Do any of you guys have this angina pain last all day? I have had chest pain now for a couple yrs, I usually wake up with it in the morning, and it will increase in severity. The pain is center chest by breast bone and feels like an elephant sitting on a golf tee on my chest. Along with that is heavy, squeezing and pressure that feels like I can't get a breath in. Along with this pain, I have extreme fatigue SOB and nausea. I have gone to the ER with it and they sent me home with Ativan and told me I was having an anxiety attack. My cardio did a cath and it came out clear. He says he isn't ruling out micro vascular, but since I have Barrrett's esophagus he says it is probably that. So I go to my GI guy and he says those spasms last only a few minutes, so it's not my esophagus.
Also, I can go a couple months with no symptoms and then have them daily for a few months. The Ativan does stop the pain, but incapacitates me... I had a bad episode yesterday and waited until evening to take an Ativan, so today even thought the pain is less, I can feel it hovering waiting to come back....
I do have an aneurysm in my ascending aorta and take Metopral for that, but I can't get a dr to say what these chest pains are. I feel it is cardiac, it just feels that way to me....
I have pulmonary disease as well so I go to National Jewish for that and my cardio guy is there, too.....
I haven't tried Nitro yet for this, would like to try it to see if it takes the pain away, too....
Any suggestions?
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Prinzmetal Questions
- By katie_colorado
- Posted October 31, 2009 at 12:33 pm · 12 replies
- In My heart disease - diagnosis and symptoms
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Heart disease Asthma Surgery Amlodipine Cardizem Barrett's esophagus Ativan Imdur Xopenex Anxiety Beta blockers Angina Pain Heart attack Stent Norvasc Stress
12 replies
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- By Hise
- Posted October 31, 2009 at 1:38 pm
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Hi
I'm a prinzmetal-case, and I can't say that an actual episode of my spasms last all day - severe pain in my back, chest and jaw "only" lasts a couple of hours. But when I have these episodes, I have backtrouble all day - especially in the afternoon and evening.
I take longlasting nitro and calcium channel blockers (Amlodipine), so it might be different if I didn't. Last year, before I was given the CCB, I had the brick-on-chest-feeling most of the day, though.
I don't know anything about Barrett's esophagus, but I do know, that the only other thing nitro has an effect on, is diseases to do with the esophagus. So it might not be a proof for one or the other if you take nitro and it eases the pain.
Hope some the other heart sisters can help you more, and that you get your answers soon.
Wish you all the best.
Henriette
- By wendylee
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 9:59 am
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Hi Katie,
I too can go weeks without spasms then have 2 or 3 days where they are so bad I debate going to the ER. I too have SOB. I have not, however, had the nausea and crushing symptoms. They sound very much like the signs we tell other woman to watch for because it may be a heart attack. I think you need to keep pushing your Cardio to look into it further! Keep us posted!
- Wendy
- By Yatchzee
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 10:44 am
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Yes, I have some days of constant pain and pressure with Prinzmetal--just wake up with it and lasts all day, take Nitro, take L'arginnine, put a heating pad on my shoulder blade or chest and read a book. Ugh Usually, these spells last a few days, then go away, excepting the shaking in my trunk .( which I have most of the time in the night and morning). I always think that it could be "big one" but keep things under control with the nitro. I am so glad I was diagnosed and not having to figure out just what the problem is with doctors calling it a panic attack, which, in my mind, would make the symptoms even worse since stress is my trigger.
I hope you can get some care for your constant chest pain.
What kind of medication do you take, Katie? Joyce
- By katie_colorado
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 11:40 am
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The inhalants I use for my respiratory issues, are spirva and advair. I used to do a Xopenex neubelizer, but it sets off my chest pain symptoms, so I'm scared to do them now. I used oxygen at night due ot a night time o2 test that came back under 88 all night.
After they discovered my ascending aorta aneurysm, they put me on 25 mg of Metoprol twice a day. I already have low pulse and BP and this dose took my pulse to about 43 so they cut that dose in half.
