24 yr old with angina symptoms, normal test results HELP please

hello, im a 24 yr old male,drink quite a bit of beer, 6ft, 212lbs, and cholesterol of 245, high triglycerides. I've been having left side chest pain that has been in the same exact location for about a year and half now, that radiates to left arm, mostly inner left arm, and left hand, and left jaw. Palpitations, pvc's, and rapid heartbeat that wakes me during night. sometimes when i have the severe left side chest pain, especially after night of drinking, i have sweats, and naseu. most of the time the pain i experience in the arm and jaw last at most about 5 mins, and then goes away and then comes back 5 mins later on and off. i've had normal test results on stress echo, stress test, echo, holter monitor, and event monitor, and chest xray. only thing caught on montiors was pvc's and svt. 1.could i be having heart related pain, angina, that was never caught on any of my test? 2. can an event monitor catch angina, or heart blockages when i feel the pain and put it to my chest?? 3. what else could be causing the heart pain that i feel in left side of chest that radiates to left jaw and left arm and hand? is it possible for someone my age and test that i have had to have CAD, that causes my symptoms? thanks, also sometimes i feel a fluttering sensation in my chest that feels like my hearts not beating right and i get kinda weak and hot, i also CANNOT reproduce the chest pain by pressing on the area.

[cindy707]

Hi read your post....there are alot of red flags being thrown on this one...1st  your cholesteral level is way too high which makes CAD a possiblity at any age and we all know that CAD is one of the causes of a heart attack once that plaque breaks loose.  The symtoms (symptoms) you are describing all point to one area for me personally however i am unsure of when you say the left side of your chest...does that mean far left? Off center left? Nipple area left?  I seriously think you need to make an appt. w. a heart doc and get checked out a little further because when you are a male get pain in the left arm, along your jaw, sweating, nausea, general ill feeling something is 100% not right hereas well as the pain coming and going.   You may want to seriously consider laying off of the drinking until you see the doc. A holter monitor to my knowledge does not have the ability to catch blockages caused from CAD but they can catch  suspicious sound waves that could be related...to catch a blockage they'd have to shoot the dye thru your veins to get a clearer picture of what is going on inside of your arterys.  I mean if this is the far left side of the chest as in to the left of the nipple area you could be looking at a sciatic nerve situation which would also effect your left arm, hand, etc.  The only way to be sure is to call your heart doc and make an appt. giving them all of the symtoms (symptoms) you just posted on this site.  Age is on your side here but because your cholest. is so high anything is possible.  Don't wait make the call....a visit is only about 50.00 and i am sure your life is worth more than that right?  Keep us posted.....

[cookienkikin]

I've been checked out by like 5 different cardiologist, and had all the test I mentioned above with normal test results.  The pain that I'm describing is Off Center Left.  With intermittent pain in the left jaw area, (right below the left ear lobe), and left arm and left hand.  could it be heart related and not caught on all the test that I've had, Dr's said that my heart is fine, could they have missed something? what does the pain mean that its intermittent, coming and going,?

[cindy707]

Again it almost sounds muscular to me....only because of what you've posted that they ran so many tests and time and time again they come back neg. for heart irreg.  The heart sits pretty much dead center in between the nipple line and a little to the left and generally when we feel the pain radiating thru the left arm it does not include the hand or fingers (you may want to touch the fingertips when you are having this situ and see if they feel cold to you which would def. indicate circulation) Intermiittent pain ....hmmmmm i don't know if its not heart related except to guess a spasm somewhere in your nerve system and thats why i mentioned sciatic because it is very intermittent.  Remember that drinking does alot of funny things to our body too especially when we over do it.  I would not be panicking at what you are now describing but maybe you need to make an appt. for a full physical w. your G.P. if your heart doc has ruled out anything cardiac related......however......if you start experiencing shortness of breath or pressure in your chest with those symtoms (symptoms) you need to make that 911 call....i feel a little stymied here....if it were my body i'd go for the full monte check up....keep us posted......

[itdood]

It could be referred pain, from some other place.

Long story but in my early 20s I began having pains that felt like a truck was sitting on my chest, which radiated to my left arm and into my neck.  To make this more alarming my father had a massive MI when I was 20 and he nearly died, had not been for a transplant.

It turns out I was lactose intolerant.  I had no idea and consumed milk a lot because I did free weight training and used it to make my protein shakes.  It would be worse at night because I did this right before bed.  I would get up, move around, get the pains to pass.  Then they would come back.

