1 year later still angina

[itsa4847]

jan 2002 i was diagonised wth coronary artery spasms with the echovine challenge study in the cath lab. i also have mvp and two arterys mild blockage 30%. i have been put on meds imdur, cardizm nitro patch and topera xl my meds over the last year have been changed many times up and down i actually went a whole month with no spasms, when ever i would get a spasm it would alway be in the way of a squeezing pressure but never pain. no over the last month i have been having alot of eposides of shortness of breath just getting from one room to another or out to my car, then i have to sit and wait cause iam so dizzy i can't drive.  and the other day i went to the store was fine when i walked in, however got down the first isle and got chest pain so had use my nitro. i'm female 43. i also get alot of pains in my collar bone up my neck, things just feel like they are different and i feel that since my first cath that something changed is this possible? I had a severe case of heartburn and when i called my dr. office they pretty much brushed it off and said they would call me in something.  i was using the nitro which took it away everytime that went on for about 5 hours.  have not had it again i have had heartburn and i dont think this was heart burn.  I guess my problem is i feel like my dr. thinks nothing else could be wrong but i feel things are getting worse more eposides of angina, pain now, and lot of heart palps.  How can he find out? my husband wants me to have another dr. but i really like the dr. i would go to cleveland but they don't pay for what our ins. does not pay.

[itsa4847]

that helped alot! i have gone for my second dr. advise and was sent to a lung dr for study i have not got the results back yet and they are sending them to my heart dr. due to my continued fluid in lungs and wheezing my heart dr. reduced my toperal to 1/2 of 25mgs and plans to take me off of it in 2 months.  i have been better but still have the shortness of breath and excersise intolerence, which i hope will improve soon. So i will keep pluging away on this one and i know that if my symptoms get worse my body will tell me.  i have learned over the past year and half that medical conditions are not easily solved. thanks for the advise and i know if things don't keep improving that i will seek out the cleveland clinic even if i have to pay more money, my life is worth it.

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

itsa4847,

Thanks for the post.

With new symptoms, it is worth getting checked out again.  The most likely scenario is continued spasm with the new symptoms being different from the old becasue of the medicines you are taking.  Other possibilities include having low blood pressure from the medicines (and thus leading to the dizziness), progression of coronary artery disease, onset of heart failure, esophageal spasm, among others.

Talk to your doctor, or seek a second opinion as your husband suggested.  A new MRI technique has been developed to investigate coronary artery spasm, and might make sense for you as well.  A large academic center will be able to do this.

Hope that helps.