Blockage or Angina?

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Taysgrama

Taysgrama

Well-known member
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
271
Location
Franklin, Ohio
Sorry I haven't posted in a very long time, but we are trying to get our bathroom (only one we have) done and its been a really BIG pain. Lots of mold, etc. behind the tile in the shower and under the tile on the floor as well as the walls! YUCK!!

Anyway, Thursday night about 10pm, we went up to bed. I was a little dizzy and thought it was because of my medication (soma for back problems). Then I got really sick to my stomach so I decided to come downstairs and get some pepto to calm it. I walked down the stairs and got to the dining room table (where are my meds are right now!) when I got the worst heartburn pain I have ever had. It was so bad, it sent me to the floor. Now, it took me about 3 minutes before I could pull myself back up to a standing position and try to get up the stairs to my hubby. I made it to the staircase and up one step before I got severe chest pain and pressure, lost my breath, starting sweating like a stuffed pig and could not breath. I landed on the floor since I couldn't stand and finally managed to call my hubby to come down. He got me on the couch (about 15 ft away) and called 911. When the ambulance got there, I still could not breath well and the pain was about a 9. They immediately placed me on a stretcher and took me out to the ambulance where they took my blood pressure and gave me a nitroglycerin and 4 baby aspirin. After about 15 minutes in the ambulance, they finally left my house and took me to the hospital (wrong one since hubby forgot my cardio is at a different hospital). Pain went away almost all the way but then I started trembling like crazy. They gave me ativan at the hospital and of course, did all the required heart attack tests. No heart attack, but they admitted me to be on the safe side.

On Friday, they wanted to do a heart cath, but my INR was 4.2 so they decided to do a medicated stress test. That came back abnormal but since my INR was still too high, the suggested that I stay in the hospital and get heparin shots and stop my coumadin so they could do the heart cath in a day or two. Now, the last time I stopped my coumadin for knee surgery in Feb., I was 3.4. Did not take coumadin for 3 days and only went down to 2.3 in that time. I was not going to stay in the hospital for a week just to get that down. I asked that I be able to go home and call MY cardio on Tuesday. They finally released me about 10pm Friday evening. I was ok, a little tired and bruised from all the needles on Saturday and for most of the day on Sunday. On Sunday night, my left arm started hurting and I got sick to my stomach again. When I went to bed, I told my hubby that I really didn't feel good. He wanted to take me back to hospital but I told him I wanted to wait. About 40 minutes after we went to bed, I felt my heart start racing and then within 2 minutes of that happening, the severe chest pain and pressure started again. I managed to wake hubby who ran downstairs and got my nitro. I took one and waited for about 15 minutes before I could breath again and the pain had subsided again.

Went to sleep finally after about 2 hours and seemed better yesterday. Low and behold, same thing happened again last night. Anyone have any ideas what could be happening here? I left a message for my cardio this morning, but its been 4 hours and I still have not heard from them. Now they are on lunch and won't be back til after 1pm. Thanks all......
 
None of us can tell you what is going on here. I would call the Dr's office back as soon as they open and ask to speak to his nurse. Tell them it is urgent. You could be playing with fire here. You definitely need to get theyself to the hospital if this happens again. Hope you feel better soon.


Kim
 
Diana, I agree completely with Kim. You are perhaps too polite when you speak with your Doctor's office. I also think you should emphasize that your are having periodic sever chest pains and need his attention NOW!. Perhaps you are not having a life threatening problem yet but something is wrong and it needs to be identified and treated at once. Your symptoms sound to me like serious warning signs. If your Cardio does not respond, I would suggest talking with your GP/PCP who may be better at getting your Cardio's attention. Take care of yourself.

Larry
 
I agree about getting the cardio's attention with no holds barred. You've just been hospitalized for this. They should be very interested.

However, the other hospital could likely have given you a non-invasive MRA (a magnetic resonance angiogram - done with an MRI machine), which would give you very similar information to a catheter angiogram, and wouldn't require your INR to be lowered. A lot safer and more informative than a dobutamine stress test, if they really have no idea what's wrong.

Best wishes,
 
With those symptoms you actually do belong in the hospital. Did you ever have anything similar in your past? What symptoms did you have when the nitro was prescribed for you?
 
I called the cardio's office again at 3pm today and was told that someone would call me back before the end of business today. Well, its now 9:44pm and still no call. I am going to call again first thing in the morning and demand to speak to someone. I am not going to play games with this anymore....too much could go wrong or be wrong. If necessary, I will call the cardio that saw me in the hospital and see if he will take me as a patient. He is actually my best friends cardio, so if she trusts him, I guess I can too.

