Pericarditis or what?

[Kabby]

I have had severe chest pain which is constant an unaffected by exercise, posture, movement, anything, etc. for 2 years now.  It can be quite severe and hurts 24 hours/day.  I take ulytram to tyry and control the pain.  I have had numerus tests which all have been negative including EKG, echocardiogram, heart CT scan, etc.  The only test showing anything was a gallium scan taken at 24 hours and again at 48 hours to confirm.  It showed a vague uptake in the area around my heart and sternum.  The cardiac and pulmonary docs say this means nothing but a rheumatologists thinks this means some inflammatory process is going on and causing me pain.  Could this be a strange form of pericarditis that doesn't show up on EKG, echo, or CT?

Thanks -

Kabby

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

I agree with the cardiac and pulmonary doctors. I think that you do not have pericarditis as the cause of your symptoms. I think that the slightly abnormal gallium scan reflects an underappreciated principle in medical testing - if enough tests are ordered, at least one will be abnormal, though the abnormal result may have nothing to do with the presenting complaint.