Chest pains

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Sorry to post this in here but i'm dying for answers, its driving me crazy. Basically about 2 years ago I was diagnosed with anxiety after weeks of chest pains and dizziness, i had 2 ECG's one at A&E and one at my doctors which both came back normal and then i had a stress ECG, which also came back normal. The chest pains and dizziness have come and gone now and again since 2 years ago but for the past 2 months i've had a bad patch of it, every day basically cant seem to shake this one off and now it seems to get me when im excercising as well, like going for a jog or on the bikes are the gym. So i went back to the doctors again last week and had another ECG done which came back fine, then went on a health test where I had an ECG done and a stress ECG done, both came back fine again but during the stress ECG i didnt have any chest pain, so maybe the ECG wouldnt of caught anything if i didnt get my usual symptoms? 

I'm worried sick i've got something wrong with my heart, i want to start going to the gym again but i'm too worried about it. Do I go back to the doctors and ask for more tests or is an ECG & stress ECG sufficient enough to put my mind at rest? I've now had 4-5 ecg'S over the past 2 years and two stress ECG, but i just can't get over it.

2

I just came across your email ,I have no experience or history on what your going throu ..But if you have had 5 ecgs and they are all saying your fine then don't worry your fine ! Sounds like bad anxiety to me ...try and calm down.Sounds like a simple blood test could rule anything else out or see what your bloods are? Have you been offered a blood test ..if you have any *real* medical issues this will be picked up on your blood test results. Thou your symptoms sound quite scary I'd be nervous to Good luck and try to  stop worrying 😜 and get a blood test .Let us know how you get on 

DaniX

3

Yep i've had blood tests too! all came back fine except a bit of high Cholesterol. I should really tell myself that my hearts fine after so many ECG's and should just crack on its just a bit hard when the sysmptoms continue. ill just have to ignore the pains and get through it  

4

Well there could also be good reasons that are not cardiac. 

1) Reflux disease/indigestion. Your cardiac sphincter at the top of the stomach mimics cardiac pains a lot. So did you exercise soom adfter eating. You could try gaviscon for example and then exercise and see if it makes it better.

2) Intercostal pain. If the pain is sharp it could be the muscles between the ribs not liking the exercise. Cariac pain is very seldom sharp.

How high is the 'high' cholesterol? What is your BP? How old are you/your BMI? Are you breathless? GPs have a computer programme that determines risk based on these things. If your chances are low based on those calculations - then it's no surprise that they are not too worried.

If I were you, I would start keeping a pain diary for a couple of weeks. Note the kind of pain and duration - and exactly where it occurs. Does it stop quickly after exercise? I would never go through the pain! Exercise until you are mildly breathless and heart rate increased - but pain is never a good thing.

The only way they could rule out angina/heart disease is if you have an angiogram. If your risk is low, then the NHS are unlikely to fund it. However, if it is reducing your quality of life - then I'd consider having one done privately. Only you can decide if it's worth it.

All good wishes

 

5

thanks for the long reply florabunda! like you say theres other things it could be but obviously im just worried about the worst case scenario that its my heart! 

to answer a few of your questions

my chloestrol wasnt that high, just over but doc put that down to me just coming back from america and living off mayo for two weeks 😜

BP is hit and miss, can be anything between 120/60, to 150/80

nope i dont tend to get breathless during excercise, obviously only if im proper exerting myself but i dont feel like im out of breath more than i should be

im 22 years old, male. 

the nhs wouldnt even fund/offer me a stress test! they said theyre just leaving at the normal ecg so i went and paid for a bupa full health assessment with a stress ecg which all come back normal. if they wont offer me a stress ecg they're defiantly not offering me a angiogram. wouldnt echo scan be sufficient in abit more of a detailed look to put my mind at rest, the angiogram sounds scary 

6

Hi. OK your age makes a huge difference! It is not impossible for a 22 year old to have a heart disease - but it is vv unlikely that a male of 22 years of age, with good blood pressure and normal ECG would have major heart disease.

An echocardiogram tells you quite a lot - pumping strength/action in detail, health of the valves, size of heart, thickness of the walls. It can sometimes see any damage done to the heart by coronary damage - but cannot really see 'inside' the arteries.

To see that you need an angiogram where a small catheter is inroduced into a major vein, goes into the heart, dye is injected and its progress monitored. There is a CAT [less invasive] version but this is not always as clear.The catheterisation also allow the cardiologist to deal with some problems there and then.

