Angina Support Group

Hehehehe! If you're smart, you can use this to your advantage!

Oh dear, this looks as though I was replying to your very first post, and I wasn't. It was a reply to your LAST post. Oh dear.

I knew that you were referring to my previous post. I use this thing to my advantage every chance I get. It’s easy, I just take a couple deep breaths, sit down and say something like, “let me catch my breath”… then when I pretend that I’m ready to go on I’m always told to just sit there… it’s hard to not smile though.
I'm a bad boy. ;)

Ok, so maybe I shouldn't be faking it quite so much...
Friday and Yesterday my wife and I went for a little anniversary "get-away". We don't generally go for the big party lights like Vegas and neither of us drink and with me trying to drop even more weight (I'd like to get down another 15or 20 lbs and maybe more after I get there), so the buffets wouldn't be much of an appeal for either of us.
We've been together 40 years as of last Friday... WOW! can you believe someone sticking with me for that long? She's a pretty special person.
Anyway, back to what happened.
The doctor had put me on a bunch of medications, cholesterol, BP, something to raise my HDL/lower my LDL, Omega-3 for something, and I had already been working on my weight.
As of Friday I was 30 pounds below my all time high and headed toward some Native American lodging sites for our version of fun.
On Friday II felt a little "light headed" but didn't worry about it since I was fine as long as I was walking around. I had my BP monitor with me and when I got up yesterday I was REALLY light-headed so I checked my BP and it was about 80/55. Like I said, if I moved around I was fine but we were in a canyon, no phone signal and I'm telling my wife that if I pass out in the car just drive me into town... yea, I felt that bad.
Finally my wife drove us to civilization (I wasn't about to drive feeling like that) and I called my doctor. Amazingly, he was "on call", and he spoke with me. I let him know what was going on and he almost seemed pleased in a perverse sort of way. I acknowledged my weight loss and he said that it was a good thing and we might be able to take me off the BP medication completely and we'll re-evaluate on Friday.
Today I'm UP to 105/65 and mostly functional. I haven't taken the stuff since yesterday morning (June 7) and I guess it's getting flushed out.
I think we do it to ourselves. My BP was/is a function of my weight and I've known that for years. It's only been the last 3 years that it was bad enough that I needed medication for it and if I would have been taking better care of myself I probably wouldn't have needed the stents.
For me at least, it was always something that happened to "other people".
I wonder how many times a doctor hears that.

I have had my BP go down like that. No idea why. I have only been on BP meds since I was diagnosed, and it wasn't extraordinarily high then (140/80) Now I am averaging 105/65, but that includes, as I said, some pretty low measurements. I get so lightheaded I think, like you did, that I am going to pass out. (I am thin, by the way.Needed to lose weight years ago and I did.) Tomorrow, Monday, I will call my doctor and tell him about it, plus the fact that my cholesterol meds are giving me horrendous pains in the middle of my back! I have had this now with three different types of cholesterol meds and I am beginning to wonder if I will have to stop taking them. If so, how do I get my cholesterol down to where he wants it? *sigh*

Abdominal or back pain with cholesterol medication isn't a good thing. Maybe you'll just have to go on a vegan diet and and include a lot of fiber. Supposedly garlic extract can help control cholesterol. It seems like I read that somewhere but I'm not the expert.

So I went to see the Dr. on Friday (13th) and I was told to go on a DIFFERENT bp medication. Never mind that I had just about passed out a week ago because my BP was so low on the PREVIOUS bp med. Never mind that my bp was a NEAR PERFECT 121/78 in the Dr.s office... I don't think these guys are happy unless they give you a pill and make you put on one of those silly hospital shirt things. I think they want to keep us feeling intimidated and off/center. It's their way of telling you that they are in charge.
I think next time I'll just sit there WITHOUT the gown. Let's see what the Dr. says then. LOL

I am releaved to hear to hear of your experience, my Dr. told me I will have to have one if I do not do well with my upcomming stress test. I had a bad Angina attack last night and had to take my Nitro.

Hi I am new to this site. I had suffered bad fatigue last year and two episodes of chest pain which lasted a week each. I then decided to get into shape and ended up withserious chest pains due to stress, exercise. ECG was fine (partial RBBB), echo fine, Stress ECG showed poss CAD, Thallium Perfusion Scan normal. . . still have pain only after exercise, when rushing, cold weather etc, Dr said anxiety, I do not agree, canany one help. . .

Thank you

I am scheduled for an angiogram 12/2 and am scared! I have read some say it is nothing and some say it is horrible. I'm not sure I want to do this. Isn't there some other, less scary way to know if there is blockage?