Is it possible to have a heart problem that does not affect you 100% of the time.
I have a heart murmer (from birth) am now in my forties. The heart doc did say that this condition can cause other problems later on in life??? But didnt say what. what i have now is i sometimes get bad chest ache, lots and lots of palpitations,sometimes a fast heart ( about 130 beats) i have had palps all my life but they are much worst now. I get short of breath just walking up the stairs or sometimes just talking, and at other times i can walk 2 miles and have no problems what so ever. I sometimes walk to the bust stop and get terrible chest ache/chest soreness after 20 yards or so,.but other days this does not happen. I get bad palps when i laydown, and a heavyness on my chest when i lay down. When i eat a big meal i have to sit still, or i get really really breathless. Another example is one day i was almost attacked by a yobbo who threatened to hit me in the street for no reason at all, i got very frightened and tried to carry on walking, i got breathess( but i think this may have been panick) but once home i got this horrible chest ache for a couple of hours and had to keep rubbing my chest to try to soothe it. I have been checked by a heart dr about 2 or so yrs ago and he said i was fine and to go away and not worry about it. But you know sometimes this chest ache is very bad, and the palpitations can go on for over 8 hours and it drives me mad. My dr has referred me to this heart dr again as she is concerned about my shortness of breath, but i know he is just going to think to himself ' oh her again, and he will just reassure me and send me on my way. I have an underactive thyroid, which i take 150mg thyroxine. My mum had angina and had a stroke aged 36. Dad is terminally ill with **** and heart faliure and atrial fibrulation? Is it possible to be able to do normal things one day and have a bad chest the next day. Ireally would appreciate some advice.

willow,

You are decribing almost classic angina symptoms.
You need to see a cardiologist to arrange either a nuclear stress test or an angiogram. DON'T go see someone who blew you off before...his ego will be at stake and he's apt to say the same thing out of habit.

For a good med, have you ever taken a beta-blocker like atenolol or propranolol? THey have a triple action: slower heart rate, lowered BP, and most importantly for angina sufferers, they cause weaker contractions that are less likely to cause an angina attack. You can carry cheap nitrates that you pop or squirt under your tongue for almost instantaneous relief.

Angina isn't a medical emergency, so you can choose to have or not have an angioplasty and if you don't you can rely on drugs to keep the pain at bay...and some strong statin to prevent further plaque build up.

I'm not diagnosing you, but it really look SO much like you suffer from ischemic angina, I thought I'd give you more info on the subject than the normal "see your doctor."

Thank you so much for your reply. I am wondering if i should ask to go see a different dr now as your right he will definitely just blow me off again with the 'your alright attitude' and this makes me worry more as i feel maybe there is something wrong and he is not listening. I may ask to go back to the heart hospital in London as that is where i always went as a child.
Is it possible though to have angina and not have the symptoms all the time . Mum had angina and when ever we went out we always had to stop after a short walk so she could catch her breath and restore her energy. Some days i am like this and other days i am fine, i can walk for miles some days and others not to the end of my road without discomfort??????? Surely angina would be there all the time, i know nothing at all about angina, i thought it was similar to someone getting a heart attack with stabbing chest pains etc. I do find if we go out to a restaurant that is very uncomfortable for me, if i have just 2 glasses of wine and a dinner and pudding i can barely breath afterwards, and i have only eaten a small meal as i can never finish it, but i find i have to go home and lie down???? sounds weird to me.

Angina is a VERY come-and-go kind of thing. And eating very often makes it act up.

For years (until my angioplasty) I thought I suffered from Chinese Restaurant Syndrome...it went away the day I got my stent :D.

I think the London hospital sounds like a good idea. Spell out and keep repeating the worrisome aspects like "an aching chest after rushing for the bus" and "shortness of breath after a heavy meal."
(That "running for the bus" problem was ALWAYS my problem...I think it's a mix of the exercise and the anxiety <am I gonna miss it> that does it....the normal "run" part would often be OK.)

Thanks Lenin, i am going to go back and ask my dr to send me up to London so i can see someone there who wont (hopefully) treat me like an idiot. I know exactly what you mean about the bus thing, i do worry is it going to come before i get to the stop!!!! also just recently i had a thug stop me in the street and he was shouting in my face and spitting, threatening to hit me etc. i stood my ground and the police attended, but my heart was sort of hurting, obviously i got short of breath but i think anyone would have as well, it was so scary. I sort of had to pant a little bit??????? Once i got home i had such bad chest ache, i had to keep rubbing my chest to try to soothe it but it didn't help??Then i get scared i might be having the start of a heart attack so of course if i get myself into a state, i will get panicky which will mimick the symptoms, ( but i must admit i did not cry or get hysterical so i feel i kept myself calm and in control) Only once before have i had this bad chest ache and that is when someone was trying to break into our house, they ran off but my heart really really was hurting, i said to my hubby should i call the dr but he said it was the fright and i would be fine, and i was!!!!!(eventually) So what symptoms did you have to let you know you had angina, and how did you get diagnosed, sorry to be so nosy. I was born with mild pulmonary valve stenosis and the heart consultant did say to me a few years ago that this problem can cause more heart problems later in life but said he wont tell me what as i might worry, he said i will know if i get this problem?? well i dont know what he meant but i d wish he had told me, is the problems i have now what he was on about, god only knows.

Well, i went back to my dr today to ask to go to the London hospital but she said it was not possible. I have to go to see the dr i dont want to see first and if he feels it neccessary he will refer me on to London. I am disapointed in this but am going to be VERY FIRM with my heart dr this time around. I have told my dr all my symptoms and she totally agrees that she feels i have Angina, so thanks Lenin for your advice, i would not have gone back to my dr if it were not for you saying about the angina. she has given me some tablets to put under my tongue for any attacks, and i am going to what she calls an urgent chest pain clinic for a treadmill test to confirm the diagnosis. Again this morning i was rushing for my bus and the chest discomfort was terrible, i wanted to stop and sit on the floor but could not as i would look like an idiot. At least when i have a firm diagnosis i will HAVEto take things easier. The dr said i must not do too much for now, not until i have my diagnosis and the heart doc will then tell me what to do from there on. I have also just eaten my dinner and am breathless again???? So thank you for your help, it is much appreciated.