I think your GP is making the correct recommendation because no test is risk free and the chances of you having heart disease are so low. Life is always risky and, and as you get older, you will find your body throwing more and more symptoms at you  as it wears out. You can worry about every one of them - or you spend that time having fun.

As I say - your risks are low (I've done some work in this area of risk assessmet professionally) but not zero. The better data you have - the better decisions can be. One of the things you must do is do a proper pain diary. You need to be v v clear about the type, duration and the activity before and during the pain. When you've looked for patterns - talk to the GP. Or pay for a pretty expensive test! Otr maybe identifiy a pulled muscle etc.

To give you an idea of your risk. Data for 2010 for males in the UK show that from the years 0-44, there was only a 1.4 on 100,000 chance of having cardiovascular disease. You are likely to have a lower risk than that average as you are closer to the lower risk end of the group. Compare this with a 1:9000 risk of being killed in a traffic accident. 

So, I think you can see why extensive/expensive tests are not worth doing for a tiny risk. But that risk is yours- if you want to spend your money that way: do? Me, if I were worried I'd also make this a wake up call on healthy diet/ not smoking etc

All the best - worry is a bugger. But try to be only 1.4 in 100,000 chance worried? ;-)

Good luck

7

Thanks for your brilliant reply Florabunda! Helped a lot, i'm sure its just anxiety or one of the reasons you listed, i just need to concentrate on it less and it'll gradually go away. It's like any pain, the more you concentrate on it, the more painful it is and the less likely it's going to go.

Ill crack on until I think it's absolutley nesscary to go back to the doctors about it I knew my risks we're low but like you said, it defiantly puts me on the right track to eat healthy, excercise and not smoke because thinking you have heart disease is just pure scary and i sympathise with anyone who has to go through it. My grandad got diagnosed with heart disease at 65 after a heart attack, he smokes like a chimney around 40 a day, hes still sat in his living room chair now 18 years later aged 83 so he hasnt done bad.

Thanks again! 

8

Great to hear from you ;-)

It's east to get lost in the detail isn't it? On the one hand there's a ton of PR about 'what to do with chest pain' but not what the actual risks are!

But definitely don't ignore the pain - or crash through it! Remember that you could have a small thing wrong that could be easily trated. And most GPs will tell you that tummy problems really mimic heart disease.

Tons of good luck and btw your Grandad's age also helps reduce the chances of it being the heart. Go drink a glass of red wine: it's good for you!

9

Hi

I had a pain in my chest and in my back as if someone proded with a pin, also had a pain in the jaw. ECG`s did not show anything. I was a little puffed ( never smoked ), I have a great GP who refered me for and angigram consultant did the tests then told me I was seriously ill ALL 4 arteries where block up shot had 3 way by pass in 3 weeks. Afterwards I was told my need another in 10 years time ( its 8 years now ) do not want another by pass. Get GP to refer for angigram it will show up EVERYTHING good luck

10

how old are you david? I would request an an angigram but judging by what florabunda is saying, at the age of 22 it is very very unlikely its my heart so my doctor wont send me for any further tests 

11

Hi

I was 53 when I had my 3 way by pass. PLEASE remember this is a blog we are only giving our own experiences. An angagram will sort things out. I to had tension & stress palputations before by pass. At any age all sorts of problems leap out at us. Before my by pass the surgeon said you my get palputations when you lie down yes I did each morning after my surgeory ( 7 days in hospital ) I got them every day I had in tense tests all where ok .

Good luck if in doubt go for angigram its not pain full it will tell you

12

Thanks david, i'll defiantly take that into consideration. My chest pains have been going on for 2 years now, so in hingsight it's hopefully not my heart or else it would of jacked in by now.

But i'll just go back to the doctors and say im struggling to get over these chest pains, is there anything you can do? even a echo would help me get on with it. 

13

Hi

I was not trying to worry you, No harm in going back to doctors.

All the best

Dave

14

I have read all of this thread, most of the people have responded in relation to coronry heart disease.

I have dilated cardiomyopathy, which means that my heart is enlarged and the heart muscle is not as strong as it should be, it becomes slack, like untoned muscle, this was caused by a virus when I was 16,(1981) the loss of muscle strength meant that the heart could not push all the blood out of the chambers and resulted in the blood clotting, causing a cerebral embolism and paralyis of the left hand side, due to the blood clot sticking in the brain, this was broken down by using Warfain (anti-coagulant) 1981. It also damaged the electrical pathway, causing a complete heart block, my heart could only beat at 44bpm, I now have no underlying heart rate, this condition is progressive and is only one example of cardiomyopathy, there are lots of different types.

