Yes they misdiagnosed mine as reflux. I tried telling them that the throat discomfort was not heartburn but they wouldn't listen, like someone over 45 years old wouldn't know what heartburn feels like. One way to determine it quickly at home is to have the Doctor prescribe a nitro spray. When you get the discomfort, a quick squirt of this under the tongue will show if it's circulation issues or not. If the pains are relieved within a few seconds, then you likely have blockages. I was referred to a Gastro and within 20 seconds of answering questions he said it was not gut, it was the heart. He said because the pains only lasted 20-30 mins, it wouldn't be the gut. My Cardiologist appointment came too late.
Hi there,
"after I eat dinner I get sharp pains in my upper left back along with chest pains".
yip, this sounds to me like GERD. reflux! You can have a Hiatus hernia that you don't know about and that can mimic heart pains and cause back pain. The best you can do is to see your Physician and ask for a referral to a Gastro Ent. When they have ruled out GERD, then you can take further steps and investigate your heart.
All the best!
My Dad had the same problem, He had Pain in Left hand after eating. After some time of sitting idle (15-20 mins) The pain subsided. My Dad thought it was due to acidity. The problem was Heart was not able to pump enough blood after eating. This situation continued for 6 months and we found later that he had 3 major blocks. Consult a Physician and a Cardiologist. Dont ignore it.
In 2006 I kept getting chest pains every time I ate something. I even went to the hospital and they did a chest x-ray/ECG which were all normal. However, I didn't have the pains then, they would last around 10-15 mins. For a whole year they prescribed anti-acid medication which did nothing. When the summer months arrived, the symptoms seemed to disappear and I forgot about them. When winter returned, the symptoms returned. I had a heart attack in 2007. It was explained to me how the heart has to work harder when you eat something. It seems strange how they couldn't understand my throat discomfort either, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. After my heart attack I learned that throat discomfort is a very common symptom with angina attacks.
When I look back to the first time I went to hospital with chest pains, I realise now that the general Doctors in the emergency had very little experience of the heart compared to Cardiologists. I feel sure a Cardiologist would have immediately known what it was once my symptoms were described.