I hate to be annoying,but..

This forum has been helpfull to me with great advice and supportive people.Thanks!I have done all the cardiac workup possible within the last 8 months, including a cath in march of this year which showed normal arteries.Still concerned because of ongoing chest and arm discomfort(in the left tricep).Saw the cardiologist again 2 weeks ago and did another stress echo which came back normal ran for 16 mins on bruce protocol 5.He was pleased and so was I.I asked him where all this pain is coming from and he said it must be musculoskeletal.This was never the case 6 months prior.Never felt this bad before ie lack of energy,chest discomfort etc.I phoned him again last friday again complaining of these symptoms and he said dont worry your cath was clear.I asked him if I should do another cath and his response was "dont be ridiculous".However I feel something isnt right.Could a cath result change in this period of time to cause such symptoms.Should I push for another round of testing.The doctors also put it down to anxiety,but i still get these symptoms even when I am relaxed.This is driving me mad as no one has come up with a plausible explanation for my symptoms.By the way I also had a spinal ct done which came back normal.
Any insight or advice would be very much appreciated.
regards,
Dimi.

[Jack54]

Have you asked about possible coronary artery spasms that most times do not show up on a cath? A good medicine indicated for ca spasms are calcium channel blockers. I do not like this class of medicine, but if you try it and feel better......

Arrhythmias that are not found on any test and are not noticed by yourself when they occur, could also be a problem. I am going to research this avenue, due to to a lack of blood flow to a certain area of my heart.

What medicines do you take? Is your BP and heart rate normal with or without medicine?

There is endless, extensive blood work that can be done for autoimmune diseases/conditions. I went to a naturopath-not a doctor but still ordered very extensive blood work that my insurance paid for. The results were remarkable. It showed reactivation of the Epstein Barr virus. One possible cause of this EBV reactivation is high doses of ionizing radiation. I had had a series of cardiac testing/cath procedures that had given me a very high dose of radiation, in a very short period of time.

I took all of these blood tests to an infectious disease doctor and he diagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

Later on I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis of the spine after much more blood testing by a good rheumatologist. I have not yet had any imaging of my spine. My insurance initially turns down all image testing requests. The doctor then has to write very specifically why the imaging is needed.

I tell you all of this just to let you know that you can have heart disease along with other conditions that rob you of all energy and cause chronic pain.

For ~14 months I got a break in heart disease and started studying these ailments. Then the CAD reared it's ugly head and I needed another stent and my heart had enlarged.

Sorry to ramble, and I hope that you don't think that I was whining. I just wanted you to know of some of the possibilities for fatigue and chronic pain.

Much hope for you to get better. I don't think that you need another cath at this time.

Jack

[johanni]

Yes they have mentioned coronary artery spasms and they gave me imdur but like you i couldnt tolerate it.It didnt seem to make a difference!So they dont think its spasm.Its interesting you mention the radiation as I have had a fair amount of it in the last 6months.My bp is mainly around 115/60, cholesterol low, crp=1, ana, etc also normal, homocysteine also normal.I take 10mg of Crestor and an aspirin in the morning.I am 40 yrs old and athletic.Used to smoke but gave up.Was very active up until recently because im scared to do too much in case something happens.Maybe I too have CFS?Jack,do you think I have a blockage that was not picked up by the cath and all the other tests.I have had countless echoes and nuclear stress tests and also a 64 ct angiogram which show normal arteries.Just wondering if arteries can go from normal to blocked in 6 months!My doctors,(have seen 3 cardios),all have said its not possible and that I am fine.What do you think.I should point out that these pains are not exertionally created.Even as I type there is chest and arm discomfort and some pain in my upper back region.My posture is good so I cant understand this.Thanks for your advice and support, always appreciated.Off to sleep now as I live in Australia and its 2:00am.I would love more advice if you have it and also from other forum members.
Regards,
Dimi.

[Tarheelguy1967]

Doesn't sound cardiac to me given that the pain is not exertional and that you've had quite a robust amount of testing, all with clear results.  My only recommendation would be to go back to your general practitioner and look for other possible causes of your discomfort.  Sounds like you may be a little stuck on this being cardiac, but given low cholesterol combined with your testing (a cath, numerous echos, several nuke stress tests, 64 ct aniogram, etc) that all show clear arteries, I think you can reasonably begin looking for other causes.  And no one likes to hear anxiety, but if you've stopped being active because you're worried something could happen in spite of your great test results, then maybe you are a little anxious.  Lots of things non-cardiac can cause chest pressure i.e. reflux, asthma, etc.  I wish you the best, and hope you are able to figure out what the problem is!    

[often]

How long have you been on the Crestor?

[Jack54]

Often is on the right track for sure. Crestor almost killed me by causing rhabdomyolysis. It is the strongest statin on the market. I don't know how that is determined, except maybe by molecular weight.

The is a group of American people known as "Concerned Citizens" that is made up of doctors, pharmacist and people without letters after their name. The group is headed by Dr. Sydney Wolfe. This group is trying to get Crestor removed from the market. They lobby congress and the FDA. They were successful in getting the FDA to remove the statin Baycol from the market due to too many deaths around the world. Baycol was the first statin I ever tried. I had a heart attack and stroke about 3 months after taking it with Tricor for around 6 weeks. This was a lethal combination, but my cholesterol was extremely high, and still is.

Sorry to get off on that. I have been researching atrial fibrillation, due to my fatigue and chest pain. You can have them without knowing it. My wife has noticed a very strange snore and she lays her hand on my chest and says that my heart is "shuddering" while I exhale with a hissing sound.....I am going to try to get a sleep study done. My cardio recommended it.

If I were you, I would talk to my doctor about stopping Crestor and see if you feel better. As with most statins that are hurting folks, the longer you have taken them, the longer it takes to recover or feel better.

I think your coronary arteries are clean as a whistle, Hon. You have had the very best testing for coronary artery disease. This does not mean that your problems are not heart related. It just rules out CAD.

Best,

Jack

[johanni]

Been on crestor for several months and before that on Lipitor for 5 months as a precautionary measure, that is what my cardiologist said.It seems that I get soreness in the legs when I take it.Forgot to mention that my ck blood test indicated a level of 600.The norm is lower than 100.Maybe I should stop the damn thing and see how i feel.However when I spoke to the cardio about this he said dont worry we accept levels up to 1000!This cant be right!I will stop the Crestor.I once again thank you for your input and advice and reassurance.
Best regards,
Dimi.

[johanni]

Yes I am an anxious type personality but only because of these symptoms.And its true I have a hightened awareness about my heart now.Before this i never even noticed it beating,I was never so concerned about it, being very active and felt great.Maybe its something else like you said.Will go back to the GP and see what he says about other causes.Thanks for your advice.
Regards,
Dimi.

[Tarheelguy1967]

Good luck with finding out what is causing your problems.  Hopefully you'll be able to get to the bottom of it soon.  Heart symptoms cause anxiety in anyone, and if someone is naturally a bit anxious, I imagine it only heightens the severity.  Interesting info on Crestor - I'm on Lipitor and have never had a problem with it and it has worked wonderfully for me.  It can be quite difficult for the doctors to discover the source of cardiac-type symptoms that aren't cardiac in nature, but don't give up - that's why they get paid the "big bucks".  Again, best of luck and hope you get relief soon.

[johanni]

Thanks once again.
Regards,
Dimi.

[jlwc2c]

Make note that Jack recommended talking to your doctor about stopping Crestor - not just stopping it as your response implied.  Make a follow-up app't quickly and plan a med change under supervision.
Good luck.