After an episode of crushing chest pain that lasted 30-45 minutes, I was admitted to the hospital, determined not to have had a heart attack, but was observed overnight.
That night I had a 6 beat run of vtach. I am now on a 30 day monitor.
My symptoms seem to be getting worse. Now its short bursts of crushing chest pain, almost always when my heart drops into the 50-65 bpm range. Then I feel like my head is going to explode and my left arm goes numb – earlier it was even the whole left side of my body. Last night I had stabbing pains that jolted me out of a sound sleep. I have to wait several days before they can tell me what my monitor says for that time.
If I ran to the ER every time this happened, I’d just as well sleep in the parking lot because I’d be going every day. So what causes such awful pain at low heart rates in a healthy 30 something female with strong family heart disease history?
EKGs have been normal (sinus brady)
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typically chest pain (angina, Prinzmetals Spasm) is caused when the heart muscle is not receiving enough oxgen, so the artery tries to dilate to bring more blood flow to the cardiac muscle/tissue. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) prevents the artery from dilating (hardened artery or plaque build up) so it spasms, causing chest pain.
It could be that at that slow rate, there isnt enough cardiac output to supply that area of the heart muscle with oxygen, so you have angina.
Im suprised they didnt do a stress test or take you down to the cath lab. Also, did they scan you for calcium deposits on your coronary artery? Do a C-reactive protein test to determine your risk and the amount of inflammed endothelium in your heart (indicatior of heart disease/heart attack risk). I would see a physician asap (cardiologist), decrease your stress and oxygen demand if its truly cardiac in origin.
Good luck.
It sounds like maybe you arent getting enough oxygen when you sleep, which then makes your heart “spasm”
IF it happens when you are sleeping or lying down, try sleeping in an upright position and see if that helps. You might also see if you can get a sleep study which will tell you if you have Sleep Apnea, which could be the root cause of your heart problems.
Goodluck
Eat less animal fat like cheese, eggs, ice cream & meat.
Don’t eat within 4 hours of sleep.
It sounds like your heart isn’t getting enough oxygen. You could have angina pectoris but I would consult your doctor before jumping to conclusions. Ask him or her about a stress test. By the way, I can’t put myself in your shoes but I feel your pain. I am a 21 y/o male with some heart troubles and know what it feels like to be in your position. I will keep you in my prayers, okay? God Bless.