Hearth healthy?

[dolphin8808]

So,  I was diagnosed with PVC's back in March. Was told from the EC and Cardio that I do not need meds etc, just cut back on caffeine and other stimulants which I have done. I also suffer from panic and anxiety which I take meds for and they really do help. But it doesn't control my health anxiety totally. So, around the time I began heart testing (monitor, EKGs, Echo etc) I began having "heart" twinges. It was like a twinge of pain directly above my left breast. It feels very "deep" in there.  Started as just a few seconds and only once a day. As time has gone on, it has gotten more frequent, lasts longer and bit more intense and sometimes I can feel it in the same spot on my back, like it is going right through me. So, my doctor had me try Acid Reflux meds for a month, and that didn't help. Then she had me go for a Chest CT Scan to make sure it wasn't my lungs. Now, we are at a loss since all those other things came back ok. She is saying to have a sonogram of  my gallbladder even though the pain is on my left side not my right. She said if that comes back negative we may have to go see a muscle/joint specialist. But I am still really freaked out thinking what if something was missed. I mean it's not to the point that I stop with pain but I feel it. She also thinks my anxiety may contribute to it as well?  I just have no idea what this could be and not having answers is driving me mad! :( Any suggestions would appreciated. Thank you!

[dolphin8808]

Thank you all very much for the comments :)
I had the heart test, Echo, EKG and monitor and they doc did a chest Xray and also followed up with a Chest CT Scan all coming up empty. Then we tried the acid reflux which didn't help. It's very scary I guess because I don't know what it is. It cause me so much anxiety, wakes me up at night and freaks me out. Just want it to go away. I am not sure if something in my spine could cause it or if it could be something in my neck.... Even if I just knew it was a nerve, it would make me feel better. I know it may never be answered but in the mean time, I focus on it. I have noticed when I occupy my mind I do not notice it as much. When taking walks etc... its not nearly as noticeable, I guess because I am not concentrating on it either.  I think because of my health anxiety, it makes me question things, like maybe my doctor missed something. I know that's awful.... :s

[Mom2four85]

I had pain on the left underside of my chest; they told me was probably nothing, but when I had a CT and Xrays done it showed I had cardiomegaly and my heart was actually touching the ribcage it was so enlarged.  

After my ablation they gave me something in my IV and it helped alot...every so often I do get this again and tests will show where my heart's enlarged again.  One of my problems they found during the procedure was on the bottom underside of my heart.

yours could be inflammation also, did they do a CT or Xrays? it could be inflammation or swelling in the surrounding areas also

[DeltaDawn23]

I had repeated chest pain that -- after 3 ER visits -- turned out to be inflammation around the heart due to mono.

Also, the splenic flexure in the bowel can cause sharp chest pain if you are at all constipated.

Just a couple of thoughts you might run past your doctor.

[achillea]

It's funny, but knowing where the heart actually is can give you a false idea of heart pain.  The mind does influence the body in that way, though it is unconscious.  For embryological reasons, true heart pain--whether severe or mild--is perceived in the center of the chest.  Not noticeably on the left, and not under or above the breast.

If you can physically touch the source of your pain when you aware of it, that will mean that it is real and not "referred."  This is the kind of thing you would expect with, let's say, costochondritis, an inflammation of the ribs that is strangely enough more common in women.    Your doc's idea of sending you to a muscle/joint specialist is therefore well founded.

The fact that you perceive the pain on your back is interesting and maybe significant, depending on exactly where you perceive it.  A nervous inflammation such as shingles can cause this, but the pain tends to be superficial.

Your doc's tests sound rational and careful to me.  If your tests turn up nothing, then--in the absence of other symptoms--it will be reasonable to look for a psychological cause.  You are wise to be open and accepting of your panic and anxiety and their possible relationship to the pain you are experiencing.

[dolphin8808]

thank you! :)

[itdood]

It might be a form of Precordial Catch Syndrome.  I've had it come and go for about 10 years now.  It hasn't killed me yet :-)

It's a very sharp pain at times.    Everything for me checks out.

You're doing the right thing getting checked out.