I would advise that you contact the cardiomyopathy Association, they have a website and you can call them and speak to people with medical knowledge, )Heart Failure Nurses). The British Heart Founation also have expert teams that you can talk to, as advised, keep a diary and as much detail as you can to assist with diagnoses.

Don't give up as I know people that have had symptoms and been going to the GP repeatedly and not been diagnosed, as the GP's are not aware of all heart conditions, speak to some of the experts in the field, BHF & CMA explain your symptoms, if nothing else it will put your mind at rest and if they think you may have an undignosed condition can advise you on how to deal with your GP and what he should be looking for.

As mentioned by previous people anxiety, panic attacks and lots of conditons can cause similiar symptoms, you need to listen to your body, pain, , not feeling like doing anything are classic symptoms.

Although i was diagnosed at 16, I had GP's that thought it was despression, even though I didn't feel depressed, had fluid retention, muscular pains etc, I was under a heart consultant, but not heart failure specialist, no one picked up it was the condtion that had progressed.

Heart problems are split into different catergories, Cardiomyopathy, covers it in a broad spectrum, eg, dilated, Hypertrophic, Arrythmia (electrical problems, and many others, some are hereditary, some caused by viruses, there are also  congentital conditions. I am an outpatient at Papworth Hospital under the Transplant Team to help me manage the condition, they split heart disease into key areas, plumbling, eg, valves, arteries, veins, electical and muscular problems.

You could also have a holter test which is a portable ecg monitoring system, you are wired up for 24/48 hours , the tape is diagnosed for any abnormalities. I also had sharp pains in my chest, prior to being diagnosed, I would pursue this with your GP, chest xrays, blood tests, can show some abnormalities, but not all heart conditions.

Good Luck 

Nikki

15

Hi

Very interesting to read about your problem thanks for sharing it.

I had a 3 way by pass 8 years ago at the time the surgeons said I could need more ops in 10 years 2 more years left, not looking forward to more ops.

ALL the best

16

Hello, I hope you have found some releif with your problem. I'm 22 years old played sports all my life. Skinny but active, I weight lift now. I also had this problem with chest pain. It always tended to be on the left side of my chest where my heart was which scared me. I went to Urgent care one day and they actually sent me to the ER. My EKC wasn't "normal" says the guy at urgent care. However, once at Sparrow hospital they confirmed i was not having a heart attack. They said he was probably not used to seeing a young mans EKC, he was used to older pacients. Anyway, i was traumatized by the event. They diagnosed me with anxiety. I was afraid to workout because I couldn't stop thinking about my heart beat, was it to fast? A battled through this for a year or so until i went to my family doctor and got on a medication for depression/anxiety. Mainly for anxiety. It's called Zoloft 25 mg. a very small dose. I've been on it for 2 months and I feel so much releif. I cant even explain how good it feels to not think about my heart at all times of the day and night. So just a reccomendation! I workout 5 times a week and for the most part i feel great. from time to time ill think about it but it is nothing like it was. 

good luck!

17

I have exactly the same problem did you ever resolve or find out what the problem was. I've gone threw everything you describe the ECGs, stress ECGs the blood tests all of it comes back fine but still I suffer with chest pains especially at night to the extent that I'm afraid to go sleep. I was diagnosed with anxiety a while back and I was fine for about the last week but the pains afew back now.

What did you do

18

Good evening ,my name is Kem and I am 24 years of age. I am also going through the same problem. I went for two ECG's and an xray of my heart which all had normal results. The Doctor recommended isosorbid 5 medicine for me but it only helped at the time I was taking it and 2 weeks after it was done the pain came back again. I seriously do not understand my situation.

19

In addition my chest pain weakens my left arm and sometimes move to the back. I usually feel very anxious in my body when it comes . It is scares the hell out of me.

20

Hi everyone,

I'm also going through the same since past three months. Yesterday I consumed alcohol and today mrorning I started feeling pain near my heart. At first I ignored but later it was started getting unbearable. Maybe I got scared a lot and immediately rushed to hospital. Doctors immediately did my ECG, reports were Normal and was said that I'm having gas related issues. I'm not able to sleep the entire night as I'm alone and I'm continuously thinking that something may happen to me. Suddenly after reading the discussion I'm feeling a bit relaxed. But still I want to ask that if nothing is shown in ECG then does that seems that u don't have a heart attack, cause I think that as said when I did ecg pain went so may be it dint caught that. Please help as I'm being going through these panics situations from last three to four months and everywhere I go they say, u are fine just have gas but I don't know why this gets so intense.