Hey, I'm not REALLY at risk for a heart attack!

[propita]

At least, the test results don't indicate it.

The propita saga...

I had chest pains for, well, years..noticing it in my 2d year of law school. But it was when I was studying for the Bar exam last year that it became near-constant. Between that and family history, I was sent to the cardiologist.

Who promptly scared the HELL outta me. EKGs okay. Stress test okay. Then I was sent to San Francisco for a CT-Angiogram, checking out all the cardiac arteries with a massive x-ray test.

So after all this time, what do they find out?

One area out of seven has some non-calcified plaque, and even then, the "calcium score" was 0.76. "Zero" is preferred, but 1-10 is "minimal plaque burden" and over 400 is "extensive plaque burden."

What the hell?!

I'm fine. Just fine. Confused, but fine. Those chest pains and that being unable to walk up a flight of stairs without passing out? Stress. Pure stress. Blood pressure is just a bit high sometimes, even while on meds. Cholesterol, which was 157 last summer, rose to 188 and them 217 in December, dropped to 163 this month. No idea how that happened except maybe a side effect from a med that was supposed to lower my cholesterol--according to the tv ads. LDL and triglycerides are in range, a bit high; HDL is in range, a bit low. And they want to put me on another med for that!

Hubby, who was worried I was gonna stroke out, does not want me on statins. He's a pharmacist and figures the side effects from statins when the risk is so small, why invite problems. He's so tired of doctors.

Dad had cholesterol lower than me and blockage in 6 places. I don't have blockage. I guess I'm not completely "just like Dad."

So once the Bar exam is done, I'm closing this chapter of my life and starting the next.

Thanks y'all for hanging with me. It's good to know I'm in better shape than they were having me believe.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

If you don't want to be on statins take some niacin and omega-3 instead. That's good news, but remember good health is not a license to over-indulge. You have to stick around for a long time propita. There's a supreme court seat with your name on it.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Well, this is great news. Now all you have to do is learn how to de-stress.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

It is very common for people to confuse anxiety attacks for heart attacks. In your case, it sounds like you've been having sustained anxiety attacks for years! You really gotta chill out.

Life can be stressful, but the key is to not worry about things you can't control, and when it comes to the things you can control, you should act instead of worry. Easier said than done, to be sure, but I keep my stress level pretty low this way.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Propita, that's great news! Take care of yourself hon. You're needed!

 

[propita]

It is very common for people to confuse anxiety attacks for heart attacks. In your case, it sounds like you've been having sustained anxiety attacks for years! You really gotta chill out.

Life can be stressful, but the key is to not worry about things you can't control, and when it comes to the things you can control, you should act instead of worry. Easier said than done, to be sure, but I keep my stress level pretty low this way.

One problem I was having was that I was getting chest pains during class, just taking notes. Or waking up in the middle of the night. Add skyrocketing blood pressure--I was staying around 140/95 on meds and going as high as 180/100 on a weekly basis, until they raised the dosage.

I do need to learn how to deal with stress. When a doctor asked what I did to cope with it, I said, "Well, I used to get reflux or headaches, sometimes tendonitis cause the muscles would over-tighten. Now I'm getting chest pain." He said that wasn't coping with stress, those were symptoms of stress.

I try not to worry about things over which I have no control--which is why I wasn't freaking waiting for Bar results last year. But thinking about it during sleep? What do I do about subconscious/unconscious thoughts?

Sex works. Hubby's pretty willing. The timing's not always good, though. I mean, he's at work during the day.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

It is very common for people to confuse anxiety attacks for heart attacks. In your case, it sounds like you've been having sustained anxiety attacks for years! You really gotta chill out.

Life can be stressful, but the key is to not worry about things you can't control, and when it comes to the things you can control, you should act instead of worry. Easier said than done, to be sure, but I keep my stress level pretty low this way.

One problem I was having was that I was getting chest pains during class, just taking notes. Or waking up in the middle of the night. Add skyrocketing blood pressure--I was staying around 140/95 on meds and going as high as 180/100 on a weekly basis, until they raised the dosage.

I do need to learn how to deal with stress. When a doctor asked what I did to cope with it, I said, "Well, I used to get reflux or headaches, sometimes tendonitis cause the muscles would over-tighten. Now I'm getting chest pain." He said that wasn't coping with stress, those were symptoms of stress.

I try not to worry about things over which I have no control--which is why I wasn't freaking waiting for Bar results last year. But thinking about it during sleep? What do I do about subconscious/unconscious thoughts?

Sex works. Hubby's pretty willing. The timing's not always good, though. I mean, he's at work during the day.

Learn some relaxation techniques. Your body doesn't necessarily know how to relax on its own--it's something you have to train yourself to do. You can go with meditation, self-hypnosis, or a myriad other things. You can teach them to yourself and do them a few minutes a day. They're also useful for clearing your mind at bedtime, so you can sleep restfully and fall asleep faster.

I'm not suggesting any kind of magic bullet or that you use any particular technique, just investigate some relaxation methods and see what works for you.

 

[T'Baio]

Look into yoga.

Or propranolol.

 

[sbk1234]

Congrats. Deal with stress, get your regular excersize. And to celebrate, just this once, go have something deep fried and covered in chocolate!