angina? Please read and respond...

[Ihatepalps2]

I am a 48 yr old female...have high BP and am overweight..otherwise pretty healthy. I have been doing so research on the computer & I wish I had not. Im VERY scared.
For about the past week, I have noticed that when I walk a distance, and not that far, just from my car to my desk, etc ( its like half a block) IN THE COLD..that when I get done, my chest BURNS...and I feel slightly short of breath. I have never had this before. Is this angina?? A bit of background..I have anxiety....and have had alot of heart tests over the years because I have palpitations..they are benign...PVCs and PACs..I had a stress test several years ago..have had echos, EKGs, holter monitor ( I wore one in August of this year-would THAT show Angina?)
Can Angina come on suddenly out of nowhere? My cardiologist told me in August that I was fine. But now this develops seemingly out of nowhere...EXCEPT....that I had the H1N1 flu in mid November...Im over it by about 3 weeks now...and it started with a cough..and I have a bit of a cough yet...I just saw my dr at work yesterday...she thinks its inflammation of bronchial tubes...and gave me an inhaler..so I am totally confused....
I shouldnt have been looking on the internet..all it did was scare me...
but..if this is angina..or cardiac related...I want to do something about it!! I am almost embarassed to call my cardio on Monday with this..since he just told me in Aug that my palpitations were nothing..and to go ahead and exercise..
Can anyone answer my questions? Please? Anyone familiar with Angina..and do I need to be so scared?

[kenkeith]

Angina is a very imprecise term for an indivdual.  There may be chest pains or no pain whatsoever for a heart event. The pain can also be to the back, jaw, radiating down the arm, etc. and pain can vary in intensity.

The discormfort or pain is the result of the heart cells not receiving enough blood/oxygen, and with exertion there is more demand for blood, and if the arteries are narrowed, there is relatively less blood getting through and the increase of demand causes the angina.

[Ihatepalps2]

because I have never experienced any kind of "chest pain"... that is such a broad term. When some talks about "chest pain" and its more than likely cardiac related...what exactly, in laymans terms, does it mean? Feel like? Sounds like an ignorant question, I know..but I do not mean it in that sense. I can read the websites, and how it describes...but so many people here talk about their "chest pain"... and I wonder...exactly what do they mean? Chest pain with Angina...ok... is that an ache? Stabbing? unbearable? Burning? I am just curious what everyones own description would be.

[kenkeith]

It is unlikely that chest pain would come on and stay all day regardless whether or not you are physically active.  That would be unstable angina and usually progresses from stable angina (chest pain with exertion).  The esphogus malady can cause the problem you describe, and the side effects from inhaler can be probablematic.

If you have angina a nitrate can relieve the problem, so if you go to a doctor ask for a sample of a nitrate...the results would be immediate if it is angina and for some esphogus pain as well.  

[Ihatepalps2]

The cardiologist said I was fine in August...4 months ago...
And Im not coughing much any more. But I did ask if it could be heart related...she listened to my heart...lungs..and said not likely...more likely that my lungs are still recovering...
Now today, I was on the go non-stop. And although my chest burned SLIGHTLY off and on...i wasnt short of breath..and I have no other symptoms of any kind...
I was outside for at least an hour..and my chest just hurt/burned just about the whole time. I would think that would point to NOT being angina..and just the fact that I was breathing in cold air on my recouperating lungs...cause it still feels like it now, a tiny bit.
I dont know that angina can last all day non stop..as just simply a burning sensation high up in the chest...almost like in the throat and esphogus.....

?
Weird.

If it continues...and the inhaler doesnt work, I will contact the cardio...anybody think what Im saying is right?

[cath911]

If your Cardiologist says you are fine, and your GP has given you an inhaler I would go with that. The H1N1 can be pretty nasty. It can take quite a while for your lungs to recover from this virus. Imagine the lining coated with dead white cells having killed off the bug, now your lungs have a cleaning up exercise which takes time. You probably still have some of the virus in there being fought. I've had the same bug for three weeks now and still have a terrible cough and get short of breath. I am also experiencing chest pains from it but I put that down to all the coughing. Cold weather can affect anyone even if they have a great heart, it can simply also be a sign of being unfit. Keep up the exercising but try to do this in a warm environment. If your cardiologist says you are fine, I would go with that and the inhaler does point to your lungs needing more time to recover.