Cycling with angina

I’ve been getting what I thought was strong heartburn for the past few weeks and the doctor is now saying that it might be angina. Symptoms include strong chest pain and radiates down both arms, pins and needles in my hands and pain the back of my jaw/neck area. I’m booked in for an exercise tolerance test next week and have been given trinitrate spray to use as and when I have an attack.

I have to say that the whole episode is stressing me out a little at the moment as I feel that I’m not getting any clear advice from the GP (although I know that he will be in a better position to give advice following next week’s test).

I can only assume that others on here suffer from angina. I’d be very interested to hear how you deal with it, does it affect your cycling?

Thanks

If you’ve acute angina then a special saddle might help.

Damn you Scotroutes.

I used to have Angina and to be honest I’d be taking things easy until the exercise test.
How old are you? On any other drugs?

I’ve had this recently and can advise although mainly from running rather than cycling.
I was getting the same symptoms as you, at first I thought it was a chest infection, but GP said more likely to be acid reflux. This was after about 4 weeks of the symptoms, mainly when running but also cycling. I know have been told this was most likely angina.
I took the meds for heartburn but they did nothing.
A week later I was entered in a running race in Northumberland (14 miles – coastal race). I was still getting the symptoms when exercising but thought I could manage the pain.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, after about 13.5 miles I collapsed and suffered a heart attack/MI. I needed CPR and defib to bring me back. Luckily for me the guy at the side of me immediately knew something was wrong and stopped to help. He also managed to get a cardiac nurse who was running in the race to assist and start CPR. The race winner (who is proper handy and race duathlon for GB) got hold of the defib on his warm down and raced back up the beach with it. I was air lifted to Newcastle RVI and on to Freeman where I had a stent fitted.
That was 24th July and now I’m hopefully back to full health (just had follow up echo which is a normal scan) but on a long list of meds currently.
So on to the advice. If you feel the symptoms – STOP, take the spray and chill out. Don’t try and push through it. It might end badly.
Hopefully if it is angina I’d ask to get a angiogram done to see if you need any stents and get them to sort it if it is.

Just to add, I’m 41 – it was a bit of a shock to say the least.

I’ll be 47 in a couple of weeks. I ride fairly regularly and tend to cover between 80 and 130 miles per week, mainly on my road bike. I’m currently on Omeprazole for what was suspected to be heartburn.

I’ve been on the other side of this problem, helping with the aftermath of a runner who kept pushing after the pains began. So determined to finish an ultra that he pushed for three hours before presenting at my med tent, which led to a helicopter evac and luckily survival.
Listen very carefully to your body and do light exercise between now and the test; talk to those doing the test, they will be very knowledgable indeed and may feel confident enough to give you some sensible pointers on behaviour until you get the results.

Thanks alanf. Your experience is quite sobering! I had to stop for 5 mins on a recent shop ride due the pain in my chest and arm and not being able to grip the bars. The pain subsided and I carried on with no further issues.

I’ve had to use the trinitrate spray twice in the last two days. It clears the symptoms very quickly but with massive headache side effects.

Hopefully you’ll not have to suffer the same way I did, but it seems you’re aware of the angina before it could cause a catastrophic event.
As HLM say, take it easy before the test and wait for the outcome and next steps. It’s better to put things on hold for a bit until it’s sorted rather than never getting the chance to do them.
I was extremely lucky – only ~10% of cases similar to mine survive – at least that’s what I’ve been told.
Good luck and I hope you get things sorted.

Just to give you some perspective though, I’m now pretty much back to the running (~50 miles a week) and I’ve not had to use the spray once since the event, so it’s not the end of the world these days and the procedures are an everyday occurrence now.

Ta da!

I’ve mentioned it before but I heard about your story Alan amazing stuff.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-37550443

At 48, had heartburn for 3 days, felt a bit iffy, but still helped neighbour cut tree down, then 200 mile round trip to pick in-laws up. Still felt off colour – went to GP, told the good lady to take me to casualty.
After observation, had an ECG and Angioplasty the next week.
2 weeks after, triple bypass.
Now fine, fitter than I was then.
Working for the Ambulance service, all I can say is until you have been fully diagnosed, take it easy, try to relax, and don’t be afraid to use the GTN spray.
If any doubts, dont hesitate, see the GP or call 999.
Hope you get sorted soon.

