the muscle around the heart

[Crissy05]

hi my husband who also has diabetes keeps complaining about chest pains. we have informed the doctor and have taken a stress test, and an ekg test. they all came back normal. but he is starting to wonder if the muscle around his heart is contracting and causing him to have these on and off chest pains. he also often complains about the pain spredding up and out toward his shoulders. so my question is Could it be his heart muscle contracting/squeezing his heart at times causing these types of chest pains? or is it possible he has an enlarged heart? What do we need to do?. sorry so many........ thanks

[grendslori]

If your husband had an enlarged heart, that would have shown up on the testing he had done. I would also tell him to see a cardiologist.

[Jerry_NJ]

It is good that you have discussed with your doctor, chest pains should always be checked.
I assume the blood pressure and heart rates are also normal, as per the stress and EKG tests.  You can also check these yourself, even the HR can be done at home with no tools other than a watch.

Is he on any medication?  I suggest taking an aspirin a day with a meal if that does not cause problems such as upset stomach.  This is an easy, inexpensive, and effective therapy for many heart problems.  Was the doctor a primary care or was a cardiologist involved in the diagnostic work already done?

Try not to focus on the symptoms while at the same time being conscious of any changes, something that is hard to do, but important as anxiety can cause false heart symptoms.