INOCA (Ischemia with No Obstructive Coronary Arteries) 

I’m just out of hospital now with this issue and confusion. I had cramping chest pain in Center of my chest and it had begun in my shoulder and back. When it spread to my chest I had a sudden overwhelming feeling of doom that lasted a few seconds and then the discomfort spread up my throat and into my right ear and my chin. That’s when I began to wonder if I might be having a heart attack but I waited because I thought it couldn’t possibly be anything serious. However even when the symptoms subsided I just didn’t feel right. So my husband drove me to hospital. Everything was fine and they said my Troponin was normal and they would send me home. But they first had to test the Troponin again. In the night they woke me to say my second test had high Troponin so they would be admitting me. I was injected in the belly, given all kinds of tablets until my head was spinning from the drugs. Next day my angiogram was done showing normal arteries and told it was such good news👍. Well yes and no! I was sent home with discharge papers saying “We do not think you have had a heart attack, but it is important to take all your prescribed medication and go to the cardiac rehabilitation unit within 12 weeks.” Why? Notes to my doctor said diagnosis “troponemia ? MINOCA”. So here I am finding out what MINOCA is and wondering why I was told they don’t think I had a heart attack but they do think I had a heart attack🤷‍♀️. What the hell?…. I haven’t decided yet if I will take all their drugs. They’re sitting on my kitchen bench.🤔

I believe I am living with inoca. Marathons, full count basketball till 63 when I could not catch my breath in the middle of a workout. My heart has shown through testing to have no issues, even though my heart is telling me through chest pain it is in distress. Had a 90% block on LAD, though the blood work, the stress test show all is well. I've since had a bypass and 3 more stents. I am suffering with another event now, but once again the testing says "your Heart Great function, follow up with your primary" ok doc, but Why does my chest scream i am dying, if All is well! I am getting weary and now understand this is a very expensive guessing game for the Dr. That is why it's call a "practice "? They will hopefully find out the cause and a cure before I am leave. Suffering is part of life, I can deal with that. I find it more than difficult to deal with Drs. Who brush my symptoms off, as being in my mind. It is infuriating and happens to many people too often. The heart is very complicated and in reality the "experts" know very little. They must see the artery blocked, or a low efraction rate, or an irregular rhythm, before they acknowledge an issue. They need to know each of us are different. The heart of an athlete may have the pumping power to show a perfect test even though an issue exist. Lifetime athletes know when their body is not right. We are in tune with every thing that changes and make adjustments to remedy issues. Unfortunately the issues of the heart is complicated and does not respond to physical therapy. It only send the distress signal (pain) and tells you to shut down whatever you are doing. Those who live with this suffering will understand. Please know you are not alone and your suffering is real. God gifts us this cross to carry for a reason. For me it was to cherish each moment, and to recognize suffering is guaranteed and so many others have it so much worse. I am thankful for my suffering, though sometimes I'd rather skip this part of life. My venting is done for now.