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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Heart Area Spasms
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests
Heart Area Spasms
by Lauro, Aug 04, 2000 12:00AM
Dear Doctor,
I thank you for answering these questions.
1. Can a person have Angina Type attacks that just "come out of nowhere" (no exercise involved) and this not being considered
life threatening.?
I read soemwhere on this forum about "normal type spasms" posted by one of your CC physicians.
2. Does Nitro help other painful conditons that may mimic
pain like that of a heart attack.. (took one the other day
and within 30 seconds, the pain left)
3. If one had a Stress Thallium test and nothing shows up, is
the patient presumed to have Normal Heart type spasms.?
Is ending the Stress Thallium Test with a BP of 240/60 something to be concerned about. The BP quickly went down to 130/60 right after getting off that threadmill.
4. I see where a Stress test called Cardiolyte is mentioned on this forum with a 90% accuracy rate. Is the Thallium Stress just as accurate? Are these tests, the test of choice for women?
and are these the same as a Stress Echo.
I am in my late fifties.
Sorry for all these questions. It has taken me 6 months to get into this forum.
Thank You.
I thank you for answering these questions.
1. Can a person have Angina Type attacks that just "come out of nowhere" (no exercise involved) and this not being considered
life threatening.?
I read soemwhere on this forum about "normal type spasms" posted by one of your CC physicians.
2. Does Nitro help other painful conditons that may mimic
pain like that of a heart attack.. (took one the other day
and within 30 seconds, the pain left)
3. If one had a Stress Thallium test and nothing shows up, is
the patient presumed to have Normal Heart type spasms.?
Is ending the Stress Thallium Test with a BP of 240/60 something to be concerned about. The BP quickly went down to 130/60 right after getting off that threadmill.
4. I see where a Stress test called Cardiolyte is mentioned on this forum with a 90% accuracy rate. Is the Thallium Stress just as accurate? Are these tests, the test of choice for women?
and are these the same as a Stress Echo.
I am in my late fifties.
Sorry for all these questions. It has taken me 6 months to get into this forum.
Thank You.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB, Aug 04, 2000 12:00AM
1. Angina (chest pain that is caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle) is often provoked by exercise. However, angina can occur due to other factors, such as exposure to cold, emotional stress, eating, etc.
2. Nitro can relieve pain from the esophagus as well, due to spasm of the throat muscles.
3. With a normal thallium, angina due to heart disease is not very likely, though still possible. Your blood pressure response to exercise was a bit high, its worth keeping an eye on your blood pressure.
4. The thallium and cardiolite are very similar. The stress echo is a different technology that gets at the same clinical question. All are good in women (and men).
2. Nitro can relieve pain from the esophagus as well, due to spasm of the throat muscles.
3. With a normal thallium, angina due to heart disease is not very likely, though still possible. Your blood pressure response to exercise was a bit high, its worth keeping an eye on your blood pressure.
4. The thallium and cardiolite are very similar. The stress echo is a different technology that gets at the same clinical question. All are good in women (and men).
waiting for surgery soon....I get what they call
Esophageal Spasms , they feel like a heart attack
except they come anytime and usually at rest .....
they also treat this with nitro.....
do you have any digestive problems that could cause
the pain? I have been thru all the heart tests and all
normal,I have panic disorder also.....
This could be the type of pain you are having ....
These attacks have plaqued me now for almost 5 years, off and on. Never with Exercise.
The last attack I had was last week walking into a Frame Shop.
This pain started seemingly in my right carotid area (first time in this area) and quickly built up in the upper right chest area. (this is normally where it starts, the upper right Chest Area) I quickly left the store and got to the car and took a Nitro. From start to finish, the pain was gone in about 90 seconds. Last year, it lasted almost an hour and I drove home with this pain and laid down. This one started in the parking lot of the Mall
The jaw and teeth and ear can also get involved. Can esophegeal disease cause these areas of pain distribution also? This scares the jeebers out of me. This pain Cresendos.
I also had an attack in the GP's office while talking to him 7 months ago. I had an EKG done one week prior to the pain in his office and this was Normal readings. The EKG taken while in pain did have some very slight abnormalities but the doc said they were nothing.
The frame shoppe did have a cold fan blowing on me and I am wondering if this had something to do with starting attacks. Last Summer the same thing. Car Airconditioner I believe started the attack in the Mall parking Lot.
Hate to ask for another Stress Thallium Study? or the Cardiolyte Sress test as it has only been 15 months since the last one. The Nuclear Doc said to come back in 3 years.
I had a Carotid Scan 3 months ago and the right side showed minimal calcification and the left side as normal. This was read by a Vascular Surgical Group.
Guess, I had better see a Gastroenterologist now.
Thanks, Wendi.
The pain was so bad one day that I ended up in hospital in coronary care. After that I decided to go ahead with the angiogram.
ECGs taken during pain were normal. I did not do a stress test because I have chronic fatigue.
My arteries turned out to be clear- but I am very glad that I had the angiogram