath in June 2007) because I knew I was dying. In the cath lab it was discovered that from June-August 2007, I had progressed from no blockages to needing emergency triple bypass surgery.

Just because your tests were clear months ago, does not mean something hasn't developed since, especially if your symptoms are worsening. Don't hesitate to make them listen to you. I begged, cried, screamed and finally lied (said I stopped my Plavix - a nono for someone with DES stents) to get the cath that saved my life.

As long as you feel like something is wrong, listen to that inner voice. It just might save your life. Also, you might want to look up coronary artery spasms, Prinzmetal's angina, variant angina. A lot of us on this board have this supposedly rare condition. It can cause symptoms that can mimick a heart attack and in rare instances lead to one. My Prinzmetal's contributed to my MI.

Take care -
Dianna

By an_39
Posted September 29, 2009 at 6:05 pm
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Dianna, thanks a lot for your response.

I had the tests done in May - June timeframe, another stress test at the end of July, and since then, had multiple EKG's and blood tests done in ER. I still don't understand how come with all my syptoms that all of these tests showed nothing?!

By careh
Posted September 29, 2009 at 6:39 pm
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Dear an39...you might also check into microvascular angina. Only the small vessels are involved and the main ones show clear, so it is misdiagnosed a lot. Please check out this link....it has more info on this disease. A lot of us have this condition, so we can be here if you need to talk.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511164612.htm
Carolyn

By gracie62
Posted September 29, 2009 at 6:48 pm
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Ann:

I have never had an abnormal EKG or stress test. All my blood works is fine for the most part. On paper I am a health individual. When I had a 98% blockage of the LAD, I passed a stress test 2 days earlier and went home and cut grass in 100+ temps. Then I went back and demanded a cath that led to my first stent. I had been a time bomb while cutting that grass. Even during my actual heart attack, my blood pressure remained close to normal and my EKG the paramedics did was normal. The ER doctor didn't think I was having a heart attack until my enzymes started rising. I am an anomoly. I pass all their tests until they get me into the cath lab.

Keep pushing for answers as long as you are having symptoms. I was told it was in my head and my stomach. I had an entire upper and lower GI series to rule those issues out. I was 39 when my symptoms started with a strong family history of early onset heart disease. But because I was female and only 39, they tried to dismiss me. I am alive only because I refused to accept there was nothing wrong because my body was screaming loudly that there was.
Take care -

Dianna

By Jane3354
Posted September 30, 2009 at 8:37 am
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I must be an anomoly too. Mine was the same. Demand a heart cath, had I earlier would not have had a major mi that almost took my life, now i watch the signs and demand more. most of the time woman are still ignored.

By oldfogie
Posted September 30, 2009 at 9:20 am
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Dear Ann,
I had the tests also. They all turned out negative. So, my cardiologist sent me to the hospital for a heart catherization. He found one blockage that was over 85%. He inserted a stent in my LAD. I kept having pains. They did another cath and found another 50% blockage. That is not enough for a stent, but they are watching it. My husband's first wife had a complete cardio work-up and got back a glowing report. She told my husband that she was not feeling well and died the day she got an all clear. The dr told him that if he had done a cath that she would not have died. I suggest strongly have a heart catherization. If it turns out normal, I would not stop until I found out what it is. It might be asthma. I am still having chest pains, but not as frequently. Please do not stop until they are sure. I do not want to scare you, but this can be serious. old fogie

By Jules85
Posted October 1, 2009 at 9:26 am
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I have had two MI's directly caused by coronary artery spasms because I had no blockages or history of heart issues 1 1/2 years ago. Had another heart cath at end of June this year for chest pain, NOW I had 99% blockage, did stenting, no other blockages found. Continued to have progressively worse chest pains and not feeling well for next 3 months, dizzy, no energy...Went back last week with severe unrelenting chest pain.. one artery feeding to back of heart was 100% blocked and I was told it had been there for some time! Get a cardiologist that listens to you! Fight for your rights! It is your life! :o) Good luck!

By pclipper
Posted October 1, 2009 at 11:02 am
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Same for me, Ann... in my view, the heart is inconveniently placed, and there aren't any easy ways for them to figure out what's going on. They don't seem to know that though! I have had many many normal ekg's and stress tests and a few thalliums. I've also had an MI and a double by-pass and I've had a graft fail. The only things that have demonstrated this, other than my own perceptions, were the blood work after the MI, skyrocketing blood pressure during the graft failure and the cath each time.

Many of the false negatives happened same day as the event. The time lapse from my MI and stenting to my bypass was only five months, and some things can happen in a day. Caths are not without risk but not much else has been that useful and I have "moderate" heart damage now because I didn't get a proper diagnosis soon enough during the MI.

I have met so many women with this kind of story that I'm not sure we are "anomalies."

It's really hard to keep after them when they don't think anything's wrong, but you have to persevere if that's what your body is telling you... bodies trump docs!

Best, Penny

By an_39
Posted October 1, 2009 at 6:21 pm
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Thank you so much for all your responses! I went to see an internist today (the one that ordered previously all my other heart tests) and although he seemed convinced tht it wasn't my heart causing this pain, in the end he agreed to send me for a heart cath in a month, if the medication (anti vasospastic) he just prescribed today wouldn't work... he also said that if this is caused by arterial spasms, it is hard to catch it on a heart cath... i am glad that at least we have a plan on how to deal with this problem for the next future...

Welcome to Inspire!

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