heart related or just very gassy? - Digestive Disorders Message Board

payton · 03-16-2005, 01:38 AM

has anybody ever gotten so gassy that it feels like the air is backed up and putting enourmous pressure on the heart. it feels like my heart is being squesszed. is this jsut gas or should i look more into this. i can tell that when i eat certain foods or drink coffee that it happens. but it just seems pretty extreme for the whole left side of my chest to tighten up like this. thanks for the input, it is driving me crazy.

joelchicago · 03-16-2005, 02:40 PM

It could be gas. BUT, if you are getting left side chest pain, it's likely something more if it lasts for longer periods of time(days or weeks). Gas pains usually are relieved in a day or 2 at most. Heart pains are typically (not always) short in duration (angina) or more severe/crushing in pain. Gas can cause that heart palpitation feeling - I get that sometimes. But if you have regular dull pain in your upper left chest, consider getting to a dr and getting a check for stomach ulcer or hiatal hernia.

I just went today for similar pains. They guess I may have a hernia that is putting pressure on the esophagus and surrounding tissue (heart is nearby, if course). They are doing a CT scan to see what's going on in 2 weeks. Anything involving the heart deserves a quick blood/cholesterol test at least to rule some things out (been through that myself 3 times recently - rather painless).

Good luck.