chronic chest pain

[Clar85]

I have been dealing with chest pain for over a year now I have had several ekgs a stress test that came up abnormal so then they did an angiogram which came back normal yet I am still having chronic pain in the left side of my chest off and on  and its sharp I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO !!!!!!!!!! I am tired of hurting all the time....what should I do next???????????

[kenkeith]

Arterial spasm is a well recognized phenomenon occurring during coronary angiography and angioplasty. The incidence of spasm varies with the type of approach, the catheter used and the skill of the angiographer.

Invasive catheterization can lead to mechanically induced spasm of coronary arteries, but that may history with the advancement of CT multi sliced scan angiogram (low risk of radiation).  There is medical documentation where catheter induced coronary spasm was uncovered with a CT angiogram.  From what I have read it is not unusual to unintentionly induce a spasm with a cath, and if so how does a doctor differentiate?  Is it possible a doctor can't distinquish and stents the location of the spasm?

Has the doctor ruled out pericarditis.  This is inflammation of the fluid that surrounds and in place within a sac...pericarditis can happen and then go away, come back, etc. without being diagnosed  Also, there can be inflammation of the membranes and/or the cartiledge of the chest area.  Usually taking a deep breath exacerbates the pain or triggers the pain.  

Thanks for sharing your experience.  Unfortunately you do have a common problem that has many possiblities for the underlying cause and difficult to diagnose.  If you have any further information, feel welcome to respond.  Take care,  

[ed34]

yes the 'tickling' of the wire can start spasms in an artery and they usually settle down again.
However, it doesn't rule out the possibility that you are suffering stronger ones.

[Clar85]

I didn't have the pain during the angiogram however I did have it during the stress test. I am going to speak with my Dr Tomm. I will bring it up too him . when the Dr spoke with me about the results to the angiogram he did say there were spasms however he was not worried about them because  it is sometimes triggered by the test.

[ed34]

How often do you have the pains? if they didn't exist during the angiogram, then they wouldn't have witnessed the possibility of vasospasm. This is when a coronary artery expands and contracts very quickly, restricting blood flow. There can be many triggers for these and some people never find theirs. There are medications to treat it, but it would be worth asking about the possibility of this condition with your Doctor first. Usually a nitrate spray under the tongue settles the spasms in most sufferers. IF however you had the pains during the angiogram, they would have witnessed the spasms and diagnosed it immediately.

[vienna13]

Be sure to get enough exercise you can tolerate. Spend as much time as you able to outdoors. Do not stress out. Count your blessings! Love Yourself! Meditate on your HEALTHY Heart! Look for only positive experiences and the company of loving people. Read and look only nice books and films. Spend more quality time with your loved ones, with animals also. Talk to your friendly neighbors.
Get rid of everything that negative and change it to positive.Listen lots of music.
Good luck.