everday left side chest pains for 2 yrs

[cookienkikin]

Hello, I want to start off by thanking you for taking the time to answer some questions that I have about my health. I'm a 22 yr old male, no family history of heart problems, don't smoke, don't do drugs, and I do drink beer pretty often. I started having chest pains on the left side of my chest like in between my left pectoral and center of my chest and sometimes right underneath my left pectoral. Sometime's they are a sharp stabbing pain that comes and goes quickly and sometimes it’s a dull-aching squeezing pain that lasts for sometimes up to 5 or 6 hours. I have them every day. Sometimes it will hurt into my left arm. I've been to NUMEREOUS Doctor's and a lot of visits to the ER. I have had 2 echocardiograms done one about 2 yrs ago and one about 1 year ago the first one was perfect they said, and the most recent one under technician comments it said "moderate tricuspid regurgitation. I've seen a cardiologist about 2 months ago at a charity hospital in Lafayette and he just looked over what I had done in the past " ecg's, holter monitor, stress test, and echo, and told me that my heart was completely fine that I would see him in 50 years. Ha-ha. But I'm also experiencing skipped beats that are felt in my chest, neck, and head. Palpitations are what I'm guessing. Last Friday I was hurting really bad so I went to the ER and they did blood test and ECG, and chest x-ray. I can send you some copies of the test that I had and I was wondering if you could tell me if you see anything wrong with any of them. The main one that I'm concerned about is the EKG’s. So please if you would please let me know what you think and if I should pursue this more. I woke up last night at 3 am and underneath my left pectoral was hurting me so bad I got up took an aspirin and 2 tums, I'll try anything now. and tried to go back to sleep. Thank you so much for your time and God Bless.!! My ecg's looked like this. The pain I get is always on the left side of my chest, and sometimes I can feel my heartbeat do something weird when i get the pain, it like beats and stays like "stretched out" i guess you would say for awhile and then goes back down like a long paused beat. Im getting tired of living with this pain everyday.  and sometimes i get nauseus, and when the pain is there my heartbeat is really forceful, but at a normal rate. it just feels like its about to give up on me and hurts really bad.

First one:   Rate 88 PR 119 QRSD 100 QT 385 QTc 466   AXIS P 82 QRS 94 T 18    Sinus rhythm, rate 88 Accelerated AV conduction Rightward Axis High QRS voltage, ? normal for age Q's in II, III, aVF- possibly normal for age  Borderline ECG   Second one, 2 hours later:   Rate varies from 80 to 103: ? arrythmia   Rate 88 PR 143 QRSD 98 QT 354 QTc 428   AXIS P 78 QRS 86 T 54"

[cookienkikin]

i went to my doc yesterday and i told him about my pain and symptoms still and i told him that when i went to the er a few weeks ago with the real bad pain that they told me to talk to my doc about repeating the echo,stress test, and holter, and possibly doing a heart cath. I told him that and he said that they would be useless b/c we already had them done and they didnt show anything. (except heart cath. never had that done), he said that there was nothing wrong with my heart. i've still been having the intermittent chest pain right over my heart, left side of chest, and pain radiating down my left arm and into my left wrist. what are the possibilites that the test i had done would have missed any blockages or anything else that could be causing my symptoms with my heart? what could be causing my pain and symptoms? unstable angina?  are there any substitute tests, less invasive than a heart cath. that are just as good?  nuclear scan? again im a 22 yr old male, 6 ft. 180lbs. bp is 137/80. i do have one tender spot on the left side of my chest but i think its b/c thats where i always grab when i have the pain and i just bruised it, and now i grab it all the time and press on it when i have the pain. are coronary artery spasms dangerous? if you dont mind could you find out if the ekg would show changes in the event one happened with an event monitor, thanks so much. is coronary artery spasms something that can be corrected, and what are the complications of them.

