Is there a connection to eating ham and experiencing chest pains the following day? I have noticed a connection year after year the day after Easter to the point that a few years back, I actually went to the ER to get checked out. and an arthroscopy showed that nothing had changed since I had two stents put in the posterior descending artery in 2001. I believe I may have a reaction to nitrates. I have experienced migraines in the past that I believe were brought on from eating beef jerky on two occasions and if I eat more than 3 hot dogs I sometimes get severe headaches. I think the nitrates may cause spasms in my vascular system. I have been prescribed nitroglycerine but have only used it a handful of times since 2001 and I know it is used to open blood vessel and will therefore lower blood pressure. I know the nitroglycerine must be in the nitrate family but I can't figure out how one can help by opening and the other can cause spasms or constriction. Besides advising me to stop eating ham, what do you think?