Re: Should I seek further tests?

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on February 14, 1999 at 14:15:27:

In Reply to: Should I seek further tests? posted by Mike Lakotish on February 14, 1999 at 12:57:17:






Last week I went to the ER with chest tightness.  Convinced I was having a hear attack, I was also full of anxiety while being tested.  I had a EKG, a chest x-ray and a blood enzyme test, which all came back normal.  
I'm having pain in my right leg and right arm.  Also, every few days or so I will notice my heart skip a beat.  I have a history of reflux and am currently on prilosec.  I still have a tightness in my chest though, I know that hearburn from reflux can mimic heart pain, but what about the pressure and leg, arm pain?




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Dear Mike
Acid reflux should not cause leg or arm pain. It would also be very unusual, though not impossible, for heart disease to account for the leg pain.
The normal blood work and EKG mean that you were not having a heart attack. They do not exclude the possibility that your symptoms are due to heart disease, though. You should speak to your primary doctor and see if he feels a cardiac stress test is necessary to evaluate for the presence of coronary artery disease as a cause of your symptoms.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.