Science & Health6/10
Runner Describes Stable Angina Symptoms and Warns of Ignoring Chest Discomfort
Karthik describes experiencing exertion-related chest discomfort that he initially ignored, later identified as stable angina linked to undetected cholesterol problems, and urges readers not to dismiss such symptoms, citing a linked news story about a man who waited too long.
Original post · 2 min read
Please, please read this news thoroughly, for your own sake. I experienced chest discomfort only when I started to run at higher speeds, and it subsided when I just walked or was at rest. That's called 'stable angina' (or stress angina). Unhealthy cholesterol levels, high(er) blood pressure, diabetes are some of the causes for this - in my case, it was unhealthy cholesterol levels, long undetected, while my blood pressure, conversely, continues to be on the lower side because of my running... which my doctor confirmed as healthy since I wasn't experiencing associated fatigue. And I'm prediabetic too, as I discovered during the blood tests for my procedure.
Rana seems to have carried his 'chest discomfort' for 3 days, after which it was too late for any intervention. This is a thin line for most people because it is very easy to mistake a 'discomfort' for stomach acidity, physical symptoms like muscle strain, or even 'heartburn' (which is quite literal!). In a way, I obsess over my daily run more so for this - to include a reasonably stress-inducing activity every day (since there is none) to see if I feel completely alright with it. This helped me identify that I did experience something unusual and it needed medical intervention. And since I felt normal if I stopped the source of stress (running at a faster speed), I ignored it for about a week. But since it persisted exactly only when I stressed, I realized that I was going through something predictably unusual and that needed a check. This 'discomfort' was not a pain at all, ironically. It felt, at best, as a steady tingling sensation on my shoulders and neck - nothing close to my heart! All the more reason to ignore it. But it occurred every single time I stressed myself by increasing the speed of my run, and subsided if I just walked at a slower pace.
Related reading - Two blocks and a second chance tinyurl.com/2stents
Rana seems to have carried his 'chest discomfort' for 3 days, after which it was too late for any intervention. This is a thin line for most people because it is very easy to mistake a 'discomfort' for stomach acidity, physical symptoms like muscle strain, or even 'heartburn' (which is quite literal!). In a way, I obsess over my daily run more so for this - to include a reasonably stress-inducing activity every day (since there is none) to see if I feel completely alright with it. This helped me identify that I did experience something unusual and it needed medical intervention. And since I felt normal if I stopped the source of stress (running at a faster speed), I ignored it for about a week. But since it persisted exactly only when I stressed, I realized that I was going through something predictably unusual and that needed a check. This 'discomfort' was not a pain at all, ironically. It felt, at best, as a steady tingling sensation on my shoulders and neck - nothing close to my heart! All the more reason to ignore it. But it occurred every single time I stressed myself by increasing the speed of my run, and subsided if I just walked at a slower pace.
Related reading - Two blocks and a second chance tinyurl.com/2stents
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