Do i have angina

[sarajane42]

i am a 42 yr old woman, 6 months ago i was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse, and a hole in my heart which the doctor told me i did not need to worry about right now. I also had a stress test that came back normal. I was also told I had Intermittent high blood pressure. I also have high cholesterol since I was 18. I just started taking medication for it.
I have a family history of heart disease and I am over weight.

My question recently I started to become short of breath simply walking up a flight of stairs at the same time I also get pain in my jaw, which goes away as soon as I rest. I have been more depressed in the passed year too. Could this be from a blockage? What test should be done next? Do I need to be concerened if the stress test came back normal?

[cblmn7]

good luck with your tests hope it comes out well

[sarajane42]

Thank you!! I have an appointment on Monday to see my GP so I can get a referral for the Cardiologist. I am going to request more test because I just feel something is not right.

[cblmn7]

I have had similar symptoms as you have. i also had a stress test which came back normal so my dr then did a cath which showed blockage so he put in a stent that doesnt mean the same for you but a heart cath is one test that is the best for finding blockages if you have them.

[ed34]

Exercise tolerance tests are not really a tool designed to look for blockages, they cannot do that. It's basically a glorified ECG machine which examines the function of your Heart as you work it harder and harder. Of course, problems can occur and show up to the operator but many times nothing will show up. This is because the electrical activity of your heart would have to change for him/her to see a change. In my test, after just two minutes I was really suffering with throat discomfort, chest pains, jaw ache and I was getting short of breath. He simply said "nothing is showing up, please carry on". I couldn't go on because of the discomfort and stopped. I don't care what that ECG was showing, I could feel something was not right and my heart was struggling.
I then had a nuclear perfusion scan to see which area of my heart was being deprived of Oxygen or had tissue damage. Everyone was shocked because it actually showed my heart was in great shape and had no problems. If you look at the angiogram from that time, which shows my coronary arteries, you will see just how badly blocked they all were. So, as I have said many times, each test has its own specific reasons and without the results from them all, you cannot build up a FULL picture of heart problems.
You need to know that the heart is in sync, the electrical impulses are in order, the chambers and wall thicknesses are within normal range, the valves are working correctly, the heart tissue is not damaged, the coronary arteries are not blocked or forming blockages. So lots of tests are required for a full picture.

Shortness of breath can be brought about by many things, including a chest infection. I wouldnt like to comment at this stage as to whether it is angina or not. You will need to discuss the symptoms with a cardiologist. From what you say, regarding jaw ache which disappears if you relax, it does sound possible to be angina.

[Yvette BG]

From the reading I've done, stress tests have about a 90% reliability. So that's means that about 10% of the time, stress tests fail to detect blockage(s), etc.  

Depression is now viewed as a risk factor for heart disease. From what I understand, researchers are still trying to figure out which comes first--does depression lead to a high level of inflammatory proteins in the body and then that causes heart disease?

I am not a doctor...But given all that you've got going on here (high cholesterol, fluctuating blood pressure, overweight, family history of heart disease, depression, mitral valve prolapse, and a hole in your heart which I suspect they may think is something you were born with), it sounds like this may be angina. The fact that lately you are having shortness of breath with very little activity (plus pain along with it) means it's time to get it checked out. I would call your cardiologist today and explain these new symptoms and get an appointment as soon as you can. They will probably want to do an echocardiogram, which they should compare to the one you had 6 months ago, and likely other tests as well. (If it was your GP/internist diagnosed your MVP, etc. 6 months ago, I would call his/her office and ask for the name of a cardiologist to see.)

Try not to worry (I know, easier said than done), and focus on taking one step at a time. But please don't delay, and keep us posted as to what you find out.

Best of luck!