Hi all:wave:

I have DCM and CHF. Lately I have been getting an ache on my left side, sort of at the 5th or 6th rib area, up into my breast and armpit. It seems low for heart pain, and no pain in my middle chest, just in that side rib area, and sometimes in my back left area, just below my shoulder blade. It's in the same area the cardiologist puts his stethoscope when he listens for the S3gallop.

If anyone here does have angina, can you tell me what it feels like and where you feel it?

Now that I have been diagnosed with heart problems, I'm starting to get paranoid about every little thing, and I used to be such a laid back relaxed person ... this stinks.:blob_fire

Thanks
Lynne

Hi Lynne,

I had DCM and CHF (defined as an EF less than 30%. Medication has reversed heart remodeling to a normal size and EF is 59% (recent echo). Hasn't meds helped your condition?

Angina is described as pain anywhere from the arm to the jaw and back. Or it may be just chest discomfort. The "pain" usually happens with exertion or emotion stress, and quickly disipates with rest and an emotionless state. This would be stable angina as the pain only happens when there is a demand for more oxygen/blood and the heart's demand is not met.

Unstable angina is pain or discomfort without exertion, etc. Your pain symptoms and locations cannot rule out angina pectoris.

Hi, There are several types of angina. The common form is usually felt when the heart is working harder - esp. during strong exercise when more oxygen-rich blood has to be pumped to the muscles. The overall feeling is heaviness across the chest, leading to an uncomfortable pressure sensation. With continuing activity this becomes mild pain then strong pain and a feeling that your chest will explode. This is a danger point where an affected part the heart muscle can fail and a heart attack result.
Often the pain radiates from the chest into the arm, lower chest, neck and back. Importantly, abruptly stopping the exercise leads to a quick recovery. Medications (esp nitrates), taken as patches, tablets, or sprays can rapidly dilate the cardiovascular arteries and also provide quick relief.
Other, more dangerous forms of angina can strike at random times, and sometimes the restricted blood flow around the heart can occur with little or no pain or warning sign, but with the same serious consequences. Quite a high proportion of those suffering heart attacks do so without experiencing angina or any other warning signs.
With your history it's most important to get a careful and thorough diagnosis.:cool:
All I can say is that lower levels of angina are not usually that painful but more of a sensation of pressure or tightness.
Hope this helps a bit. ;)
Beefy.

I had DCM and CHF (defined as an EF less than 30%. Medication has reversed heart remodeling to a normal size and EF is 59% (recent echo).

Hi Ken, we seem to have doubled up for Lynne here. Anyway that does not matter.
I was interested to hear about the use of medication to radically improve your heart to normal size, and the vastly improved EF.
Can you describe that in more detail Ken, including the types of medication that achieved this. What you have done is quite an achievement!
Thanks, and Good health to all,
Beefy :wave:

Hi Lynne,

I had DCM and CHF (defined as an EF less than 30%. Medication has reversed heart remodeling to a normal size and EF is 59% (recent echo). Hasn't meds helped your condition?



That is quite an achievement. I had an EF of 20% and class 3 CHF when I was diagnosed on May 15th of this year. I would also be interested to know what meds you are on. I have been prescribed Coreg, Altace and Asprin for my cardiac problems. I'm also on Insulin and Diamicron for the diabetes. I hope I can recover as well as you have. Congrats.

Lynne

Beefy, Lynne:

My medications are a beta blocker (coreg) and an ACE inhibitor (lisinopril). The BB has my resting HR (first thing in the morning) around 60 bpm and about 80 during the day. The BB and ACE inhibitor has my BP around normal (120/78). Aspirin, discontinued clopidogrel (plavix) after several months. Isosorbide to specifically target coronary arteries and dilate, digitek to aid heart contractions and a furosemide for fluid control (somewhat puzzled why, given my heart is functioning properly, and there is no retention of fluids)?!.

Originally M-Mode values were left ventricle diastolic 6.2cm and LV systole 5.2cm. Later M-mode values were 4.5cm and 4.0cm respectively.

I regularily exercise, diet is heart friendly, and I sleep very well (like a rock).

I believe my classification would not be class 3, more likely 2 based on what I have read.

Hiya Lynne,

I am a first time poster on this section of HB, but I was wondering if you might be having pain from costochondritis. This is inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs and leads to pain in the actual bones in the chest wall. This is a condition I have had for a number of years, and have quite extreme tretment for it, but it an be treated in different ways, dependent on the severity of it. It does sound like this type of thing to me - although obviously I'm not diagnosing you. Might be worth looking into for you.

I know the fear of anything happening in the chest area though. I have had 3 heart attcks, one of which happened after my triple bypass and have recentlyy been diagnosed with CHF and CLF. The left ventricle is dilated, and I feel as though I have been hit with a ten ton truck with this news. I thought I had all of my heart problems under control. Things are very scarey.

I hope the costo information is of use to you. If you go into the search section and type it in, there is lot of information there. I have discussed this lots of times on the lupus and fibro boards - both of which I have.

Take care

goldenwings :angel:

Lynne,

My feeling is the same as goldenwings, costochondritis.

Since I am/have been a sufferer of three of these kinds of things: frank angina pain from ischemia, costochondritis from ligament tears, and god-awful muscle tears from heavy lifting during chest workouts, I've been through the "what-is-it" routine so often myself that I can pretty much FEEL what is the source of the pain. THe latter two seem more "surfacy" to me rather than emanating from deep within like angina. For me angina is always a heartburn that goes from discomfort to an intense flaming, radiating mid chest, neck and shoulder burn...but deep inside...not unlike realizing that the coffee I just filled my mouth with was scalding hot and instead of spitting it out I swallowed it fast...that's my angina to a tee.
(But I know everyone perceives angina with variations.)

Chest or rib originating pain is ALWAYS sensitive to certain motions or deep breathing, angina NEVER is.

For those of the costochondritisphilia persuation, Lynne stated her HF is class 3 meaning that conducting ordinary tasks may bring on symptoms.

what about me, i take verapamil for my irrgeular heart beat, thats all i got, im 24 years old. I have pain on either side sometimes, but i can actually pin point it and recreate the pressure. i also have pain in one spot on my left arm which i can also pin point, but i do drive with that arm or sitting it out the window, i sit really low, its the area where my arm meets my shoulder, i think its the way i sit. and one other thing, when i left my arms over my head it feels like when i lower it back down blood rushes back down to it, i know i sound weird but i know it could be just gravity, or the way i do it when i lean to a certain side.... LOL

I dont think it is cause i can find it and it feels like its over the rib cage, but just wondering

ops dbl post