Comment from: Real Pain, 55-64 Female (Patient)Published: January 05
My angina was not diagnosed or even believed. I was kept in the hospital overnight and given blood tests, electrocardiograms and an echocardiogram. I was told I had spasms in my esophagus (even though I never even had heartburn). I only got the pain at night, and it would wake me up. Nitroglycerin relieved it immediately. Finally, after two months, I was given an angiogram and the 90% blockage was found. I could have had a heart attack at any time. By the way, I'm a woman, and I was 57 at the time.
Comment from: gorda, 19-24 FemalePublished: May 24
I had a symptom that I experienced and don't know what it is. One night after I had a long day I was getting ready to go to sleep it was like around 3 or 4 in the morning as I turned to get in a comfortable position to go to sleep I felt my body heavy and like jello I tried to control myself but the feeling of not being able to breath and the pain in my chest was overwhelming. I managed to gasp for air enough to tell my boyfriend that I couldn't breathe then as he picked me up my body felt heavy and it would respond when I was trying to get up then I fainted and then I was in my hall and I saw how I was picked up from the floor but everything was blurry and the everything in my vision turned black that is when I got scared. The paramedics arrived later when I was a little bit better and then I was taken to the hospital but after all of this I started feeling pain on my neck to my shoulder from my left side but the hospital said that I was in good health.
Comment from: littlejohn, 45-54 Male (Patient)Published: May 14
My angina was diagnosed as follows: The nurse asked me a series of questions, such as what I was doing at the time, did I feel sweaty, describe the pain and if I had ever had these symptoms before. I got hooked up to an ECG machine, and then a blood sample was taken. I believe the blood sample was to determine the level of heart enzymes present. My level was 4 so a second sample was taken and analyzed. It was lower, so I was released. Then the doctor told me it was likely angina, and I should go see my family doctor. The doctor also told me to return to the emergency room if symptoms reoccurred.
Comment from: sunflwrgirl, 45-54 Female (Patient)Published: November 17
I had surgery on my foot about three weeks ago. The day after my foot surgery, I was at home in bed resting when my chest started to hurt. It felt kind of like indigestion, but the pain was pretty bad, and it kept getting worse. I took some antacid tablets, which did not make the pain go away. The pain was in the middle of my chest and was, on a scale of one to 10, about a seven or eight. The pain lasted off and on for about six hours. It finally subsided after I took a pain pill that I had from my foot surgery. About two weeks later, I was sitting at my desk at work and I had the same kind of "attack." The same symptoms occurred and, again, lasted for about five or six hours. The pain was about as severe as it was the first time and in the middle of my chest. This "attack" also felt a little like indigestion so, once again, I took antacids and, once again, they did not help (I have since learned that the feeling of indigestion is a symptom of angina). I took a pain pill and the pain subsided, but this time the pain came back in a short amount of time and my eyes also "felt funny." I went to the emergency room (by insistence of my daughter). They did an EKG, which came back normal. I spent the night in the hospital and had a stress test the next morning. The stress test came back "abnormal," (although no one told me what the abnormality was) and I was told that I needed to have a heart catheterization to check for blockages. I was scheduled for a heart cath the next morning. The heart cath came back "normal" -- no blockages were found. The doctors diagnosed me with angina. I was told to follow up with my family doctor in a week and to follow up with the heart doctor in one month. I am seeing my doctor tomorrow, and I hope I will get some answers then. I have had some chest pain since my heart cath, but nothing "major" like the previous two episodes.
Comment from: Tim, 55-64 Male (Patient)Published: October 30
I am 57 years old. I am in good physical condition, but I am 25 lbs over weight. I have smoked for 45 years. I quit seven and a half months ago.
After sex about 3 months ago. I found myself out of breath to the point I could not catch it back for a minute or so. I thought I was maybe seriously out of shape. I found this to happen with each sexual encounter or while walking briskly. I would have to slow my pace to catch my breath. While at the emergency room for a check up after an accident They said I had angina put me on Flexeril for the neck injury, but wanted me to see my regular doctor. I told my doctor about this shortness of breath and tightness of the chest. He listened to my heart and gave me an EKG. He said he suspected angina and sent me for a stress test and another test. The stress test showed abnormal. The next step was a heart catheterization. That showed one artery about 50% blocked but not a problem by his standards. The rest showed normal. At this point almost $20,000 later we don't know what the Angina is from. I am on Coreg Cr, an 81mg aspirin a day and Isosorbide MN ER that made me dizzy, nauseous and gave me a horrific headache. I complained to the doctor about it and he told me to discontinue. So at this point I have been diagnosed, but not verified.
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My angina was not diagnosed or even believed. I was kept in the hospital overnight and given blood tests, electrocardiograms and an echocardiogram. I was told I had spasms in my esophagus (even though I never even had heartburn). I only got the pain at night, and it would wake me up. Nitroglycerin relieved it immediately. Finally, after two months, I was given an angiogram and the 90% blockage was found. I could have had a heart attack at any time. By the way, I'm a woman, and I was 57 at the time.
Related Reading: angina | echocardiogram | heartburn