Doc won't take me seriously!

[Jess]

Hi, I'm 18F and have lots of concerns...

1. I get this weird squashing of my heart sometimes when I stand, it is very strong and lasts for only a 10-30 secs. It makes me quite panicy when it goes on. There is no pain associated with these episodes, though I do find it hard to breath deeply.

2. I have an irregular heart beat, and have a very strong pulsing in and around my naval, that seems to be getting stronger as I get older. When I was 16 I could hardly notice it. If I press this hard it gives a sharp pain deep into me, and the area is quite stiff. I looked up some info on what it might be and came up with A.A.A, but surely this can't happen in a young otherwise healthy female?

3. I get chest pain just under my left lower ribs when I run long distances, that is so bad I have to stop and it continues to hurt for up to 20 minutes.

4. For the last three weeks I have been feeling quite faint, like when standing up. I am experiancing recurrent hot flushes, and headaches, with pressure around the back of my right eye. And most annoyingly, I am constantly tired.

I havn't a clue what to think, and I know my GP will not take me seriously with all that lot. Do you think I need to be concerned or can these symptoms be easily explained?

And should any normal person be able to feel the very strong pulse on the naval? (I am of normal weight)

Thanks Jess.

[nancy]

I was just diagnosed this week with Prinzmetal's. I am a 39 year old female who has ben suffering from severe chest  pain that traveled down both arms and up to  my chin/jaw . I had undergone numerous tests and was told that  everything was normal with  my heart ,  no gastroesophageal reflux, no gall bladder problems, no hernia , my echo cardio was normal in fact my heart was perfect. I went into the emergency room on Monday 12-11-00 . With this severe chest pain once again.  I was fortunate   to have  been still having the pains when they performed the ekg on me. The doctor there admitted me and I was relieved that I was MAYBE finally on my way to a conclusion to this pain and  that they were NOT panic attacks as I was told they were by the doctors. I had an angio the next morning and found that I suffer from  prinzmetals. I am on  cardizem now and do feel better. I was  going out of my mind for over 2 years with everyone thinking I was nuts. Including my husband.

[Kain]

Fact is that most young people male and female get overlooked for possible heart problems.I have had to fight tooth and nail to get any tests ran on me even though I have had some troubling symptoms that even doctors have seen but they still do not think it is heart releated best thing to do is find a doctor you can trust let him put you through all the tests if nothing else to ease your mind

[Toni]

Hi Jess I am a 23yo female with prinzmetals angina,your symptoms are similar to what mine were when I first got sick.  Please see a cardiologist.  I don't want to scare you but I am now almost totally disabled.  I am unable to work due to chest pain and it's associated sypotoms.  For years doctors told me I was having panic attacks.  For years I believed them, unfortunatly this misdiagnosis delayed proper treatment.  Maybe if I had been taken seriously sooner I would not be so sick now.
I also have a firm pulsing mass near my navel that when pushed on sends lightning pain into my heart and left armpit.  It has also increased with age.  I plan to ask my cardiologist about that when I see her next.
I would love to hear from you as I have met no one else as young as I was/am with these symptoms.  You can email me at ***@**** put heart forum in the subject line.

[Been down that road......]

Dear Jess,
I am not a doctor, I do work in the medical profession.  Being a young woman with chest pain does NOT exclude you from having cardiac problems.  If you were a young man entering an ER with chest pain  you would get a full cardiac workup, being a young female you most likely wouldn't.  There have been studies proving that statement. Anyway, what struck my interest was in your statement that you feel lightheaded when you stand up and that when you do stand up your heart beats fast and irregular, could be orthostatic hypotension.  Also your chest pain when you are running should be looked in to.  What I would do is definately bring up those complaints to your doctor.  If anything, you should wear a 30 day event monitor so you can record when these "events" happen to you.  24 hour holters don't show everything because you only wear it for 24 hours and you could have a good heart day. When you feel lightheaded etc. you push a button and it records what your heart was doing before, during and after the event took place.  You then call the event into your monitors company and send the reading over the phone to them.  They then print it out and tell you if you should go to the ER etc. They send a copy of the strip to your doctor.  You can call in as many events as you want in 30 days.   At least it would put your mind at ease as to whether or not you have some underlying heart problem.  You could also have an exercise treadmill test to make sure what you are feeling when you are running is nothing serious.  If your doctor doesn't listen to you and treats you like a stressed out hysterical female then get another doctor.  If he/she just wants to give you a pill, make him/her prove to you you need that pill through testing.  Good luck!!

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Jess,
1. It could be PVCs.  This is what many people with this condition report feeling.  You can find more information on this condition in the archival.
2. Your aorta (the main artery) runs right here and is normally felt in this area. It would be unlikely for someone your age to have an aortic aneurysm.
3. Chest pain in a young woman is not usually cardiac but this should be evaluated if it continues.
4. Hard to say for sure what this could be.  A number of different things could be causing non-specific complaints like these including things like mono.