I'm a 46 year old male in good health. About 15 minutes after having beer or vodka, I experience severe pain in my left arm at the triceps/shoulder areas and across my chest and back. After taking aspirin, the pain will subside in about an hour. This has been happening for the last 11 months. Obviously, I haven't had many drinks since this started happening.

Since the first occurence of these symptoms, I noticed that I have periodic dull achiness in my left triceps and neck even when I do not consume alcohol. I also have been experiencing fatigue and some dizziness. An MRI showed a mild bulging disk at C7. The orthopedist did not consider the bulge significant enough to be causing the pain. A neurolgist gave me an EMG which showed nothing abnormal. I was in physical therapy for 2 months but the pain in my left arm had not gotten better or worse.

The doctors don't think it's cardiac related. I went to my primary care physician who did an EKG which matched an EKG which was taken a year earlier when I had experienced chest pains. A cardiologist gave me a stress test in addition to other cardio tests which were all normal. Also, I feel better when exercising. The pain is more severe when I am inactive.

Could there be some chemical in my body which is constantly causing the pain which is exacerbated when alcohol is introduced? I have had blood tests that have revealed nothing. Of course the right thing has to be checked for in order to get the proper diagnosis.

Any suggestions of what other tests to do or what might be causing my problem?