Should I worry?

[mazzipan]

I have a friend who i've known almost all my life but lately we've been arguing because she refuses to go see her doctor about chest pains that she's having.
She's been complaining of a stabbing/pulling pain in the left hand side of her chest that comes on suddenly and has on occasions left her almost doubled over. Also on some occasions her chest pains feel like another one will happen, as if it's building up for another one but they rarely last more than 2 seconds and i think they make her frightened.
It's really frustrating because as soon as it comes, it goes but she doesn't think it's a good enough reason to go to her doctors. Her mother has advised her to go as my friend had a heart murmur as a baby and her mother is worried it could be something to do with this or anxiety though my friend has claimed she does't have anything to worry about.
Do you know of anyway i can pursuade her to go to her doctors, if anything i think she's scared but she won't admit it or she hates being made a fuss of.
Thanks.

[sandee1818]

There could be alot of reasons for her pain but your certainly right she needs to see a Dr. immediately. I would just make it clear to her this is her health and that is very important and could be life threatening. If not for herself for you and her mom. I hope you can get her to go , she really needs to.

[Mollyrae]

Hi. I am not a Doctor but do know something about chest pain as it runs in our family. The time to really be concerned is if the chest pain is centeraly located in the middle of the chest between the breasts. It really sounds like angina or gas. Gas can cause a great deal of chest pain and is generally located on one side or the other. It feels like it is heart related but is not. It is a good idea to see a Doctor to rule out the heart but if the friend is young, she should not worry herself to death. Also Gerd, a digestive disorder can cause chest pain. Good luck with your friend. Mollyrae

[Tuckamore]

I agree with the above post that your friend should see a doctor. There are numerous reasons your friend could be having chest pains and yes it coud be related to her heart. I don't want to scare you but heart pain is not always the classic symptoms that the general public was taught to look for some years ago, especially in woman. As a former ER Nurse I saw patients come in with full blown MI's (Heart Attacks) that did not display the "typical" chest pain. I heard complaints like, "I thought it was gas, my stomach was upset and I had some chest pressure earlier."...or...""I just have this severe shoulder and jaw pain."......or...."I am just so tired I can hardly put on foot ahead of the other and the back of my neck is killing me" And than with questioning, "Oh I did have some fullness in my chest early this morning, like I have to burp but that is long gone."  And there were patients that neve had chest pain.

So the signs and symptoms of a heart attack or angina can vary from patient to patient. And as I said woman especially do not always have the "classic" symptoms.

Now that said, your friend's pain may have nothing to do with her heart but it is something that you never ignore. Even if it's GERD that can do serious damage if left untreated and result in diseases conditions such as Barretts.

You cannot make your friend go to the doctor. I would get a book form the library that discusses chest pain and take it to her. She may have to read it herself.

Good luck, you are a wonderful friend. She is very lucky to have you. Take care. Tuck