Can someone help me ? I don’t want to live like that
Update: Some cardiologists are recommending that I undergo a stress myocardial perfusion scan (nuclear stress test) and a cardiac MRI to finally rule everything out.
The problem is that my main cardiologist believes the nuclear stress test isn’t necessary because all of my exercise stress tests have been completely normal, and there has never been even the slightest sign of ischemia that would suggest a coronary microvascular disorder.
However, some people think it could instead be microvascular angina.
At this point, I honestly don’t know what to think because I really hope I don’t have a heart condition. On the other hand, when I think about it, my chest pain can be triggered by the strangest things. Sometimes even just two puffs of a cigarette can cause chest pain, and that makes me wonder whether it could be due to microvascular constriction. Other times, cold weather seems to trigger the pain.
How is it possible that after seven years, no one has investigated this further?
Has anyone here been diagnosed with microvascular angina? If so, how was it diagnosed?
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to help.
My name is Andrea, and I’m a 33-year-old Italian guy. For the past 7 years, I’ve been fighting with my main symptom: chest pain, along with everything that comes with it. Left arm pain, jaw pain, sweating, sometimes shortness of breath, stabbing pain in the center of my chest, sometimes sharp and sometimes crushing. Sometimes it gets worse when touched, other times it doesn’t. This happens every single day, in completely different situations — whether I’m calm or distracted, whether I’m thinking about it or not. This situation has psychologically destroyed me to the point that, at times, I’ve thought about ending my life.
My medical history is the following: in 7 years I’ve probably gone to the emergency room at least 200–300 times. I’ve had at least 50 cardiology evaluations with ECGs, more than 20 echocardiograms, and over 30 stress tests. I even had a bubble test because of a very minor atrial septal abnormality, and a coronary CT scan with contrast because one time the hospital became concerned despite negative troponins, since there were slightly peaked waves on the ECG.
The result of the coronary CT scan was: Agatston score: 0. Zero atherosclerotic plaques in my coronary arteries.
And yet I still have pain every single day. Sometimes it happens when I smoke, other times not. Sometimes during exercise (I’m slightly overweight), other times not. All of this has put enormous pressure on me. I ended up taking 90 drops a day and trying 5 or 6 different antidepressants, but nothing changes. My quality of life is now zero.
I have a business, a home, money, a partner, and a family who are always there for me — but I feel like I have nothing, because nobody can give me these years back. I used to be a high-level DJ, but this situation destroyed me.
Around me I only see people who don’t even know what it means to run to the emergency room, let alone what it means to go there 3 times in 2 days.
I need the pain to disappear, so that the anxiety can disappear too.
All of this has also led to problems with “arrhythmias” — except they aren’t really arrhythmias. Tachycardia, palpitations, and constantly feeling my heartbeat. I check my pulse or feel my heartbeat in my throat a hundred times a day. I monitor myself constantly, but it doesn’t work anymore.
I also have some stomach issues that sometimes make everything worse, although honestly I associate those more with burning sensations rather than actual pain.
Just for the record, in the next few days I’ll be seeing a pain specialist and a physiatrist. I’m tired of hearing that it’s fibromyalgia, that it’s all in my head, that it’s costochondritis or Tietze syndrome…
I don’t know if there’s anyone who could be worse off than me, but if there is, know that I understand you when you feel like life is no longer worth living.