can you have Angina & Ischemia without a blockage ?

[mich492]

can you have ischemia & Angina without a blockage ?

my last cholesterol fasting test was 6.4
blood pressure is usually borderline ish 140 / 88 , has been higher & lower ,
some ectopics
breathless on exercise
age 41 - female
chest pain and discomfort - no pattern when it comes or goes - can last minutes to hours ,
palpitations random around the 120 - 130 mark - last varying periods
fatigue

any feedback would be great

[mich492]

Hello , Thank you for all your advice , I think it would be a very good idea to do a diary as you have suggested , It should gve a clearer picture of what is triggering the pain etc , I am hoping to get my results soon from the treadmill test - and once the kids are back at school next week I will be able to do this sort of plan better - so will start a diary then , thanks again

[ed34]

The pains you describe don't sound like anything I've had in the past years with angina or heart attack. Sometimes being short of breath can be just a sign of being unfit. How much do you exercise? A good thing would be to create a small exercise regime to start with. For example, pick a route for a 30 minute walk which only has to be between half a mile to a mile for starters. You can take your time walking. Pick a route with a slight incline, not very steep, but one which you know will make you a bit short of breath. We tend to forget how we felt as days pass, so keep a diary and fill it in when you get home. How out of breath 1-10. Any discomforts, pain 1-10. If you do this for just 3-4 days, the same route, you should see the numbers falling. If not, I would go back to your GP and show them your diary. Are you on any medications? when you get short of breath walking, do your legs ache?

[mich492]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me , I am awaiting results from standard stress test , so not sure if my doctor will go for one of the other tests ??, but would think it would defo help in finding out what is going on  with me, If i get the opportunity to ask for it I will , all my pains discomforts are on left side of chest & central , so as I keep saying with the other symtoms , I just cannot understand why we cannot get to the bottom of it  :-(  , thank you again for your advice , kindest regards

[mich492]

hello , computer has deleted a word above so i will try and describe it differently , the heart area pains are like tiny sharpish pains , they are the ones that do not last long ,

[mich492]

hi , I will do my best , I have had these pains/discomforts for 18+ months - so it is like the norm !!! daily , but they do change sometimes so I will do my best, most of the time the chest pain is left side above female chest - it is more like a dull ache - I think it is fair to say I would probably say I notice it more on rest , i have also had episodes of chest discomfort under the middle breastbone which feels like a pressure , I also get the occasional little ***** type pains right ware the heart area is ( these ones tend to not last long ) , I do not sweat with it ,and does not improve with positioning etc , in general the pain & discomforts are pain scale 1-4 , but on about 4 occasions in the night the pain has been quite strong almost borderline calling an ambulance quite scary which i did then sit up in bed  , I do get really out of breath walking upstairs and hills , but not really with the pain , my general gps & locums have in the past diagnosed it as Arthritus & on another occasion gastric , the medications for those conditions did not help although i did not have any tests to confirm those conditions , oh just seen the above no i do not have any lightheadedness , when all this started about 18 months ago my ectopics were alot more and my bp was high+ the doctor at time did prescibe propranolol for 6 months but then took me off of them my bp now average borderline - which seems a little higher when i have tested it in the evenings , I also get palpertations randomly , hope this helps , it is so frustrating not knowing what is happening ,

[ed34]

some things to consider in your reply...
Is the pain affected when you breathe, is it a sharp pain, does it pulsate or is it continuous, where is the pain, does it just occur when you are short of breath, Does moving into a certain position help with the pain. Do you sweat when you get the pain, do you feel nauseous, do you feel light headed.

[ed34]

can you describe the pain please?

[ACerulean]

To be honest, that does not sound like ischemic chest pain, i.e Angina. Angina usually comes on as a result of exercise or heavy stress and lasts only a few minutes after the exercise or stress ceases. Angina can also come on as a result of a heavy or fatty meal or cold weather. If the pains you are experiencing come on at random times, it would most likely be unstable Angina which is a sign that you have severe blockages and I highly doubt that that would be missed on a calcium scan. If you are truly worried though, speak with your doctor about a nuclear stress test or a stress echo both of which have their own benefits and both of which would determine if you had a blockage. Please remember that I am not a doctor and even if I was the best I could do would be to give advice. Do not take this to be medical help and please do not postpone or avoid medical treatment based solely on what I said. This is only my opinion.

[mich492]

to cover the above , I have had a calcium scan score which was zero
strong family history of heart disease