Doc after Doc could not diagnose this.  It took me 10 years to figure out when I was watching a lactaid commercial and frankly the lactose intolerance had grown to a point where I was starting to figure out what was doing it.

The pain was intestinal gas.   The effects you'd except I'd have were very vague (I didn't notice excess gas as you might expect).  To this day, when I have gas pressures, the pain is "referred" for me.

Not saying at all this is what you have, but just to show you that here I am 20 years later, I know I don't have any CAD (a.k.a. angina).

Remember, angina gets worse with exertion.   Did you have this pain while getting your stress test?  No?  then stop thinking you have angina.  There are a lot of other symptoms associated with angina you're not experiencing, so relax and enjoy your life.  Start looking into other causes, like dietary.  

On the drinking, alcohol will make svt and other arrhythmias worse.  Enjoy yourself, limit the booze.  I wish I had.  I blinked my eyes, and now I'm 42.  It goes fast.  My buds still bust on me when I have water or club soda with a lime.  I have wayy more fun watching them get stupid.

Best of luck.

[cookienkikin]

the pain i feel is a pinching/or squeezing pain in the same spot on the left side of my chest and its everyday and when the pain isn't there it is a dull constant uncomfortable feeling in my chest

[cookienkikin]

anyone?!?

[cindy707]

We're here for you cookie.......i think what we are trying to tell you is to go in and get checked out by the doctor.....itdood had a great post for you to read and if in doubt don't worry yourself sick over this.....center of chest just to the left i admit is a little suspicious however without the difficulty breathing or a "crushing pain or pressure" in the center of the chest to me it sounds like you just need a follow up check up because its been two days since your original post and i am wondering why you wouldn't go in and have it checked out so you can relieve your stress and worry.  Sometimes when we are worried we accelerate things in our bodies and i know that i for one myself would want to know what the heck is going on with me.....make the call cookie....spend the 50.00 to see the doc so you can live your life again without fear or if it is something let them address it....we can only share our experiences with you and be here for you but ultimately you are in control of your life so as they say..."Just Do It"  let us know i'll watch for your post......

[LBBBguy]

If it's a constant/persistent pain, I don't think it's angina. As itdood says, angina is brought on by exertion. That's more or less the point behind a stress test. The fact that drinking seems to be connected somehow... not sure exactly what that means, but maybe some kind of digestive issue.

Regardless of what's causing it, if you're not seeing a doctor about this, you should be. And I probably don't need to tell you this, and I wasn't exactly squeaky clean myself when I was 24, but given that you're not feeling so great, it might be a good time to start taking better care of yourself. I agree with itdood. You blink and suddenly you're 40. That lousy lipid panel you've got probably isn't a big deal now, but you won't be 24 forever.

[cookienkikin]

i've seen many of dr's, and cardiologist and they just blow me off and say its not heart related.  what could be causing the angina symptoms that i'm experiencing, they are so much like they are heart related and coming from the heart, what could this be, i also have noticed that lately it will go away right before i fall asleep and stay gone until i get up and get moving around and then it comes back and the pain is in my left jaw, right under my left ear lobe, and in my left arm and left side of chest, it is like a pinching, twisting, squeezing pain.  what in the world could this be?  thanks everyone!!  should i puch for a cardiac ct scan, or a ct angiogram???

[LBBBguy]

I'm not a doctor, and your lipid panel isn't good, so I suppose CAD can't be ruled out entirely, but angina just doesn't sound right to me here. I think if you've had a stress test, and they didn't see anything, angina seems to be ruled out. Chest pain can have other causes besides the heart, even if it is on the left side. Do you have a family history of heart attacks at a young age?

Also, you have mentioned some fluttering and PVCs and SVT. Was that on a Holter monitor? Was there any kind of diagnosis for what was causing those?

[cookienkikin]

yes the pvc's and svt was captured on an event monitor.  there was no diagnosis, just that it was benign pvc's, they dont feel benign and whenever i have a bad day with them i feel uneasy all day and a general feeling of not feeling well at all, and my heart just feels weird, i can usually tell when its going to be a bad day for them, like right now i dont feel well at all and they cause me to cough really hard sometimes?????  im also wearing a event loop monitor right now.  

