left side chest pain!

[cassandralee]

for over 2 weeks now i've been having an ache, pressure, with pain on and off under my left breast or to the side. tonight its been waking me up on and off since 1am. i so feel like it has something to do with my heart, like my heart is aching or struggling to work hard. i saw a cardiologist who said i had a normal echo last year so we didnt need to repeat that, and then he did an holter monitor which he said was normal, and ekg that was normal. does anyone know what this pain could be then??

[mammo]

I assume your blood pressure is okay, or the cardiologist would have addressed that.  Have you seen an Endocrinologist to rule out a thyroid problem?  It is a normal thing for people to pass out when they see something that really upsets them. What happens is your blood pressure drops, which results in a lack of blood flow to the brain, and you pass out.  A good example of this is men who will pass out while watching their wives deliver a baby. This is called Vasovagal Syncope. The passing out is actually your body's way of protecting itself, once you pass out, this allows your your BP to return to normal.  So if you are easily excited or stressed about something, this is what is happening.  Since your heart has been ruled out, I feel your next step would be to see a gastroenterologist to rule out intestinal problems. If everything is okay there then like nursegirl said, it may be time to address your anxiety. Please keep us posted on what you find out.  If it turns out to be anxiety, this is a wonderful place to get support and advice. Take care...

[cassandralee]

i had an ultrasound of the heart back in october  of 09, along with chest xray. was told it was normal so i guess i felt better. then recently i had passed out, prior to that i had been having chest pain. they had no concern for me passing out, said my ekg was normal and called it vasovagal syncope which they explained was common. to be on the safer side i still saw another cardiologist who did a holter monitor and said it was normal and everything is most likely due to anxiety im starting to have from that episode. said he would not repeat an echo or chest xray because everything was normal. im trying to relax,. but even right now im so nervous that something is wrong, its been bothering me since last night and doesnt wanna go away :(

[nursegirl6572]

Pain can occur in that area from a whole host of sources....like mammo said, it could be GI in nature, could be anxiety/stress....it could be related to something respiratory (for example, what you describe is a very common symptom of an upper resp infection, bronchitis).  You've had a thorough cardiac work-up, so you can relax in that respect.  

My suggestion to you would be...if it continues, certainly make an appt with your doc to rule out any other possible physical cause...and if everything still checks out okay, then it may be time to explore the anxiety angle.  One of THE MOST COMMON "symptoms" of anxiety is chest pain, and worrying about one's heart health.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing!

[mammo]

It may  be referred pain from your gastrointestinal tract, a pinched nerve, gas, or even stress.
Has your doctor done an ultra-sound of the area or xray?  Because your tests are all normal, and your age I think you can relax that it's not your heart.  Do you suffer with anxiety?  I would suggest you see a GI specilaist to rule out any intestinal problems, and get some views of the area via ultr-sound or xray.  Let us know how you are doing and take care.