heart pain or insane?

i am 29-- off and on for around 4 years i will have angina-- in my upper left chest area that shoots down my arm.  when i was teaching school around 3 years ago, i had a work up. they did a sonogram of my heart and many ekgs and a halter monitor and nothing showed up.  then it goes away.  well, over the course of the past year, i have been to the ER several times, they do an EKG and it is normal and they send me home. i am a recovered bulimic-- had it thirteen years-- i have been bulimia free for 7 months.
i woke up w/ collar bone pain and pain in my left hand this morning. my psychiatrist says it is most likely stress and gave me inderol (which has worked in the past). well, the area about where your heart is, is swollen somewhat on my abdomen. i have had a complete abdominal ultrasound which showed nothing-- but they weren't looking at my heart.  i am starting my inderol today-- should i find a cardiologist. my psychiatrist says he may want to have me evaluated again.  the entire town already thinks i am a hypochondriac--- so i don't know whether to pursue this.

thank you.

fairydust

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear fairydust,
I am always very leary about attributing chest pains to stress unless other medical causes have been excluded.  I would also be very careful about a psychiatrist treating medical problems.  My suggestion is to see your family doctor and see what he/she recommends.

[eloridas]

I hope uou are taking this doctors advise and having your family doctor re-evaluate your symptoms--I went to a therapist last year who talked me into thinking I was a hypochondriac.  I now have been finding out, that I am not at all.  You seem to live in a small town--maybe you insurance will pay for evaluation from a doctor in a little larger town or city--or if you can get your doctor to listen.  My heart problem does NOT show up on an EKG--BUT, is a very serious condition.  After, five years of walking around--thinking my old doc thought I was a hypochondriac and th cardiologist too--I found out recently that it's something that I should let ANYone around me know incase of trouble.  SO--WHO cares what the people in your town think.  Angina is a WARNING sign.  It can also cause problems with GERD.  Take care-eloridas

[Victoryia]

A holter monitor is only worn for a very short period of time and if nothing is showing up on that, they should be giving you an Event (or Loop) Monitor. It is worn for 30 day periods usually, and when you are having symptoms you press the button and it records some time before you push the button and a few minutes afterward, depending on how it is set. Then after you record it you call a toll free number and send the recording over the phone. The recordings are sent to your doctor.

[emeraldone]

FYI I got chest pains while consuming aspartame which disappeared after discontinuing product.