is it angina?

Background: three years ago, i had valve repair surgery with a side incision. shortly after that, i began to feel a slight "tug" on my heart, in time witht the beat. i mentioned to various drs who all seemed unconcerned, so i didn't sweat it.

Today: the "tug" has progressed to s "finger poke" to a dull pain--slightly more frequent now, and still throbbing in time with my heartbeat. my cardio is calling it angina and wants. to put me on a beta-blocker. does angina throb? i didn't think it did....

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Angina does not typically throb or feel like a tug or finger poke. However, I would assume that for your cardiologist to call this angina, there may have been EKG changes present, for which the beta-blockers have been suggested. I would suggest getting an echocardiography done as well (if not done already) and discussing the situation in detail with your cardiologist.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!