Angina and what happens next
Discussion
Sorry Derek didn’t intend to worry, the cardiologist told me to carry on exercising and only stop if I get chest pain or shortness of breath. I’ve never had either and have been mountain biking and hill walking since with no problems at all!
It didn’t stop me being very nervous on the first climb though..
It didn’t stop me being very nervous on the first climb though..
Joscal said:
Sorry Derek didn’t intend to worry, the cardiologist told me to carry on exercising and only stop if I get chest pain or shortness of breath. I’ve never had either and have been mountain biking and hill walking since with no problems at all!
It didn’t stop me being very nervous on the first climb though..
I had to give up cycling because of a lower back injury. I preferred shorter top tubes and no suspension for off road, and this gave me a characteristic injury. Scarily, when I saw a physio she told me I was a cyclist - I had massive thighs so not out there - but then said I cycled off road, and that I cycled hunched forward as well as informing me that I was rather silly not to have suspension. I was told, ordered no less, to stop cycling immediately. Even on the road. I've recently given away my last bike to someone in the family. It only took around five years of non-use, but it was a big step. A book closed. I went everywhere on a bike. It was really hard. But then, a lot of the chronic pain has gone. Mind you, when I did have back ache, I found riding my bike was an excellent painkiller. I'd wake up around 3am in agony though.It didn’t stop me being very nervous on the first climb though..
My two boys are both keen cyclists, with my eldest having a couple of carbon fibre bikes, and my youngest just the one. They look stunning, but I haven't ridden them. They are thoughtful enough to hide them when I'm round their houses, maybe because they think I'll steal them.
Now, it seems, I have to monitor my pulse when I walk. I've always walked fast. I've owned big dogs and tended to go at their pace. If I now drop into my normal mode, the pulse rate monitor is there, ticking away, just like a sword of Damocles. The monitor has the facility for an alarm but it doesn't go down to 125bpm.
So long top tube, have suspension and don't do too much. Pain is not a consistent guardian. I've noticed that once you get going you can sort of run such things off.
I belonged to a rugby club and the physio there, in the NHS, reckoned that cycling was unhealthy when it is taken up competitively (don't we all compete, if only against the clock?). It does all sorts of things to your internal organs, making them swell. Not to any organ outside evidently, and it can give erection problems. But then, that'd give more time for cycling. She criticised cycling after dealing with all sorts of injuries, including a ghastly kneecap that decided to go walkabout. Until you've seen a kneecap on the side of a knee, you don't really understand rugby. The bloke, a hooker so understandable I suppose, seemed quite proud of it and welcomed everyone who came in for a look.
Best of luck and I hope you can continue cycling until your dotage.
Cycling is unhealthy ?
Compared to what ?
Sounds like nonsense to me. There are so many factors at work here with us chaps past the first flush of youth.
A mate of mine from work died a few years back,
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/great...
He was fit as a flea, remember climbing with him going past grinning and shouting "MEGA", oh do f
k off Steve I am suffering here and your unbounded enthusiasm is rather grating 
But, he had apparently ignored symptoms before, I am lucky that I have never had any symptoms aside from being not fit enough for a given hill, anything untoward, if I dont drop down dead there and then I will be straight to the hospital.
In the meantime, slogging my fat arse uphill gives the lardy organ in my chest a good dyno session and I notice the benefits.
Erectile dysfunction, I put a spate of that down to my saddle, booze, weight, age and god knows what else, was actually my Thyroid dying on its arse, thats why its best to ask actual doctors rather than Car enthusiasts !
Compared to what ?
Sounds like nonsense to me. There are so many factors at work here with us chaps past the first flush of youth.
A mate of mine from work died a few years back,
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/great...
He was fit as a flea, remember climbing with him going past grinning and shouting "MEGA", oh do f
k off Steve I am suffering here and your unbounded enthusiasm is rather grating But, he had apparently ignored symptoms before, I am lucky that I have never had any symptoms aside from being not fit enough for a given hill, anything untoward, if I dont drop down dead there and then I will be straight to the hospital.
In the meantime, slogging my fat arse uphill gives the lardy organ in my chest a good dyno session and I notice the benefits.
Erectile dysfunction, I put a spate of that down to my saddle, booze, weight, age and god knows what else, was actually my Thyroid dying on its arse, thats why its best to ask actual doctors rather than Car enthusiasts !
Can I add my recent experience to this thread?
About 11 years ago I had a stent fitted at James Cook Hospital M bro.
Just before last Christmas I experienced a 'strange' feeling and chest tightening.
My doc did ECG and gave me a GTN spray, booking me in to see a consultant early March.
Consultant advised an Echo Cardio stress test ,booked for mid April.
Obviously this was cancelled.
