Question Title: BACK AND CHEST PAIN

Posted by JMC on May 10, 1999 at 16:31:29

I always seem to have pain in my body somewhere, and now it is in my back and chest. I had an MRI and it showed C7,C6, and C5 to be bulged, but still within normal limits. My upper back and chest hurt, but my doctor says it's not my heart. he hasn't done anything to rule my heart out, and so I have requested an EKG, and treadmill test. I guess my main question is, if I have been dealing with this for almost a year, and it hasn't gotten any worse, does it rule my heart out? My dad always had upper chest pain after lifting something, and this seems to be what I did to aggrevate my chest, but the pain has drug on and on. I don't ever have shortness of breath, or any of the other classic symptoms of a heart attack, but my mind plays tricks on my pain. I just want to rule the heart out as my pain.

thanks for any opinion

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Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on May 11, 1999 at 14:32:21

Dear JMC, thank you for your question. From the information you give, I doubt the pain you're experiencing is being caused by your heart. However, I agree that a stress test is needed to rule out coronary disease to give you peace of mind. Feel free to write back after you know the results of your stress test if you have further questions.

I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck.

If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.

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