[LBBBguy]

Basically, what it sounds like to me is that you're having these symptoms, and don't know what's causing them, and your doctors haven't really figured it out yet either, and so now you're more or less left to try and guess, or self-diagnose, what it might be. Honestly I would try to relax, and not assume that it's serious. Worrying too much about your heart can make you talk yourself into believing you've got something terribly wrong if you're not careful, and that can start to cause its own set of problems for you. I'm not saying to ignore it, but just do what you can to relax a bit. I know it's difficult and the palpitations and strange chest pain can make you miserable and fill your head with anxiety, but I would take some comfort if your doctor has told you your palpitations are benign. You've got doctors on the case, so hopefully they'll get it figured out sooner rather than later, so you can get some kind of answers to these questions you have.

[cookienkikin]

are multiple pvc's in a row dangerous in someone with a structurally normal heart?  can pvc's lead to v-tach, or v-fibb or any other dangerous rhythm? are symptomatic pvc's more dangerous in somone who feels them or not?  

[cookienkikin]

so is it possible for me to have blockages with the normal test results that I've had??

[CFS1]

My husband is much older than you are and I don't want to alarm you unnecessarily but he had 3 normal stress tests and a few months later had a heart attack.  So to answer your question, yes it's possible.  But angina is usually caused by exertion and goes away with rest.

[cookienkikin]

was his stress test monitored with echo, or nuclear? or they was just regular stress test?

[r9c]

I have the same thing,i did 2 stress test at the cardiology department,and both came back fine,a echocardiograhpy aslo fine,and several ECGs..all fine execpt for tachy only.I am aslo lost,i am only 24,and cardiologist told me the heart is okay..even i had bad palpitations,sometimes chest pain,dull pressure.shortness of breathe,i was told by an ER doctor it may be cause by Anxiety,cause i tend to worry about my health a lot.

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

After so many heart-related tests it sounds like your heart is normal.  PVC's and PAC's happen to most people and they are harmless but we tend to worry about them to much (heart fluttering and skipping) and then we get anxious and makes everything worse.

I have seen so many people in the Cardio ICU with heart/chest pains and then when they exclude the heart they normally do a Gastroscopy and 9/10 times they find a Hiatus Hernia or some Esophagul problem.

Have you ever had an Endoscopy/Gastroscopy done?

[CFS1]

He had a nuclear stress test all 3 times.

[cookienkikin]

Could you tell me a little about his pain, location, type, and with rest, and other symptoms that he had?  thanks

[CFS1]

For almost 2 years he would have left sided chest pain that radiated to his shoulder when we were out walking the dog or when he was cutting grass.  He went to cardiologists..did stress test (3 times), results were good.  He didn't always have the pain, sometimes we could walk and it didn't happen.  Doctors were convinced it was his shoulder.  The pain was not really bad but it was always in the same place, happened with exercise usually and went away when he rested.  Right before he had the heart attack the pain started getting worse and happened one night when he was just sitting watching tv.  He had the heart attack a few days later..we had blamed the whole thing on his shoulder because of the negative stress tests.
On the other hand...there are other reasons for chest pain and one of them is anxiety.  I have had panic attacks and I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest.  Anxiety can cause an amazing array of symptoms.  I was having constant runs of PVCs, PACs, SVT and even went into Afib.  I was in the ER 5 times in a couple of months and got so mad at the doctors telling me I was having panic attacks.  I just knew that something horrible was wrong.  Well...I finally became convinced that it was simply anxiety that was feeding these episodes and that if it was going to kill me it would have done it long ago.  And finally I started getting better and I have actually started to get my life back (fingers crossed as I say this).  My point is, don't discount your anxiety totally.  It could be what is going on. I would suggest that you go to a cardiologist and explain to him what is going on and your symptoms and how much anxiety this is causing you.  Hopefully they will do something to ease your mind a little bit.

[r9c]

Hi,so ur saying all ur symptoms such as chestpain are from anxiety and panic attack?

[CFS1]

I don't think all of my PVCs, etc are caused by anxiety.  I think I would have some no matter what.  But I think the SVT, the runs of PVCs and maybe even the A fib was caused by anxiety.  I know 100% the chest pain is.  According to the doctors there is absolutely nothing wrong with my heart.  When all the palps hit I was going through the most stressful experience I have ever had in my life.   So...that's what I think.  Hope I'm right.

[cookienkikin]

what type of tests have you gone through for the Dr's to determine it wasn't heart related?

[CFS1]

I have had tons of blood work, nuclear stress test, 3 echos and I don't know how many EKGS.  I have worn both the 24 and 30 day heart monitors and have been to the ER 5 times and was admitted to the hospital once when I went into A Fib.  I have seen both a regular cardiologist and an EP.