I am a 58 year old woman diagnosed with vascular spams to the heart. My blood pressure began soaring to 180/120. My other symptoms seemed heart related, so I went to a Cardiologist. My EKG was normal. I completed nine minutes on a treadmill stress test (with nuclear die) and that showed no abnormalities. I had an ultrasound that was normal except for slight (age related) thickening, but it did catch the arrhythmia. After these tests, the doctor prescribed Cardizem LA 120 mg and the next day the tightness/squeezing in my chest eased, but the other symptoms remained. He upped it to 240 mg and it is again better but the symptoms are still interfering with my life. I have been on the 240 mg for a month now. I do have a family history of heart trouble. I was in a program of weight lifting alternated with aerobic exercise for eight months prior to the beginning of symptoms and I am eager to get back on it.
Symptoms: My blood pressure now regularly runs 132/92 and 94 but it can go up to 162/100 (this is a big concern for me) and is often in the normal range, my heart thumps, has irregular beats and feels like it is racing. I get lightheaded, have squeezing and tightness in chest, panting feeling, night sweats, lead weight feeling in arms and legs, exhaustion, pain in left arm or sometimes a tingling which extends up my neck, pain in jaw and ear, tingling in face. Sometimes I have to sleep sitting up and I still have a slight dry cough with a prolonged?wheeze?
What else should be checked. I have limited insurance so they are hesitating doing tests.