[Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Brie Rodighiero (---.dialup.sndg02.pacbell.net)
Date: 05-09-02 15:35
Hi all!
I can't figure out if it was the pregnancy or the verepamil that has created a NEW pain on top of the rest ie, (dizzness, lightheaded, tried, strong/fast heart beat)
About two months I started taking 180mg of Verepamil a day, and very shortly after, I noticed many of my symptoms had become less noticable.
Well, come to find out, I was also pregnant. Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage about two weeks ago. Since then, my usual symptoms have come back and in addition I have also noticed a tightness in my chest, almost daily. At the same time I feel a pain (it aces) in my upper left shoulder.
Now I'm wondering if it was the pregnancy that made me feel better and not the Verepamil. And I can't understand why I'm experiencing tightness in my chest. I'm use to chest pains, but not this weird tight feeling.
Any comments would be very helpful!
Thanks,
Brie
PS I never made it to a real OBGYN during the pregnancy. Only a Planned Parenthood. (after the miscarriage)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: s. beckley -moderator (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 05-09-02 16:21
Dear Brie,
I'm very sorry for your miscarriage. It sounds like you need to see your cardiologist and get checked out. We just can't diagnose you over the internet (besides not being doctors!).
It could be that the verapamil is not the medication of choice for you, or it could be something else. No real way to know from here.
Let us know what the doctor says.
Sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Pam M (206.172.22.---)
Date: 05-13-02 13:23
Hi, I had my first son before knowing I had HCM and my 2nd son after I found out.
I had no problems what so ever with the first pregnancy. By the time I got pregnant again(7 years later) I had been experiencing many symptoms, tightness in chest, fast, hard pulse, dizziness, weakness etc. During my 2nd pregnancy most of my symptoms either disappeared or got extremely better. My cardiologist said that the heart naturally enlarges during pregnancy, so perhaps that is the reason why some women feel better during pregnancy.
Unfortunately about 6 months or so after having my 2nd son all of the symptoms came back plus I got some new ones.
I figure if I can remain pregnant for the next 60-70 years-things will be just fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Brie Rodighiero (---.dialup.sndg02.pacbell.net)
Date: 05-13-02 18:34
Hi again.
I just wanted to thank Sarah and Pam and explain what my doctor said.
I called my doctor this morning to make an appointment regarding the aces and tightness in my chest, as over the weekend they felt even worse. But to my amazement, my doctor told me that it wasn't heart related and to just see my GP.
How can he tell me the pain in my chest and upper left shoulder are not related to my heart?!?! I just couldn't beleive it! The first women I talked to told me it sounded like classic symptoms of a stroke and then she puts me on to the nurse who then speaks to the doctor and calls me back saying it's not related!
Regardless if the pain is related to my pregnancy or not, I don't think the doctor has a right to not see me!
I'm so upset! So I called my GP and have an appointment in two weeks (that's the soonest I can get in) I don't know what my GP will say, but I do know that I will be asking for a referral to another doctor!!!!
Brie
Sorry for the spelling errors!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Angela (---.hgsi.com)
Date: 05-15-02 12:12
Hi,
I am so glad that I found this board. I am 31 years old and 31 weeks pregnant with my first child. I was diagnosed with HCM 6 years ago and have been taking toprol XL (50 mg daily) since then. Before getting pregnant, I tried to find other women who have gone through a pregnancy and delivery with HCM. I had genetic counseling and am seeing a perinatalogist, pediatric cardio. and my own cardio. in addition to my OB/gyn. My mother also has the disease, but she was 21 when she had me, 25 when she had my sister and she wasn't diagnosed until she was 45. We see the same cardiologist. I have so many questions and concerns that my doctors can't seem to answer for me. I get the standard "well, it puts you at greater risk for sudden death" response and that scares the crap out of me. If there is anyone who can share their experience with me at all, I would so greatly appreciate it.
Brie, I am so sorry for your loss. It is really upsetting that you cannot get in to see your doctor for another 2 weeks! Good luck and let us know what happens.
Thank you,
Angela
[email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: s. beckley -moderator (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 05-16-02 10:33
Dear Brie,
I understand your upset completely. However, I just went through the same thing. I swore I was having a really bad attack and my left arm was even going numb and I was a little dizzy and then the pain over my heart, etc., etc.
WELL.... Prevacid (an anti-acid reflux pill) cleared it right up. I suspect that the doctor may be right, even though he should have seen you anyway. I don't like doctoring over the phone as a rule. However, due to the stress of the miscarriage, and maybe you are not eating well??? this is a possibility. Take some Tums when you get the pain and see what happens. If the Tums doesn't help, call the GP and try to get in sooner.
