In her mid-20s Rachel Channon began to experience chest pain, breathlessness and fatigue.
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Even thought she sought help straight away, it took eight years for the Corrimal woman to be diagnosed with microvascular disease and vasospastic angina.
She says the mental toll of being dismissed by medical professionals was almost as tough as her physical symptoms.
She's speaking out in the hopes of raising awareness about the often-undiagnosed disease.
"When you hear from a specialist that everything is ok, you assume you're wrong, so I just tried to get on with my life," she said.
"But my symptoms only got worse."
Microvascular disorders are caused by blockages of the smaller vessels of the heart and are not picked up by traditional coronary angiograms.
But now pressure wires, which are four times the width of a strand of hair can help interventional cardiologists diagnose microvascular disorders. The wire is inserted through a catheter in the patient's wrist and travels up to the heart to capture physiology measurements.
Sydney-based interventional cardiologist Professor Martin Ng warns of undiagnosed microvascular disease leaving many Australians "languishing at home".
"In the last 20 years, cardiology has been revolutionised by the development of technologies that allow us to measure blood pressure and blood flow inside the arteries of the heart," he said.
"These technologies can potentially revolutionise the care of a large number of heart disease patients who, until now, have just not been well treated."
However, not all Australians with suspected coronary heart disease are referred for further microvascular examinations with pressure wire technology due to a lack of availability and shortage of cardiologists trained to conduct the procedure.
Ms Channon said her diagnosis had been a "comfort".
"It validated what I was feeling and experiencing was real," she said.
"I know what's wrong now, I can plan, I'm well informaed and I have a treatment plan.
"Before, I was a ticking time bomb."
Ms Channon encouraged anyone with heart disease symptoms to trust themselves, and push for a second opinion.
"You can save your own life by advocating for yourself," she said.
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