What is Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease (CAD) and atherosclerotic heart disease, is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the ...

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Shortness of breath
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My body scared me this morning when it was experiencing shortness of breath along with left arm pain and back pain and a hint of claustrophobia. I had never felt claustrophobic before a camping trip two weeks ago. I am not really sure if I am using the correct term. I woke up feeling a lot of labor in my breathing. I had to work at continuing to breath. There was a fear that I might not be able to breath if I attempted to go back to sleep. I sat up in my sleeping bag and wanted to get out of the tent so that I could breath easier. I didn't do that because I realized that the tent had screen openings that allowed plenty of fresh air to move through the tent. My breathing ceased being an automatic function and became a conscious action. Having coronary artery disease has it challenges. I wrote my cardiologist and let him know what is going on. I will meet with him in about 3 weeks.
Posted on 08/19/08, 12:08 am
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Reply #1 - 08/19/08  12:25am
" If this happens again tomorrow morning when I get off the light rail, I will take a nitroglycerin and see if that helps. "
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Reply #2 - 08/20/08  1:54pm
" Naturally check with your Dr, also you may if the Dr clears your physical symptoms a panic attack or a case of anxiety. Hope all is Ok and that it turns out to be just aches and pains. "
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Reply #3 - 08/21/08  9:44am
" I'd go to a cardiologist or ER now. It may be psychological/panic but those are the symptoms I had and I wished I had immediately gone to the ER. "
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Reply #4 - 08/24/08  11:32am
" had the same thing happen went to er had triple bypass done they said if i would have waited another day wouldnt be here 100 prct block in 3 major arteries if the nitro helps go to the hospital if you get a headache then you might be ok but still get checked out as soon as possible "
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Reply #5 - 08/25/08  8:45am
" I have had a few issues, with this CAD. I woke up one morning after about six months and had my beta blockers react against my body. I started becoming really short of breah, so I went to the Drs. he had no idea what was gong on, my bp was up o 178, so he sent me by ambulance to the er, they checked my heart, said it was good and sent me home. Still couldn't breathe, my husband took the next day off from work because I had to go to a cardio spec, for testing when he saw what was going on, he took me off my beta blockers, said it was closing off mt breathing tubes, if it had gotten any worse I would not have woken up one morning. I really have a lot of faith in the doctors at the er (not). "
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Reply #6 - 08/25/08  2:22pm
" The idea of waiting three weeks to see your cardiologist would scare me to death. If my doctor for whatever reason had not been available to see me he would have refer me to someone else he trusted or told me to go to the emergency room. "
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Reply #7 - 08/26/08  12:46am
" Thank you all for your responses. I am in that category of people that don't manifest like ordinary people. When I do stress tests, they always come up showing that I am healthier that most people my age, even when I was 90% blocked in the right coronary artery.
I have no confidence in the Group Health doctors and cardiologists I have been assigned to. Since I do not fit the typical profile, they don't know what to do with me. My cardiologist recommended another stress test. Why should I repeat a test that always gives false results?
In April, the cardiologist was going to send me home, because he thought I was fine. I told him that he needed to do an angiogram. He did and found the 90%blockage that the other lab tests did not.
It is so frustrating working with docs who seem to only know how to handle routine patients who exhibit routine symptoms.
When I see the cardiologist in a couple of weeks, I will remind him that if I had listened to him or his colleague in April, I'd be dead. If I had listened to his predecessor, in 2002, I’d be dead. These guys don’t have a good track record, in my book.
Thanks for letting me vent. "
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Reply #8 - 08/26/08  10:57am
" I have the same thing all the time.....yes CAD has it's challenges. My doc put me on Isosorb 10mg...it seems to be helping. I have been having angina attacks. when it is really hot out or I am under a lot of stress I get the exact symptoms you are talking about. On the 4th of July weekend I ended up in the ER...that was when it all started

We will get through this! "
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