Heart or Gastro

hi.  

i'm a 40 yr old female.  i'm out of shape because of an injury and my stress level is off chart.  

i had an attack of what i thought was gastric ulcer or gastritis a few days ago.  but, i really don't have stomach issue to speak of.

-severe fatigue & loss of appetite for a few months, probably stress
-woke up feeling off & ate a little breakfast
-felt hungry a few hours later, which was more like acid build up
-ate lunch felt much worse.  
-followed by severe stomach pain up high (under the three lower ribs) close to my heart that stopped me in my tracks.  
-touching my stomach & referred pain to shoulder & mid back on both sides of spine made me severely nauseous
-temp dropped 12 d below normal, & i started mildly sweating- cold sweats
-heart felt very strange.  not a gripping feeling just really uncomfortable & there was no way to relieve it.  lying down was almost worse than standing.
-acute part only lasted for maybe 20 minutes, but my stomach upset for hours with fatigue & I felt faint or like the ground was falling out from under me
-pepto bismo didn't do much to help in the acute period but i guess helped settle things later in the day

it crossed my mind that i may have had a mild heart attack.  today, my stomach feels normal.  why a severe attack one day and gone the next.  what is the feeling that the ground is falling out from under you.  it happens frequently.

and, yes i'll go to the dr. but before i wrack up thousands in medical bills does anyone have any comments?

thanks :-)

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I can't say whether this is heart or GI-related with exam.  That said, if you think you're having a heart attack, I would suggest an emergency room evaluation.

If that has been excluded, you can evaluate for possible stomach conditions, including gastritis, GERD, or an ulcer.  An upper endoscopy or upper GI series would be reasonable testing options.

Imaging the abdomen can also be considered, to evaluate for possible liver or gallbladder disease.

Also looking at the heart, you can consider a stress test to more conclusively exclude coronary artery disease.  

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin Pho, M.D.

KevinMD.com
Twitter.com/kevinmd