Still having pain

[Victoria]

A healthy and happy New Year to you Cardio Docs!

I have pain in my chest, jaw and arm.  I am been worked up twice with a stress echo, twice in one year.  I wore a holter during these episodes and it came back fine.  I am on Atenolol.  I have a few questions though.  

1.  Will Atenolol weaken my heart over time ? (years)  25 mg.  I take it for pvc's.
2.  Is the stress echo accurate in woman?  I am 34 and otherwise healthy?  I have had one regular stress test, an echocardiogram, and two stress echo's. (all within one year)
3.  Can panic or anxiety really cause these same symptoms? ( chest/arm pain too?)

Every time I go to the Er with these symptoms, my Ekg and enzymes are fine...Any clues?  My cardio says its  NOT  my heart, but it sure feels like it when the pain in my chest hurts.

Thanks and blessings. :)

[Diana Lynn to Chris]

Syndrome X is a new term for me, so I did some quick research. See Women.com. which is part of Prevention.com.  This condition is quite likely the result of out of whack insulin.  Who would have guessed! I don't know if the Drs. have checked my blood sugar but I'm certainly going to request a "fasting plasma glucose test" when I get back to the Drs.   My blood pressure has been quite a bit higher over the last year, just within the last month, they've put me on ALTACE and it's certainly bringing it down (yesterday 124/70, couldn't ask for anything better).  There's a possibility that high blood pressure is indicated as a marker for cardiovascular disease risk that usually turns up as part of X. Chris, do you have any of these markers?  This may not be my problem, but it certainly sounds like it's worth pursuing.  Thanks, Chris!  This forum just shows us that more heads are better than one!

[A friend again]

Hi, no, I wasn't really talking about not worrying or a higher form of healing as much as maybe a different one (particularly if the one you've been using hasn't served you well after giving it plenty of chances)...  TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)and Ayurveda (the medical system from India)are two of your options, now more accessible to the average American than ever before. If you don't know much about them, try to find out more the next time you get on the net (I'll try to post a site or two ).  The thing that's important to know, though, is that there are other legitimate systems of medicine -- systems --out there, that have undergone their own process of developement and built a solid body of knowledge often over millenia, from which a number of us could possibly benefit.  It's a big world out there.  Medically speaking, we have been very insular, I think, and have been led to believe certain things about what is or is not possible, period (that's why I think someone thought I was talking about something often perceived as more spiritual or psychological rather than physical. Nope. The way I was hurting and the way it disrupted my life made me know there was something really wrong with my body, despite what any doctor said. Also, speaking of doctors, I agree with the person that said one should have a good one, particularly with problems that have been chronic.  Mine just happened to be a good doctor of Chinese medicine; a hundred years ago, it might have been a good Eclectic physician right here in the US of A -- either one, the medical establishment would probably not have approved.  But I have learned something: my loyalty is something to be earned. Bye for now).

[Lauro]

I too live in a State where we have a well known Heart center.

But, I have not been happy with the two physicians I have seen
so far.  I was apparently plain vanilla to them.

I think many are too busy to take time to listen well to the patient. Atleast this was my case.  One was an Interventional Cardio and the other travels and does not have time for followups.

I did like one but his staff was incompetent and made more mistakes than I care to mention.  Now, if he would fire some, this doctor would be Top Notch in my books.

My NYear's resolution is to locate a Good Cardio Doc.  He/She must come with a trail of several people recommending him/her via other patient satisfaction.   This doctor must also have a good staff that will take and return calls, write orders correctly and file appropriately with the Insurance company, using correct codes.

Am, I asking for too much here??? (-:

[beverly]

YOU MUST check your gallbladder.  I went through the same things you all are talking about and finally my new cardiologist had a simple ultrasound exray done of my gallbladder and found it terribly infected and full of gallstones.  After almost 10 months of terrible chest pains that responded to Nitro and 4 trips to the hospital in the middle of the night, they took my gallbladder out and my whole life changed!!  I do have CAD, mitral valve leak, left bundle branch block and Cardiomyopathy but now I am not in almost constant pain.  They did the Endoscopy first and found nothing.  Ask them to do ultrasound exray  of your gallbladder first.  If it is "HOT" then you don't have to go through the other.  I would NEVER have believed that this could be my problem, but I thank God everyday that the pain is gone.
Good Luck  Beverly  (***@****)

[christine m. smith]

Hi!

I am 50 years old. My pcp told me a Holter monitor would not be useful for the type of problem I was having. (I asked him that after the first treadmill where I didn't have any symptoms. I knew I would have symptoms the next time I walked uphill and thought maybe I could record it on the Holter)

How is a stress echo different than a sestamibi nuclear scan?  I had that done and it was positive-it showed ischemia in the area of the left descending coronary artery during the exercise phase of the test, normal during the resting phase.  Another cardiologist on a forum told me that esophageal spasms can mimic cardiac pain but would not give an abnormal nuclear scan. Also, why would my esophagus spasm walking uphill and climbing stairs? If I had random pain I would be more inclined to think that could be the problem.

During the regular treadmill test and the sestamibi scan my EKG was normal with no ectopic activity at all. My blood pressure acted appropriately also. Ejection fraction was 72% which I understand is excellent. What else could a stress echo show?

Chris

[christine m. smith]

Hi!

What you posted about your gall bladder being your problem is so interesting.  I am sure that is going to be very helpful to other readers.  I have been told that "esophageal problems" can cause pain similar to cardiac pain and that responds to nitro as well.
A friend of mine had several gall bladder attacks before being diagnosed and she was sure she was having a heart attack. However, in my case, my "exertional angina" is in my throat/neck/jaw/cheeks and occurs when I walk uphill or climb more than 2-3 flights of stairs. Occasionally I will get it with other types of exertion. I rarely get chest pain and if I do, it is more of a pressure than actual pain.  Can you see any way this type of pain could be from something like the esophagus or gall bladder?  

Chris