Re: Unexplained chest pain

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on April 01, 1999 at 22:39:31:

In Reply to: Unexplained chest pain posted by Cindy on April 01, 1999 at 15:02:38:






I am a 29 year old female.  I am currently taking a low dosage of Atenenol
for moderately high blood pressure and chest pain.  I started having chest
pain on and off several months ago.  They did some blood work on me, and
everything looked ok.  3 weeks ago I woke up with pain down my left arm.  I
went to the emergency room, and because of my high blood pressure and family
history (my father had a heart attack when he was 30), they did more blood
work, an EKG, a stress test, an ultrasound, and chest x-rays.  Everything came
back perfectly normal.  I am still experiencing chest pain, however, and also
pain down my left arm occasionally.  The doctor does not know why.  It bothers
me though, and I would like to know what it is from.  I do not sleep very well
because of it.  I do not have heartburn, but do notice that after I drink a
hot drink or eat certain types of food that the pain is worse.  Can it be caused
by a hiatal hernia?  I also have times when my pulse races and I feel very
shaky and nervous.  The doctor said it was probably a panic attack.  He said
I needed to lose weight and exercise regularly (I am 5 ft. 8 in. and 175 lbs.)
and that it was probably caused partly by stress.  We are in the process of moving.
Do I just accept this pain and live with it, or should I still be concerned?
I would appreciate any ideas or feedback.

shakkk




Dear Cindy, thank you for your question. At your age, it would be extremely unlikely that your symptoms are being caused by a blockage in a coronary artery.  However, the only way to rule out that possibility is for you to undergo a stress test.  A hiatal hernia could cause these symptoms, but only your own physician can determine if that is the cause.  If you have a negative stress test, then I think the chest pain could be attributed to a non-cardiac cause.
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.  Good luck!
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.