Betty - I was having the severe chest pain when they gave me the nitro. They just gave me a script for it when they released me from the hospital. Was told not to take more than 3 in 24 hours and to call 911 if I took 3 in an hour and was still having the pain. Nope, I have never had this kind of pain before, so it is totally new to me!

Bob - I have never heard of the MRA. Is that a new test or has it been around for awhile? So far today, I have not had to take any nitro, but there were times when I felt like the pain that I am already having was getting worse. I just laid down and rested for about an hour and the pain started to subside.

Thanks all for your replies. I will let you when I do speak to a cardio and I get some answers.
 
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If you start having them again tonight, I would call your Dr's service from your cell phone while you are walking out the door to go to the hospital. Go to the hospital that your cardio is at if he is your preferred Dr. (although I don't know how I'd feel after 2 phone calls and no return!). That way, when the Dr. on call returns your call, you'll have your cell with you and you can tell them your own your way, to meet you at the hospital.

I hope you are feeling better and get to the bottom of it soon.

Kim
 
I called the cardio again this morning and his nurse finally called me back about 11am this morning. She stated that she had gone in and looked at the medicated stress test and it showed normal even though the cardio at the hospital said it was abnormal. I am not sure who to believe anymore. I made it through last night without a nitro so maybe its ok now. She was going to speak to the doctor and call me back sometime today. She did state that he had no appointments open for a long time but that he may have me see one of the PA's in his office. I am really not sure I am happy with that or a doctor who has no emergency appointments for his current patients. Makes me think he is too busy to be concerned and is just after the numbers not quality of care. Once I hear from the nurse again, I will make my decision regarding his practice. Thanks again all.
 
These are scary things to be happening and with no one who wants to diagnose you. I wouldn't wait. Pain at a 9 level is not heartburn and pain down your left arm, sweating, shaking and this knocking you to the floor, all serious problems, and not "Ho-Hum" problems.

If it starts up again, you go straight to the ER. And you probably need to look into a different cardiologist who will take these serious symptoms and try to find out what is going on with you.

Maybe you have some blockages that need to be opened up. It sounds like a cath is in order or at least an MRI, as Bob suggested.
 
The scheduling department called me this morning and I am to see a nursing assistant (not even a PA) on Wednesday at 9am. I really am not happy about that. I am going to talk to my hubby when he gets home today and see what he has to say. Thanks again all for your input and advice.
 
I think you need a new cardio asap. I wouldnt tolerate that kind of lack of service from anyone I am buying a service from.They work for you not the other way around.This isnt a 3rd world country.There has to be some other cardio you can hire.I am worried about you.
 
I saw my cardio's nurse practioner today and OMG, what an idiot. My blood pressure was fine for me (118/60), my weight was way up (by about 20 lbs since Feb.) and my EKG was normal. After listening to my heart and lungs and asking me questions about what happened 2 weeks ago and looking at the stress test, she says and I quote: "I think its heartburn, call your gastro for an appointment." Hello???? Since when does nitro help heartburn? I already take Nexium and have for years and years. I told her that and also asked how in the world nitro helps heartburn. Her answer was "Oh, I didn't realize you already took nexium."

I asked about my mitral valve, since according to my last echo it was not better but not worse. She said it could be my mitral valve. I asked for an echo to be scheduled and she finally agreed to that, after going and talking to my cardio. I have that scheduled for next Thursday. I then see her again or another NP the following Wednesday for the results.

Anyone have any suggestions? Should I change cardio's or just wait this out? They want me to stop taking the nitro or wait 30 minutes to take one when that pain hits. I can't breathe, talk or move when it hits and it really scares me. I am really not comfortable not taking it immediately. Once I take it, the pain is usually gone within 3 minutes. I have taken it 7 times since coming home from the hospital. If the pain was less, I might consider waiting longer, but this pain is severe, on a scale from 1 - 10, its about an 8 or 9, so its not like a little twinge.

I hope all that doesn't sound stupid. I am just getting a little more worried every day and am really tired of dealing with all this crap. Thanks again all!!!
 
If it were my husband, I would let the current cardiologist finish the echo and see what they say, because you probably need to have that done fast. But I do think you should absolutely be looking seriously for a new card. I don't think the severe symptoms you are mentioning should be sloughed off as heartburn. They require some due diligence and you need a diagnosis, not just someone guessing at what the problem is. I still think you should have your coronary arteries looked at.

You've got a serious problem, you need a serious doctor, and you also need one who will examine you him/her self.
 
Nancy - I am going to wait until after this office does the echo and I see the nurse before I look for a new cardiologist. I checked with a friend about her cardio, but she was just informed that she needed to find another one because he is going back to school. He did give her a list of those that he recommeded for her since she has some really complex issues. Thanks again for all your information and input. It is greatly appreciated!!!!
 
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