Aa
Angina
Can someone tell me from personal experience what Angina REALLY feels like? I have looked all over the internet and can't seem to find a good description. Is it a miserable feeling, a crushing feeling? I would sure like to know as I have had chronic chest pains for three years now (yes, been to the ER several times, Nuclear Stress Test--normal) Can someone who has Angina please tell me how it feels to them? I am a 40-year old male. .
Best Answer
I have small vessel disease and have had a few heart attacks. My chest pain with the spasms and the angina have always been the same. Burning ache that radiates up to my jaw and at times as far as my cheek bones. It is always dead center in my chest. But the best way I can describe it is a burning ache. Not pain. I even have problems with upper back discomfort. I describe that as a pins and needles sensation with a back ache.
I've had many different forms of angina, and it seemed related to which artery it was associated with. For example, I had a really weird throat discomfort on exertion, and this then spread into the lower jaw. It was like all my lower teeth had a dull ache and it was an effort to move my jaw. If I stood still or sat down, then this would remove the symptoms within 30 seconds. If I didn't stop, and carried on exerting myself, then I would start to get chest pains, starting mild and increasing in intensity. So, I used the throat discomfort as an early warning system. With the throat it was always my Left Circumflex artery.
When my LAD had problems, I would get chest pain, left arm/shoulder ache and sometimes a backpain, just below the shoulders in the middle. Again, about 30 seconds or less recovery time.
In both cases, it wasn't just exertion which brought on the angina. But this depends on the severity of the blockages, each case with me was 90% or greater. Eating would also bring on the symptoms. This is because the heart works harder when you digest food.
When my LAD had problems, I would get chest pain, left arm/shoulder ache and sometimes a backpain, just below the shoulders in the middle. Again, about 30 seconds or less recovery time.
In both cases, it wasn't just exertion which brought on the angina. But this depends on the severity of the blockages, each case with me was 90% or greater. Eating would also bring on the symptoms. This is because the heart works harder when you digest food.
How do you feel the angina and how do you feel the heart attack I have been told that varies from person to person... in my case I had pain under the left collar bone, a sort of pressure, but I was very surprised when commenting with my cardiologist that I often have blood taste in the mouth and he immediately said that was angina too, in fact he fix it with some nitro patches.
Jesus
Jesus
Thanks...With yours does it occur only with exertion? How long do your attacks take place for? Are there any medications that work well for you to stem the attacks?
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.
