About 2 weeks ago, I started belching alot and getting sharp pains right below my sternum tip... I started to have really bad anxiety and went to the doc in the box... he gave me a cocktail to see if it was reflux related, it seemed to help alittle but not much... he also did a chest x-ray and EKG... both seemed normal. My blood pressure reading at the time was 156/88... and pulse of like 98... but I was really stressed out and feeling very anxious. Since then I started taking Zantac 150mg twice a day and then went to a GP who put me on Protonix. The Zantac seemed to help the real intense pain below my sternum and the protonix seems to be working ok... however, the pain has somewhat moved up my sternum closer to the center... I don't always have it and it comes and goes at times, sometimes at night when I lay down for bed and sometimes late afternoon mainly. My posture really seems to effect it and anxiety also...The pain has also moved to the middle of my back. The pain in my back is what worries me the most. The few other times I've been to the doc my BP has been around 124/82 or so... I know I've been having alot of anxiety, and I've been pretty stressed out... I started paying attention to my pulse which can range from 72 to 114 during mild rest, but when I do anything that is remotely strenuous, like lifting something heavy or using my arms alot (washing dishes... etc) my pulse seems to be around 120-130... I've been pretty sedentary and haven't been exercising out of fear... I've also noticed the feeling of palps below my sternum when at rest and concentrating inward... and when I get the high pulse I can feel my heartbeat with my palm in my chest. I know this is probably all just anxiety or reflux related... but is it common to be able to feel your heartbeat with your hand through your chest or get an elevated heartbeat from unprolonged exercise or short strenuous tasks? Sorry if this seems like a noob question... it's just been causing me alot of anxiety. I haven't really felt any other pains really except pains in other places in my chest... though they seem to maybe be radiating from below my sternum and other than general fatigue and kind of an out of it feeling and extreme muscle soreness in my chest, but I also have lost like 8 lbs from not eating well. I'm a 28 yo male. I know shortness of breath and profuse sweating are signs of heart problems.. but do they have to be there for something to be the matter?

Well I'm no expert but as long as your vital signs are good, your Blood Pressure, and EKG and stuff is fine, I wouldn't get too worried. Feeling your pulse throughyour shirt or whenyour hand is up to your chest is normal if your heart is beating faster or harder than normal. If you are out of shape your heart and pulse might fluxuate and beat harder than a normal person. If not, and your pulse stays high all the time, the Doc may put you on a beta blocker which slows down your pulse. That is just my 2 cents.