Heart Problem or Chest Infection?

[Willa91]

I’m 23, married and up until recently I have been in full health.
Last week, I had been out with my horse for a couple of hours, when all of a sudden, out of no where, I had the awfullest chest pain! It felt like something was crushing my entire chest, a tightness like a vice, something indescribable. The pain moved to between my shoulder blades and in my upper back. As I walked back to the house everything began to ease itself, however, by the time I got home I felt really dizzy, my husband thought it best to drive to the nearest hospital and see what they had to say.
My heart rate was very high (ranging from 130 to 160) and so was my blood pressure (189/95). However because I am so young they told me to come back tomorrow and have an ECG, adding that they doubted anything was truly wrong because of my age. The next day I still wasn't feeling the best in fact the pain returned but this time gradually over about an hour, by the time my ECG appointment came around I was almost used to it. However, when the doctor saw my date of birth he simply told me to go home and said, “Look you probably have a chest infection. Go home.” We did and its been a week, I feel a little better, pain wise, but I am just so tired, the real issue is that over the last week I have noticed that my feet and ankles have swelled, not a lot just enough for my husband to notice without me telling him, (knowing him, thats pretty clear that its swollen). And just in the last week I have almost fainted twice.

I will admit I have a really bad family history of health issues. My mother and both of her parents have had heart attacks, my fathers family all have cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes running through their family and my older brother, who is only 30, had a major stroke last year. My younger sister, who is 22, was diagnosed with breast cancer early this year, my aunts and uncles all have diabetes.

I know that I need to visit my doctor but I just don't know what to say to them. Could I have a heart problem, after all it dose run in my family? Could I really have a chest infection? What about my swollen feet? Do you see it? Do I even go to my doctor? Help me out here.

[achillea]

Yes.  The point is to find an office that WILL give you an EKG.  You will have to be aggressive about this.

[Willa91]

They refused to give the ECG.

[achillea]

You have described the symptoms of a serious and ongoing cardiac problem, and your family history is so strong that if the hospital doctors knew about it, they are guilty of putting you in great danger.  Did they really not even do an EKG?

I believe you should call your doctor on Monday and ask for an appointment as soon as possible.  Describe your chest pain, ankle swelling, and your family's cardiac history.  If that doctor's office blows you off, keep looking for someone who will see you very soon.  At the very least, you must have an EKG.  In this situation, your age and sex should not exclude a full cardiac workup.

It is possible that something else less serious is going on, but you must have the tests that rule out anything heart or blood vessel-related.