[anxiousheart79]

your left side pain could be from a pulled muscle or pinched nerve. If all you have is PACs or PVCs, they arent dangerous. I have PACs and although the doctor tells me they arent dangerous im still scared. Every time i get one im scared. I feel like there is something else wrong with me. I ask about your stomach because i too have stomach problems. I have GERD. The actual stomach is right below your heart and the pains i get sometimes are stomach and i think they are heart pains.

[Momto3]

You need to ask your doctor these questions.  Perhaps a good general physical examination could put your mind at ease.  

[cookienkikin]

yes i do sleep alot i guess you could say, today i slept 10 hrs, but most days i sleep around 8 or 9, and i feel fatigued alot and yawn alot.  and yes i do have stomach problems, been having them before all this started. are the pac's or pvc's that i experience that i feel in my chest and throat often, are they dangerous? and im pretty active.  im male, 6 ft tall, and weigh 180-185 lbs. it seems as if i dont have to do much to get my heart beat going really fast and hard, it dont take long or hardly and hard work at all and it will be pounding and going fast.

[anxiousheart79]

Im having the same problems. I get pains in the left side of my chest and pains in my left arm and i get the hard pounding beats. If you feel your pulse when the beats pound you might feel that your heart actually stops for a quick second before the hard beat and then the hard beat comes. Thats the AV node sending an electrical signal to your heart to quickly so actuallly your heart is producing an extra beat you dont feel, then the heart resets itself. thats the hard beat you feel. Thats a PAC. its sort of like this   beat......beat......beat.beat......................BEAT......beat......beat......beat. The fourth one you dont feel then after a pause, the fifth one is a hard beat because the heart filled with more blood then normal and its a harder beat then the heart beats normal again. So it actually feels as if the heart is skipping a beat. Premature Atrial Contraction - PAC. As for the pain, I dont know. Are you active? Do You sleep a lot or lay in bed a lot? Tell your cardiologist about it. Do you have any stomach problems?

[cookienkikin]

i was wondering what conditions could cause the left side chest pain that i'm experencing with pounding/forceful/hard heartbeats in my chest. the pain is intermittent along with the hard heartbeats, when the pain is there it is accompanied by the hard/forceful/pounding heartbeats. what could cause this? thanks

[anxiousheart79]

You really need to go to a cardiologist that can help you. We are just here to give each other support and help, not to diagnose things. We arent doctors. Im a regular joe just like you. I get the left arm pains and the chest pains and it scares the **** out of me but I dont know what its from. Go see a cardiologist that can help. Ive been to 4 different ones. Get second, third and fourth opinions. try to put your mind at ease.

[cookienkikin]

yea, im wondering now if it could be arrythmias causing my problems.  with all the info i have given does that sound like it could be a possibility? could they cause intermittent chest pain on the left side where i described, and occasional left arm pain? how could i find out if that is what it is? if is is arrythmias are they dangerous, can they be treated?

[anxiousheart79]

Hey there. Im sorry to hear your having so much anxiety over this. Im in the same boat as you. Im a 28 yr old male, I get pains in the same spot you do, i get pains in my left arm and numb patches. Ive been to 3 cardiologist over the last 2 years and had all the tests you have had done. ECG, EKG, stress test, Nuclear stress test, 24 hour holter monitor twice, ultrasound of the heart and blood work twice. Still they have not found anything wrong wih my heart. i have skipped beats all day, up to 4000 sometimes. I feel weak sometimes, As Im typing this, my left arm feels like its full of pressure and i have a small pain i the general area of my heart. I feel like sh*t. All of my doctors have said that my heart is fine. They said I have PACs which is normal in a lot of people and is not something to worry about. Theres supposedly no threat to me or my heart. Im still scared. The pain comes and goes and scares me. The skipped beats always happen and scare me. No matter what the doctors say, im still worried. I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! trust me. I really dont have any answers for your questions, i just didnt want you to think your alone on this. I hope you find something to ease your thoughts. Find a good cardiologist who will follow through on all of your tests and give you answers you need. Dont let them brush you off and make sure you ask questions. dont be afraid to tell the doctor yor thoughts. Hope you feel better.

