Vasospastic angina or anxiety? 24 y old female

Ask a second at least 10 year experienced Cardiologist (specialized in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, obstructive or non-obstructive either) a second opinion with results printed on paper of all the tests you had. That will determine what you need to do. In my humbled opinion for now try to relax and watch your favorite sport on TV (football, basketball, etc, just enjoy life and be happy you are young and you can overcome any obstacle in your life). If I did it at 64 years old with similar symptoms you have, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN ME. God bless you.

Sounds like a second opinion is needed. I had SCAD (rare type of heart attack brought on by distress) recently and I’m healthy with no underlying causes. But all the symptoms you talk about sounds like a build up that could one day cause a heart attack like SCAD (spontaneous, coronary artery dissection). I would have your troponin levels checked (blood draw) when you have an event just to be on the safe side. Also ask about cardiac rehab classes. They can watch you while you do strenuous activity and monitor you at rest as well and help you to cope with the emotional distress it sounds like you’re having when an event happens. I’m not a Dr but I am in the medical field and it seems like you need to find another cardiologist because what you say doesn’t sound normal to me. Of course try the anxiety meds and see if they work to get your stress under control and maybe get tested for reflux. Silent reflux is a real thing and presents differently than just heartburn symptoms. Just some ideas. Of course if you take my advice and it works great but if it doesn’t then I’m not responsible because your are a grown adult and make your own decisions and you chose to get a second opinion, k. I just want to help and I wish you the best on your journey. Hang in there hope is not lost , keep going until you find the answers you need.

Hi! I talked to my cardiologist again and he explained angina lasts for like 30 minutes, and then the pain is gone. My pain never ceases, which seems to refer to a muscular pain.
Just to be sure, did your pain last for days? Or did it stop?
Did all your test come clear?

Also im so sorry this happened to you. I can only imagine how horrible this is.
can you tell me more about yourself? Are you a woman? Did you exercise when it happened? Did your jaws hurt for a long time? Nothing in tests? Did you just randomly get tachycardia one day? Or the distress was psychological?
For me, my dog died a month prior to my symptoms. How long did the warnings happen before you had the scad?
Its okay if you dont want to display such info here. Is there any way to detect scad early or anything i should request my cardiologist?

Hello, I tried to send all the info but it’s a long story and it wouldn’t send. I’m gonna try a different way to add it in here. My pain was quick and sharp into my arms. But now I have tenderness on the left side that doesn’t seem to fully go away yet it does happen off and on. I know it sounds weird but that’s the best I can describe

im sorry this happened to you. I can imagine you created this account to find out more about what happened.
I would like to know more about your story, you can find me on feisbuk but its okay if you dont want to. Im melissa garcia and have a picture of sonic as an avatar. Its all in spanish because im mexican but its my account. Its my second attepmt posting this

For whatever reason my story is not loading even though I’ve tried so I will shorten it up. I’m a female in my mid 50’s with no health issues until now. I have a family history of heart issues none of which are the cause of SCAD. I have lots of emotional distress since my mom passed and we sold my childhood home after 51 yrs. I thought that was under control but I guess not. The Thursday before my heart attack I had a vasovagal response at home and passed out stopped breathing was brought back and at the hospital all results were normal even my Triponin labs. The following Tues New Year’s Eve I had my heart attack. Sharp chest pain into my left shoulder down my arm into my fingers then they went numb, then the right arm did the same thing. Hospital couldn’t find it on any testing until they did a stress test by injection. Then a cath angiogram was done and they found the tear in a branch off the main artery. I’m healing but have been back to the ER 3 x due to small events and the Noro Virus that caused chest discomfort. I never saw this coming and I’m overwhelmed with thoughts of what’s next. I will be getting therapy for sure to help as well as cardio rehab. I hope that helps to answer some of your questions.

Vasospastic angina or anxiety, neither are fun options to consider. I have been reading this thread as it gets longer, thinking about how my own experience compares. I have thoughts that may or may not help. Take this from someone who was told she does not fit in a box. I am fighting to find a quality of life I can be satisfied with after horrible setbacks and ultimately have found care providers who are walking beside me as I do it, and importantly a couple steps ahead. Keep pushing!

* Why would it be either/or, isn’t it possible for both to happen at the same time? Can you work both angles?
* Your cardiologist tells you Vasospastic angina lasts in 30 minutes episodes. That is a box!
* Flip the question, can Vasospastic angina be disproved? For example, could you take nitroglycerin and see if it helps you? What’s the down side?
* How will you protect your heart from all this? Is your cardiologist focusing on prevention as well as diagnosing?

I am someone who carried around sublingual nitroglycerin ready to take it when I had “chest pain upon exertion”. I was in pain ALL the time. Eventually, a new cardiologist at Mayo Clinic told me to try taking it. “Some people have spasms”. It helped but now I needed a new prescription. For the irony was the one I had been carrying around not taking was soon to be expired.

I have also made progress managing my own health reading a book Psychiatry, also Mayo Clinic recommended, It’s Not All in Your Head by Gordon Asmundson and Steven Taylor. I find it to be a good resource, and like they told me…..the title may seem a bit off and it may not all pertain to you, but take what applies. It helped me sort through what is caused by stress and what is not, making improvements down both paths.

I was in full heart failure due to 30 years of being misdiagnosed. Please try to see an electrophysiologist.

I was under the care of several cardiologists, and various specialists for my entire life. I have gone through the extensive diagnostic tests, and was never correctly treated - leading to the heart failure. It’s sad to think of the decades that were lost because I was misdiagnosed with POTS and/or anxiety for so long. My resting heart rate was never below 100bpm, until the electrophysiologist gave me the correct meds…my bpm was in the 60s within 30 minutes.

Advocate for yourself, and don’t take a “specialists” opinion at face value.

Hello. So sorry that you are experiencing this and understand personally how frightening it can be. I was an RCIS, who was also diagnosed with Prinzmetal Angina Syndrome. Fortunately, I am happy to have found a treatment regimen of calcium channel blockers and a vasodilator that works wonderfully for me. I say always trust your inner voice, especially when both diagnosis can be true at the same time, but one potentially requires immediate medical attention. I would surely get a second opinion and even a third if necessary. It is important to seek medical attention when chest pain is significant. An ER or Dr's office visit allows for objective testing like an EKG, ECHO and lab work that might produce results in a transient attack that could be masked if an event has resolved. Never be afraid to self advocate. It is your right and your responsibility. Sometimes even having someone attend appointments with you for additional support can encourage practitioners to be more willing to delve deeper.