Sarah
Author: Brie Rodighiero (---.dialup.sndg02.pacbell.net)
Date: 05-09-02 15:35
Hi all!
I can't figure out if it was the pregnancy or the verepamil that has created a NEW pain on top of the rest ie, (dizzness, lightheaded, tried, strong/fast heart beat)
About two months I started taking 180mg of Verepamil a day, and very shortly after, I noticed many of my symptoms had become less noticable.
Well, come to find out, I was also pregnant. Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage about two weeks ago. Since then, my usual symptoms have come back and in addition I have also noticed a tightness in my chest, almost daily. At the same time I feel a pain (it aces) in my upper left shoulder.
Now I'm wondering if it was the pregnancy that made me feel better and not the Verepamil. And I can't understand why I'm experiencing tightness in my chest. I'm use to chest pains, but not this weird tight feeling.
Any comments would be very helpful!
Thanks,
Brie
PS I never made it to a real OBGYN during the pregnancy. Only a Planned Parenthood. (after the miscarriage)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: s. beckley -moderator (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 05-09-02 16:21
Dear Brie,
I'm very sorry for your miscarriage. It sounds like you need to see your cardiologist and get checked out. We just can't diagnose you over the internet (besides not being doctors!).
It could be that the verapamil is not the medication of choice for you, or it could be something else. No real way to know from here.
Let us know what the doctor says.
Sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Pam M (206.172.22.---)
Date: 05-13-02 13:23
Hi, I had my first son before knowing I had HCM and my 2nd son after I found out.
I had no problems what so ever with the first pregnancy. By the time I got pregnant again(7 years later) I had been experiencing many symptoms, tightness in chest, fast, hard pulse, dizziness, weakness etc. During my 2nd pregnancy most of my symptoms either disappeared or got extremely better. My cardiologist said that the heart naturally enlarges during pregnancy, so perhaps that is the reason why some women feel better during pregnancy.
Unfortunately about 6 months or so after having my 2nd son all of the symptoms came back plus I got some new ones.
I figure if I can remain pregnant for the next 60-70 years-things will be just fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Brie Rodighiero (---.dialup.sndg02.pacbell.net)
Date: 05-13-02 18:34
Hi again.
I just wanted to thank Sarah and Pam and explain what my doctor said.
I called my doctor this morning to make an appointment regarding the aces and tightness in my chest, as over the weekend they felt even worse. But to my amazement, my doctor told me that it wasn't heart related and to just see my GP.
How can he tell me the pain in my chest and upper left shoulder are not related to my heart?!?! I just couldn't beleive it! The first women I talked to told me it sounded like classic symptoms of a stroke and then she puts me on to the nurse who then speaks to the doctor and calls me back saying it's not related!
Regardless if the pain is related to my pregnancy or not, I don't think the doctor has a right to not see me!
I'm so upset! So I called my GP and have an appointment in two weeks (that's the soonest I can get in) I don't know what my GP will say, but I do know that I will be asking for a referral to another doctor!!!!
Brie
Sorry for the spelling errors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: Angela (---.hgsi.com)
Date: 05-15-02 12:12
Hi,
I am so glad that I found this board. I am 31 years old and 31 weeks pregnant with my first child. I was diagnosed with HCM 6 years ago and have been taking toprol XL (50 mg daily) since then. Before getting pregnant, I tried to find other women who have gone through a pregnancy and delivery with HCM. I had genetic counseling and am seeing a perinatalogist, pediatric cardio. and my own cardio. in addition to my OB/gyn. My mother also has the disease, but she was 21 when she had me, 25 when she had my sister and she wasn't diagnosed until she was 45. We see the same cardiologist. I have so many questions and concerns that my doctors can't seem to answer for me. I get the standard "well, it puts you at greater risk for sudden death" response and that scares the crap out of me. If there is anyone who can share their experience with me at all, I would so greatly appreciate it.
Brie, I am so sorry for your loss. It is really upsetting that you cannot get in to see your doctor for another 2 weeks! Good luck and let us know what happens.
Thank you,
Angela
[email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Tightness in chest after pregnancy]
Author: s. beckley -moderator (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 05-16-02 10:33
Dear Brie,
I understand your upset completely. However, I just went through the same thing. I swore I was having a really bad attack and my left arm was even going numb and I was a little dizzy and then the pain over my heart, etc., etc.
WELL.... Prevacid (an anti-acid reflux pill) cleared it right up. I suspect that the doctor may be right, even though he should have seen you anyway. I don't like doctoring over the phone as a rule. However, due to the stress of the miscarriage, and maybe you are not eating well??? this is a possibility. Take some Tums when you get the pain and see what happens. If the Tums doesn't help, call the GP and try to get in sooner.
Sarah