I agree with dcjay99 above – until you’ve been fully diagnosed, take it easy, don’t try to trigger the pain by doing strenuous exercise, and don’t be afraid to seek medical attention if you have a prolonged or severe episode. Take the GTN when you need to (make sure you are sitting down when you do, and stop doing whatever triggered the pain).

An exercise ECG will be useful in showing whether you have any obstruction to the blood supply under stress – other options for diagnostic tests include stress tests that use drugs instead of exercise to stress the heart. If any of these are positive, you will probably be referred for an angiogram of the coronary arteries – I would strongly suggest that you stop exercising whilst waiting for this if the exercise ECG is positive (you can go back to normal physical exertion once you’ve got it sorted!).

This is a good leaflet which has information regarding coronary angiograms/angioplasty (it’s made by a private device company, which I have no affiliation to, but is very informative nevertheless).

Best wishes,
Hannah (a cardiologist)

First post!

Yet to let me down STW.

Cheers Drac,

Yeah, it was pretty amazing and sobering.
Everything just fell into place that day for me.
All the services were amazing and the other runners were the ones that saved my life.
I’ll hopefully get to repay them someday, somehow…

I’d not seen that BBC page, but the full story was on Inside Out – just rerun in the Yorkshire region on 31st October so might still be about somewhere

Inside Out

A few friends took part in that race and mentioned the incident sorry work speak, mentioned your collapse. Without doubt they all saved your life as a cardiac arrest is time critical, there’s a defib right on the beach near where you collapsed too. Fortune smiled down on you that day glad to hear you’re still recovering.

Thanks Drac,

Fortune smiled down on you that day

Indeed it did – my time wasn’t up.

I’m off to do CPR training / refresher tonight at my running club.
Hope I never need to use it, but if I do…

I have stable Angina and can no longer cycle, and walking other than on the flat presents some challenges – had an angiogram six months ago hoping for stents or a Bypass at worst but turns out I have micro vascular heart disease the big arteries are all fine. Trouble is there is no surgical fix for this and drugs other than beta blockers don’t really do anything. One observation if the nitro spray doesn’t work you may have micro vascular- get your doctor to request an angiogram asap don’t **** about its the only way to find out.

Hope yours is a better results than mine, 53 and knackred is no fun

just warched that on inside out. bloody fantastic that.
you are a lucky bloke alanf, good on you mate.

as a person who had heart problems for a long while, always take your meds, always stop and rest if you feel rough, and do not try to push yourself at all. this is the advice my surgeon gave me.

Yeah lucky bloke indeed.
The fellas who helped me were amazing that day. The first 2 lads gave up their races and personal targets to help me, and I’ve been able to thank them for it too. I’d like to think I’d do the same if I was ever in that position. Features your faith in humanity.
Thanks fellas

Me thinks I’ll be giving tonight’s Zwift race a miss then!!

Thanks for all the advice guys (n’ gal)

Sorry to hear about your situation, I hope the testing goes well.

If you have any questions in your mind then start asking any health care worker you come in contact with- especially if they’re a consultant! In the course of any medical intervention you end up seeing a lot of different medical staff, and none of them will now how much you have been told about your condition. They should, of course, offer the info and ask you if you have any qs- but there is always a chance that they might not, so don’t wait to be asked, get stuck in! They will always be very keen to answer! 🙂

Holy thread resurrection!
Well it’s a year since what happened to me above, so in true STW fashion, I’m off back up to Northumberland to do it again (not fall over!) – the coastal run.
Wish me luck!
This time I will finish the remaining 800m on Alnmouth beach though.

Good luck Alan, great to hear you have recovered.

Cheers MF, and yes, fully recovered and getting on with things.
It’s not my first race back as I started racing again in November but it’s 1 year since my ‘incident’ (I now refer to it as falling over Drac) but will be great to be going back and putting it well and truly to bed for good.

If it’s of interest (and in no way trying to self promote here) and you’re in the North East/Newcastle area, there might be a few minutes of me on the drive time radio program tonight, oh and Look North want to do something at the race too so might get some more telly time over the weekend!