What Does Angina Feel Like?

Interesting Facts, and Understanding Angina

Angina is not a very common medical term, and for that reason many people will have never heard of it. For that reason some people may ask what does angina feel like, and where do you feel angina pain? The answer to that is straightforward. Angina is intense pain or discomfort that is felt in the chest, and for many people it feels like chronic tightness in the chest and leads some to believe they’re actually having a minor heart attack.

The risk is that angina can be a sign that a heart attack is on its way. Most people are wise enough to be proactive about their health and nip problems in the bud. Given the fact that angina can be a sign that you might be at risk of a heart attack, that’s highly advisable here. Plus, anyone asking what does angina feel like for a woman is asking a legitimate question, as women do experience angina differently than men. Angina feelings for women include more of pulsating, stabbing, or sharp pains, and they may also experience abdominal pain or nausea due to angina.

Interesting Facts, and Understanding Angina

Right, we get that there’s nothing appealing about a serious cardiovascular condition and little if anything that could be said to be light or jovial about the subject. So now that we’ve got what does angina feel like out of the way we’ll move to looking at some interesting facts about this condition. First off, we don’t know of many people who DON’T enjoy eating delicious fish. Well, it turns out that if you choose to eat oily fish like sardines and mackerel you’re doing a lot of good for your heart.

That’s because they reduce the level of triglycerides, which are fatty substances found in the blood, and prevent blood clots from forming in the coronary arteries. The last part of that is particularly noteworthy, as it is blood clots that are the cause of unstable angina – which, for the record, is MUCH more of a fatality risk than stable (pectoris) angina.

So go ahead and eat plenty of these kinds of fish, and if you’re one of the people who likes Kippers – traditional English smoked herring – and live in a place where you can actually cook them without infuriating your family and / or the neighbours, go for it. You’ll be good old English stock, particularly if you choose to have bangers and mash for dinner that same night.

Anyways, enough about that. Asking again where do you feel angina pain, we can also say that you might feel it in your pants. And we don’t necessarily mean missing work – although that will almost certainly be the case if you end up needing an angioplasty if you’ve neglected treating your angina. And yes, a heart attack could put you out of work forever.

Instead, we’re talking more about how poor cardiovascular health makes it increasingly likely that you won’t be engaging in enough vigorous physical exercise to maintain overall health levels. Not saying that will necessarily equate being less able to fit into your pants, but it’s really possible.

Angina Medication

Back to a little more serious slant on all of this, most often a physician will put a person on a course of medication if they are suffering from angina. One of the more common of them Cardizem, one of the calcium channel blocker class of medications and used to treat angina as well as high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats. Ranexa is another, and it’s typically prescribed for chronic angina – meaning it occurs regularly or never subsides entirely.

For other people, a more maintenance approach is best for their mild angina. For some, a bronchodilator medication like Proventil can provide relief from the chest tightness that accompanies angina.

Nature of the Term

What does angina feel like? It feels like your chest is far too small for everything in it, and that means chest pain. Now as far as where the name angina came from. It’s actually derived from the exact same word in Latin – angina. But interestingly that translation from it is ‘infection of the throat’. So exactly how that lent itself to being the name for a chest tightness due to an insufficient supply of blood to the heart isn’t easy to understand.

Angina Realities

False flags are always a bad thing, and especially when it comes to anything related to health matters. It’s important to understand that angina does not mean you’re having a heart attack, or that you’re about to have one. Ischemia is the term for when the heart is not getting a sufficient supply of oxygen, and when we’re talking about what does angina feel like that’s the main cause of the pain of tightness in the chest.

However, angina can also result from abnormalities in heart rhythm or other abnormal hear features. Where do you feel angina pain? If it’s across more of the entirety of your chest rather than to one side then you may have a less common factor contributing to your angina. You probably always saw doctors monitoring heartbeats with stethoscopes on TV as a kid growing up, but when it comes to something more serious like this then a test called an ECG (electrocardiogram) is required.

A stethoscope will let the doctor monitor your heartbeat audibly, but an ECG record electrical impulses of the heart and whether or not it is getting the oxygen supply it needs. The angina symptoms that lead people to see their physician and have an ECG done can vary, and again keep in mind regarding what does angina feel like for a woman that they do experience angina differently. Again this involves more of pulsating, stabbing, or sharp pains, abdominal pain or nausea as compared to angina symptoms for men.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for your pet. See your veterinarian for medical advice and treatment for your pet if you have any concerns.

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