Chest Pain and Echocardiogram results

[Denver]

I am a active 46 year old male who has smoked for 20 years (been quit 2 weeks!). 3 times in my life since 21 I have experienced Chest pains, shortness of breath with tightness in the left side of my neck and a tingling in left arm and shoulder. Each time I went to the emergency room/doctor with no definite diagnosis. I felt fine with 24 hours each time. Pericarditis was mentioned as a possibility. 2003 was the last time it happened and I had a a complete physical including 2 echocardiograms. AllEKG's were nomal each time. The first echo conclusion was "calcified hilar and left mediastinal lymph nodes are evident. 2 millimeter calcified granuloma is seen in the right lower lobe. Otherwise no active disease".

A month later the conclusion of the 2nd echo was" low lung volumes. Borderline heart size. Calcified hilar and left mediastinal nodes seen again. Minimal subsegmental atelectasis seen in both lung bases. No pleural fluid or pulmonary edema".

My questions are can someone explain this in "layman's" terms? Is this something that is permanent or something that can be fixed with proper exercise/diet (and quitting smoking). I have been turned down for life insurance (a large policy) because of these conclusions.

[Denver]

Thanks for your feedback! Since posting my question I have had another one of these "episodes". It started on the day that my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. From this, I am convinced that it is stress related. Does this sound like anxiety attacks. I have done a little research and it sounds like some of the symptoms are similiar.

[National Jewish]

The first step is a thorough evaluation of your heart.  This is not pericarditis.  Your symptoms could be due to coronary artery disease.  An exercise test and/or a heart scan might help pin this down.  Your symptoms may have nothing to do with your heart.  Then testing would need to look at other possibilities such as nerve compression.  Your symptoms could be due to one or more of the nerves that make up the brachial plexus.  This is where a network of nerves passes to the chest and arm near the armpit.