angina/or gerd

[wfbpr]

Iam a 42 yr old male- 6'3 238 lbs- non smoker- mild alcohol- reg exercise about 30- min daily- lipids are normal except hdl is 33- tryglicerides are 201- ldl is 76 and cholesterol is 138, I have been on a 2 yr journey to try and solve my issues-   daily sometimes more than 2-3x, I get tighntess in chest or pain in back shoulder and arm/ lately i have experuienced more light headed ness- nausea is consistent in am, i have had major cardio workup- incl- echos tress- echo- angio gram(3 mos ago)- ct scan 64 slice(yr ago)- and numerous ekgs- frequent visits to ER- most all of these tests have shown to be normal- the angio gram detected mycardial bridging- and mild narrowing in the LAD. I suffer from alot of worry that these tests have not detected something else- i cant think what would cause major skipping of beats when heart is put to test- or why i get symptoms that mimic and feel like real angina....dr's  have now started to explor upper gi issues- although i do not get acid taste or burning- I do get some burping, but I would like to know what else i can ask or pursue with my cardiologist- Iam taking metoporol- and almodiphine- also take synvastatin and niacin to control the choesterol. the metoporol is to control and see if it helps the chest pains et al...as far as exercising i can push myself for 15- -30 minutes but then heart starts to skip- i used to be an athlete and go for 2+hrs easily- but no longer  have that capacity---very frustrating.... thoughts? thankyou for your advice

[Lee Kirksey, MD]

Hello
It sounds like you truly have had every test that is available for the evaluation of cardiac pathology. I agree that other sources of discomfort like GI should be explored. Additionally, I encourage you not to underestimate the contribution of stress to the development and maintenance of physical disorders. Often times, self reflection can reveal an increased level of stress that might prompt one to address this process.

It may be reasonable to see an electrophysiology cardiac export to see if there is some type of conductio-electrical disturbance in your heart system

In my book. Your Guide to Optimal Health (www.personalwellnesswheel.com) I elaborate on the numerous physiologic changes that occur with increased stress including elevated blood sugar, increased cortisol, blood pressure and arrhythmia. Stress is not benign.

It does appear that you are doing everything within your means to live a healthy lifestyle and I congratulate you on that and encourage you to continue.  Good luck in your quest to identify the cause