strange symptoms

Posted by steve carden on August 01, 1999 at 13:09:29
My wife is having strange symptoms that she thinks may be heart related. She has been under quite a lot of stress lately so I thought it may warrant looking into.  She is a 28 yr old white female with a history of smoking about a pack a day.  She gave birth to our son approx. 17 months ago and she had right-side hydronephrosis as a child.  Other than high stress symptoms, she is in generally good health.  Her symptoms consist of tingling in her left arm and shoulder, swelling in her joints, fatigue, slight pain and minimal tightness in her chest and intermittent chills accompanied by a cold sweat.  Are these symptoms indicative of heart related problems or is this just an extension of the stress?  Thanks for your input.

Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on August 02, 1999 at 13:25:09
Dear Steve
The symptoms you describe could be due to lots of different things, including stress. If she is really having chills accompanied by sweats, she could have a serious medical condition. Heart disease does not jump out as a major possibility, but she should still be evaluated. You should make sure she sees her doctor.
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.