The weird thing is I have almost always felt SOB and chest pain after all my inhalants but it never lasted very long. It does seem like that is progressing also, but my pulmo dr just looked at my like I'd lost my mind. I'm changing pulmo guys anyway, we don't get along very well and I feel he is very dismissive....
I'm having some more respiratory test done next week. I just think I have so much going on in the same area... lungs, heart and GI that it is hard sometimes even for me to tell which one is acting up. But with the chest pain, it has always felt cardiac....
Anyway thanks for the replies....
- By Trissie
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 8:02 pm
- Report post
If you have nitro already, go ahead and TRY IT.
If nito works, there's your answer.
Chris
- By Rojan
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 9:52 pm
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Katie,
I too wake up with shortness of breath, heavy chest & pain. I have prinzemetal angina. I'm being treated with alot of different meds. The nitro does help sometimes. I'd try the nitro if you have it and if you don't, I'd look into asking the doctor about letting you try Imdur, or something like it to see if you get any results from it.
Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.
This is a great site, you get alot of advise from people who have what you have and understand how your feeling.
- By Yatchzee
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 10:10 pm
- Report post
I have read that beta blockers like Metoprol are not good for people with PMA because they can make the spasms worse but I guess you need them for the aorta aneurysm. I wonder if there is something else that would work for what they are trying to do with betas. Also, Beta blockers are not good for asthma and other respiratory problems according to my readings. It is frustrating to figure out what is what and what is not, lol. I am not a medical person but just always wonder what the side effects are of drugs. Just thinking out loud. Joyce
- By Hise
- Posted November 2, 2009 at 2:20 am
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Hi again
If nitro works on your chest pain, it is not necessarily a proof for a heart disease - it also does the trick on esophagus dieseases - at least so I was told.
/Henriette
- By katie_colorado
- Posted November 2, 2009 at 10:16 pm
- Report post
Yea, they told me the beta blockers aren't good for my respiratory issues, but they still wanted me on them....
I'm having a probe put in my esophagus next week so they can see if I'm still refluxing. After the surgery I had I'm not supposed to be, but thye said it is possible.
Then I see my pulmo guy and cardio guy the next week, so we'll see....
Thanks for all the responses.... Sending you all positive healing vibes.....!!!!
- By wendylee
- Posted November 3, 2009 at 5:02 pm
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Sending them right back your way!! :)
- By Tersa
- Posted November 4, 2009 at 11:03 am
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Hi Katie,
I have never been officially diagnosed with Printzmetals, but my Cardio takes my chest pain symptoms seriously and calls it chronic stable angina. I had a stent in one of my coronaries, so I do have ischemic disease. My repeat angio was clear, so he feels what I have is cardiac in nature. The symptoms I have are almost just like yours- pain in my breast bone, feels like an elephant sitting right there, like the elephant is twisting everything in there. Then I get short of breathe and sometimes nauseated. I have had the pain last off and on for a whole day before. My cardio now has me on a cocktail of medications to control the pain- Toprol (BB), Calcium Channel Blocker (Norvasc) and now a long acting Nitrate (Imdur). I then take Nitro if it gets too bad. That always seems to get it under control, and it is less frequent now that I take my special little cardiac cocktail mix as I like to call it.
Keep pursuing this with your doctors and if you don't get relief, maybe try a second opinion. Your pain certainly sounds cardiac, but with all your other medical issues, it is a "rule out" game.
Good luck and we will keep you in our thoughts/prayers.
Tersa
- By myra
- Posted November 5, 2009 at 2:14 pm
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I am now going to a new cardiologist, and after a negative Cath, he was determined that it is artery spasms. He now has me on Cardizem, Imdur and Ranexa. So far they are working well. I did have a short problem yesterday, but things settled down, before I went to the ER. I was really glad, because we are in Florida now and my trusted cardiologist is in Sandusky, Ohio, near where we live. Hopefully everything has settled down.
Myra
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