I rang Darlinton Memorial hospital eary June and asked if they were restarting routine appointments.
They contacted me two weeks later to book me in for the following tuesday.
On the day this usually very busy hospital was vitually empty.
The 10 bed cardio ward had only two of us.
It seems that people were refusing to attend,citing Covid.Frankly I would rather have my heart sorted than worry about catching Covid.
I was seen and the registrar, who had nothing else to do reviewed my results.
I was booked in for an angiogram in two weeks time as she said' theres something about your heart im not happy with'.
However I was rung at home the next day, wednesday and asked if i could attend that friday.
Again an empty ward!
This I did, the results were not the best and I was referred to James Cook to go on a list for triple bypass surgery.
I have seen the surgeon who will preform the operation and he is confident of the outcome.
It seems that one of my heart arteries is fully closed and he thinks the strange feeling was in fact a very mild heart attack.
The dilemma I have is that he has advised that I can carry on as I am, but it will only get worse,so operate now or wait?
I'm going ahead with it, not looking forward to it, but want it done. Im in the best heart hospital.
Moral of story, if you have any form of chest pains of short of breath dont mess around get seen a.s.a.p.
About 11 years ago I had a stent fitted at James Cook Hospital M bro.
Just before last Christmas I experienced a 'strange' feeling and chest tightening.
My doc did ECG and gave me a GTN spray, booking me in to see a consultant early March.
Consultant advised an Echo Cardio stress test ,booked for mid April.
Obviously this was cancelled.
I rang Darlinton Memorial hospital eary June and asked if they were restarting routine appointments.
They contacted me two weeks later to book me in for the following tuesday.
On the day this usually very busy hospital was vitually empty.
The 10 bed cardio ward had only two of us.
It seems that people were refusing to attend,citing Covid.Frankly I would rather have my heart sorted than worry about catching Covid.
I was seen and the registrar, who had nothing else to do reviewed my results.
I was booked in for an angiogram in two weeks time as she said' theres something about your heart im not happy with'.
However I was rung at home the next day, wednesday and asked if i could attend that friday.
Again an empty ward!
This I did, the results were not the best and I was referred to James Cook to go on a list for triple bypass surgery.
I have seen the surgeon who will preform the operation and he is confident of the outcome.
It seems that one of my heart arteries is fully closed and he thinks the strange feeling was in fact a very mild heart attack.
The dilemma I have is that he has advised that I can carry on as I am, but it will only get worse,so operate now or wait?
I'm going ahead with it, not looking forward to it, but want it done. Im in the best heart hospital.
Moral of story, if you have any form of chest pains of short of breath dont mess around get seen a.s.a.p.
Crikey, reading this thread is making me worry. Please don't think I'm being flippant and I hope I'm not asking a daft question...... What is meant by "if you're short of breath?" I used to race up to 30 years ago (including 12 hrs TT's) and have always puffed and panted going uphill or flat-out - is that normal? I can't believe I've been on borrowed time for the last 40 years. As well as the puffing and panting I find the thing that I get what I guess is lactic build up and my legs just lose strength. No chest pains thankfully. The previous are serious questions/statements, I've always believed to be normal so have never asked anyone's opinion about them.
Fastpedeller said:
Crikey, reading this thread is making me worry. Please don't think I'm being flippant and I hope I'm not asking a daft question...... What is meant by "if you're short of breath?" I used to race up to 30 years ago (including 12 hrs TT's) and have always puffed and panted going uphill or flat-out - is that normal? I can't believe I've been on borrowed time for the last 40 years. As well as the puffing and panting I find the thing that I get what I guess is lactic build up and my legs just lose strength. No chest pains thankfully. The previous are serious questions/statements, I've always believed to be normal so have never asked anyone's opinion about them.
In this context “short of breath” means getting breathless doing things that you would not normally get breathless doing i.e. it will differ from person to person. So for example if you can usually cycle a hundred clicks on your normal route and you suddenly have to stop after doing ten because you’re out of puff, that’s a problem. Similarly a little old lady who has taken to sleeping downstairs because she’s become too knackered to climb up them may also potentially have a problem. My syptoms are rather strange. On a warm day i can dig the garden/allotment for around two hours with no problems, not needing my 'puffer'.
However just going outside on a cold/rainy day and getting in the car causes a tightening in my chest.Even my consultant couldn't explain it.
He did mention that part of my heart wasn't working and the other parts were having to work harder so could be affected. If you have any concerns just keep a watch, your body will soon send you messages!
However just going outside on a cold/rainy day and getting in the car causes a tightening in my chest.Even my consultant couldn't explain it.