Mike

[cookienkikin]

neither, just right atrial enlargement

[Tjalsma]

Did it say slight atrial enlargement or mild atrial enlargement?

[cookienkikin]

today i went and got some of my medical records from recent visits. i got 4 different ekg reports. I had two done on 10/19/2007, one on 12/22/2007, and one on 12/28/2007. The one I had done on 12/22/2007 shows on the computer printoit and the top sinus tachycardia, right atrial enlargement, borderline ecg when compared with ecg of 09/13/2006. That is the only one that I'm really concerned about, I was really anxious and i think i was having a panic attack when that ekg was recorded. The main thing that concerns me is the right atrial enlargement, its only on that one ekg. How accurate is the ekg in detecting that, and is it a really bad thing to be concerned about? I'm really anxious about this now, please shed some light on this for me. Thank you so much

[cookienkikin]

possible brugada syndrome or no??

[cookienkikin]

my ekg from 2 months ago reads rightward axix....QRS axis 91 to 110. i just had another ekg done today and it said rightward axis also, dont know the numbers though, the one i had done today also so unremarakable. can you please tell me what all this means?"

[Tjalsma]

I am very sorry to hear what you are going through.  I would seek advice from a 2nd cardiologist so they can do stress tests, etc.

Chest/arm pain can be caused by quite a few different things.  It could be a pinched nerve somewhere, etc.  Unfortunately, I don't have any perfect answers for you.

If everything has come back normal, I would have all the tests done again just to ease your mind and maybe visit a chiropractor or something.  I am not sure.

When I was about 18, I was getting pains down the right side of my arm and it ended up being an inflamed nerve.  

[cookienkikin]

the main thing that concerns me is the pain down the left arm

[cookienkikin]

??????

[cookienkikin]

thanks for your quick reply, i went to the er again last night because i was hurting so bad, and when i got there my bp was 160/90 and pulse rate 120, i was really nervous, they ran an ekg and it was normal and then took blood work to check for cardiac enzymes, that was normal also, the doc said that he was really concerned b/c the pain/and symptoms i was describing sounded cardiac, and that i should be to young for that but he has seen 17 yr olds have heart attacks, he said that since this pain has been going on so long that i should probably get a heart cath. to look for blockages, he then said that he would repeat the blood work for cardiac enzymes after 4 hours and then if it was normal he would release me and it was normal and i came home, and im still hurting a lil.  i have had normal echo,stress test,blood work,ekgs, and holter monitor. my question is wouldnt one of them be abnormal if i did have blockages, is a heart cath. really a good suggestion for me to get? what are the chances it could be that or heart related?

[hava]

You have lot of worries and no answers.Do these exercises everyday and you will get relaxed and sleep better, which in turn will help the body to repair itself.Build up your timing gradually.Report back here to say how you are progressing.
The Yoga Pranayam (breathing exercises) to help you are:

Bhastrika - Take a long deep breath into the lungs(chest not tummy) via the nose and then completely breathe out through the nose. Duration upto 5 minutes.

Anulom Vilom - Deep Breath-in through left nostril keeping right nostril closed
then - Breath-out through right nostril keeping left nostril closed
then -Deep Breath-in through right nostril keeping left nostril closed
then - Breath-out through left nostril keeping right nostril closed
and repeat this cycle for 20 to 30  minutes twice a day(maximum 60 min/day).

Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 5 to 12  times

Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 20 to 30 minutes twice a day.(Max 60 min/day) Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.

Once you are better, continue the pranayam once a day.
Be patient, as the benefits will show over a period of months.Only by doing you will benefit
and feel good because you are helping your body.Those who say I have tried everything....
will be amazed at the result of doing pranayam.
--

[cookienkikin]

also i have been having these like spasm/twitching sensation right over my heart, as if my heart is having a spasm/or twitch.  dont know if its actually from the heart or a muscle right over where the heart is, but it feels like its coming from my heart.  mainly on the left side right over my heart, it between the left pectoral and the center of the chest. i've been having this and a constant dull like, squeezing,tightning, aching pain there all day.