First came the headaches – worse than migraines – then the shortness of breath and having to lay down after crossing the room.

Five months after my symptoms began, I was diagnosed with a 99% blockage in my LAD and 99% blockage in an artery branch off that.

I was stented and, in doing so, they jailed an artery. I was given Metoprolol and I got worse.

I underwent another Angiogram, and all was fine, so they changed my medication and I began to use my Nitro more.

Hello! My name is Jennifer, a 41-year-old mother of 5 and a nurse. My husband and I have been married nearly 15 years. Before I share my story, I’d like to share that I had never been on any medications other than Lexapro for mild depression and anxiety. I did not have heart problems or even high blood pressure. December 9, 2023, was the beginning of a life changing event leading to the diagnosis of Coronary Artery Spasm, also known as Prinzmetal Angina.

At 4am, I woke up in the dark with crushing chest pain, nausea, shortness of breath, and pain radiating to my left arm and jaw. I was terrified. You would think that such symptoms would lead to a quick diagnosis. But as a young woman in my 20s who looked “healthy,” my journey to finally being diagnosed with Microvascular Angina was anything but easy.