He did mention that part of my heart wasn't working and the other parts were having to work harder so could be affected. If you have any concerns just keep a watch, your body will soon send you messages!
mikyman said:
My syptoms are rather strange. On a warm day i can dig the garden/allotment for around two hours with no problems, not needing my 'puffer'.
However just going outside on a cold/rainy day and getting in the car causes a tightening in my chest.Even my consultant couldn't explain it.
He did mention that part of my heart wasn't working and the other parts were having to work harder so could be affected. If you have any concerns just keep a watch, your body will soon send you messages!
Thread resurrection However just going outside on a cold/rainy day and getting in the car causes a tightening in my chest.Even my consultant couldn't explain it.
He did mention that part of my heart wasn't working and the other parts were having to work harder so could be affected. If you have any concerns just keep a watch, your body will soon send you messages!
How are you getting on.
Thread Resurrection 2
It's the speed it happened that surprised me. I've never been overly fit, but I have always been active. For example, last summer I put in a concrete hardstanding for a summerhouse in the back garden, 4m x 3m x 150mm thick, on my own, in a day. I did have a concrete mixer but, in a misguided efficiency drive, I left the sand at the front of the house so as not to move it twice. Started at dawn, finished just after dark. I couldn't contemplate it now. I was 68 then, I'm 69 now.
In the run up to my retirement, after my industry decided it didn't need any old boys, I took a job moving cars. Deliver a car out in the sticks and make your own way back to civilisation. Walking was frequent and a ten mile walk was the worst. Other than delaying the next move, it wasn't a problem. Three weeks ago I left my car at the paint shop and walked home. It's about a mile and a half. I had to stop a couple of times. There was tightness and discomfort in my throat, pain and pressure in my chest and pain in both upper arms. When I stopped to 'look at my phone' the pain and discomfort subsided and after a minute or so I carried on. A couple of days later days I walked back to collect the car and had to stop five times. That equates to stopping every three or four hundred yards. The following morning, I rang the GP surgery to ask for an appointment and expected one sometime around Bonfire Night. Dear old NHS. I rang at 9 and was in at 10.30 being diagnosed with angina. Came away with a carrier bag full of drugs and appointments for an X-ray and blood test. Then I had an appointment with a cardiologist at the Royal Berks. Yes, angina, here, have more drugs. Using your spray? Not enough. Use it liberally. Angiogram booked for three weeks' time.
There is no history of heart trouble on either side of my family but, looking back, the discomfort in my throat, chest and arms has been there mildly for a while.
Next? Depending on the results of the angiogram, I will either stay on the drugs for good, have a stent or two fitted, or have a heart bypass. I'm absolutely astonished, not only by it happening at all but also by the response of the NHS.
Look out for the symptoms and look after yourself.
It's the speed it happened that surprised me. I've never been overly fit, but I have always been active. For example, last summer I put in a concrete hardstanding for a summerhouse in the back garden, 4m x 3m x 150mm thick, on my own, in a day. I did have a concrete mixer but, in a misguided efficiency drive, I left the sand at the front of the house so as not to move it twice. Started at dawn, finished just after dark. I couldn't contemplate it now. I was 68 then, I'm 69 now.
In the run up to my retirement, after my industry decided it didn't need any old boys, I took a job moving cars. Deliver a car out in the sticks and make your own way back to civilisation. Walking was frequent and a ten mile walk was the worst. Other than delaying the next move, it wasn't a problem. Three weeks ago I left my car at the paint shop and walked home. It's about a mile and a half. I had to stop a couple of times. There was tightness and discomfort in my throat, pain and pressure in my chest and pain in both upper arms. When I stopped to 'look at my phone' the pain and discomfort subsided and after a minute or so I carried on. A couple of days later days I walked back to collect the car and had to stop five times. That equates to stopping every three or four hundred yards. The following morning, I rang the GP surgery to ask for an appointment and expected one sometime around Bonfire Night. Dear old NHS. I rang at 9 and was in at 10.30 being diagnosed with angina. Came away with a carrier bag full of drugs and appointments for an X-ray and blood test. Then I had an appointment with a cardiologist at the Royal Berks. Yes, angina, here, have more drugs. Using your spray? Not enough. Use it liberally. Angiogram booked for three weeks' time.
There is no history of heart trouble on either side of my family but, looking back, the discomfort in my throat, chest and arms has been there mildly for a while.
Next? Depending on the results of the angiogram, I will either stay on the drugs for good, have a stent or two fitted, or have a heart bypass. I'm absolutely astonished, not only by it happening at all but also by the response of the NHS.
Look out for the symptoms and look after yourself.
