Possible heart attack?

[cw__0]

  I am a 36 year old female and have recently experienced two episodes (four
  months apart)of severe chest pain which radiated into my shoulder and down
  my right arm.  The pain lasted about 4 hours each time and during this time
  I also felt quite nauseous, had difficulty breathing because of the pain
  and was very pale.  I didn't experience any sweating or dizzyness.  I am
  about 30 lbs overweight, pretty inactive and I have a total cholesterol
  of 221 (sorry, I don't have the rest of the numbers).  At the time of the
  first episode I thought it might be heartburn and didn't seek any medical
  treatment.  I do have a strong family history of heart problems (my mother
  had her first MI in her early 40's), so the second time it happened, I
  decided to see a doctor.  I saw my GP two days after the second episode and
  he did an ECG which he said was normal.  However, the ECG machine printed
  a statement to the effect that the ECG was abnormal and that I had
  bradyarrhythmia and a second degree SA block. My GP said the machine was
  wrong about the block, but did schedule me for a exercise treadmill test
  which I will have tomorrow.  I do seem to have a rather slow heart rate
  lately, usually in the low 50's.  Normal for me has always been closer to
  70.
  My questions are these:  Could my symptoms be related to what I believe is
  a herniated disk in my neck?  I understand that the chances of me having
  coronary artery blockage at my age is very low.  If the treadmill test
  shows no problem, should I be satisfied that I have no significant heart
  problems, or are my symptoms such that I should be aggressive in seeking
  further testing?  If so, what testing would be appropriate?
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Dear CW
A herniated disc in your neck could cause neck, arm and shoulder pain, but really shouldn't cause chest pain.
I would recommend a stress test with a concomitant imaging modality such as an echocardiogram or nuclear scan. These have a higher rate of picking up coronary artery disease than a plain old treadmill test, especially in women.
I hope this is useful. Feel free to write back. I wish you the best of luck.
If you would like to set up an appointment with one of our cardiologists here at the Cleveland Clinic please feel free to call 1-800-CCF-CARE.
Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only. Actual diagnosis and treatment of any particular medical condition can only be made by your physician(s).