Angina

[SilverLining]

Hi-
What I'd like to know is how people who have had angina for a while, deal with not knowing when it will strike again or whether or not the event is something to worry about. I'm 49 and diagnosed with angina last summer. EKG Nuclear Stress Test and Echocardiogram revealed nothing. My chest pains/pressure occur several times a week with different intensities. Most often it's just pressure and usually when I'm not active or obviously stressed (just sitting at my desk at work). Occasionally, I will get it during exertion or stress, but during the last month and a half, it has awakened me 3 times. Once it was major pressure sitting square on my chest, another time it was hot sharp pain the radiated through to my back and up and across my shoulders into my neck. The last time, I was awakened with such severe pain, I couldn't think of moving and just held my breath hoping it would stop. I have normal BP, and my cholesterol, although a little high (213), has an excellent ratio, and my triglycerides are good. No family history of this. I don't smoke or drink, I'm not overweight. I watch what I eat. My only risk fact was being too sedentary. I'm on a calcium channel blocker, which helps, but I'm still getting pains. How do you get on with your life? The only time it doesn't really bother me is when I'm active for a while. Since I was diagnosed, I exercise nearly everyday. When I exercise, I feel a real heaviness when I begin, but then it goes away and I feel better and my bp lowers from around 117/78 down to around 100/60 (I always thought BP went up when someone was exercising). I don't know how to deal with this. Any advise on how to move on past the fear, would be appreciated.