I'd say get to the hospital, a relative worked manual labour and had pains in his chest. Phoned the doctor who said get down to the hospital that night. He wasn't going to bother and planned to go for a few pints and then to work the next morning. Something clicked and he went to the hospital and had scans and tests and they said he had stents put in, they said if he'd ignored it and went back to work he'd have had a heart attack.
That was over 20 years ago and he's as fit as a fiddle in his late 70's now.
That was over 20 years ago and he's as fit as a fiddle in his late 70's now.
sutoka said:
I'd say get to the hospital, a relative worked manual labour and had pains in his chest. Phoned the doctor who said get down to the hospital that night. He wasn't going to bother and planned to go for a few pints and then to work the next morning. Something clicked and he went to the hospital and had scans and tests and they said he had stents put in, they said if he'd ignored it and went back to work he'd have had a heart attack.
That was over 20 years ago and he's as fit as a fiddle in his late 70's now.
Angiogram on the 17th April. The NHS are taking it very seriously. I'm amazed at the speed they've responded. Neither the GP nor the cardiologist mentioned diet but both asked if i smoked, which I don't. There are a few treats I can cut down on though.That was over 20 years ago and he's as fit as a fiddle in his late 70's now.
Thanks!
Forgot about this thread! Great advice if you have any doubts on any odd pains put aside your fears and go to A&E, us men can be a bit dumb when it comes to these things there is no point in delaying. It’s meat and drink to hospitals and you’ll get seen to quickly.
I’m on ramipril, daily aspirin and a statin. I knew something wasn’t right and worried myself sick for ages before I got checked.
I now consider myself lucky to be here I could have gone pop at anytime.
I’m on ramipril, daily aspirin and a statin. I knew something wasn’t right and worried myself sick for ages before I got checked.
I now consider myself lucky to be here I could have gone pop at anytime.
I just want to add from personal experience here.
In the last 10 days I have felt a bit under the weather. Yesterday after having flown back from 'stan I started to get chest pains in various places then they moved to the back, but no breathlessness. Now ordinarily I would have just ignored but after a TIA last year decided it best to get down to A&E. Got there around 6;30pm.
Almost immediately they did an ECG & BP test. ECG was fine, upper BP high but not ridiculously, heart rate normal. Had a conversation with doctor after about an hour. They took some bloods, then he requested a chest x-ray. After the x-ray he noted a potential issue, that could cause similar symptoms to a heart attack, so he then requested a CT scan which finally got done around midnight. By the time they got results it was around 2am. Fortunately that was clear, They decided to take some more bloods to confirm there had been no heart attack. Again clear.
Concusion from doctor was I've probably laid or sat badly which has triggered the pain. I got home around 4am this morning! So today I still have some soreness in my back which actually now feels exactly as it has when I have spent too long seated badly.
So a false alarm, but the hospital seemed to take it all seriously. & whilst I seemed to be in there for ever, can't complain.
In the last 10 days I have felt a bit under the weather. Yesterday after having flown back from 'stan I started to get chest pains in various places then they moved to the back, but no breathlessness. Now ordinarily I would have just ignored but after a TIA last year decided it best to get down to A&E. Got there around 6;30pm.
Almost immediately they did an ECG & BP test. ECG was fine, upper BP high but not ridiculously, heart rate normal. Had a conversation with doctor after about an hour. They took some bloods, then he requested a chest x-ray. After the x-ray he noted a potential issue, that could cause similar symptoms to a heart attack, so he then requested a CT scan which finally got done around midnight. By the time they got results it was around 2am. Fortunately that was clear, They decided to take some more bloods to confirm there had been no heart attack. Again clear.
Concusion from doctor was I've probably laid or sat badly which has triggered the pain. I got home around 4am this morning! So today I still have some soreness in my back which actually now feels exactly as it has when I have spent too long seated badly.
So a false alarm, but the hospital seemed to take it all seriously. & whilst I seemed to be in there for ever, can't complain.
The junior doctors' strike has delayed my angiogram appointment. Until the results of the angiogram are known I won't be put on to a repeat prescription. This is because the diagnosis may leave me on medication or may result in stents being fitted or, worst case, bypass surgery. Okay, understand that, I'm not on a repeat prescription but, running low on nitroglycerin spray, I rang the surgery to ask for more. The surgery pharmacist said it sounded like I was using too much. I replied that the GP who prescribed it said to use it when I felt pain but the cardiologist said to use it pre-emptively. If I was going to do something that had caused discomfort, use the stray first. Use it liberally was his expression. The pharmacist said she did know of people who used the spray pre-emptively. A squirt before they played tennis, for example.
Played tennis?
Tennis?
I can't walk upstairs without discomfort. I've no idea what their malady is but it's not what I've got.
Played tennis?
Tennis?
I can't walk upstairs without discomfort. I've no idea what their malady is but it's not what I've got.
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