i get daily chest pain on my left side and sometimes gos down into my arm been to the hospital 5 times since january and dr office 2 time totall of 7 times this year and had an ekg done at least 6 times come back normal chest xrays come back normal and blood work comes back normal but yet i get these chest pains that go down into my arm and also i wake up in the middle of the night and feel like i cant breath the last time i was at the hospital they said panic attacks i never had them in my life dr gave they give me 1 mg xanax and i still get these chest pains i always had problems with eating any types of foods i would be running to the bathroom in 5 min with my stomach cramping and diarrhea thats been going on for the last 3 years so now my dr is refering me to a gi to see if i have acid reflux or gerd any input or ideas on this guys i would really apreciate it i hope i dont have heart problems thanks
While what you are describing CAN be straight old panic attacks, an EKG alone will tell you what your heart is doing at the time the EKG is going. It will also show an abnormal rhythm, or if there was damage done to the heart. It will not show if there are any blockages, or if there are any valve problems. The blood work and chest x-ray would show if damage has been done to the heart, or if the heart was enlarged. I would feel some reassurance by these testings. A stress test, or stress test/echo might be the next step to rule out anything else, if your not comfortable with your Dr.'s diagnoses of panic attacks.
I have panic/anxiety, and because of that, the Dr's misdiagnosed me for 7 years with my SVT and mvp. It is hard to tell them apart because the heart races in both instances. The xanax should have helped if it was a panic attack, if even for a few hours while you had the xanax in your system.
However, having said that, I also have GERD, and get bad chest pain, (but not arm pain) so I feel your frustration. It could also be IBS, (which again, I get too lol) with some of your descriptions, so I think your Dr.s probably doing the right thing by referring you to a GI specialist, but if you don't feel convinced, always ask for a second opinion. I would suspect this is probably where the problem will be found.
Hang in there, and I hope you feel better, Michelle
The Following User Says Thank You to miche31 For This Useful Post: lunarweblink (09-14-2011)
Tell your Dr to make you an apt with a cardioligist asap. Then have them do a nuclear stress test, if something shows up on to the cath lab for an angiogram.
To answer your question, I had a normal EKG and normal ECHO, it wasnt until my stress test that anything was picked up, bottom line I had a 95% blocked LAD and needed a stent !!!!!
My blood tests were all perfect too. The EKG is a starting point, you NEED a cardio Dr NOW..
Dont mess with the symptoms you have and do NOT rely on the EKG. If your Dr doesnt go along with this then you need a new Dr.
It may or may not be anything serious but you NEED to have the PROPER tests done and I wouldnt out it off.
Good luck !
The Following User Says Thank You to cvcman For This Useful Post: lunarweblink (09-14-2011)
Tell your Dr to make you an apt with a cardioligist asap. Then have them do a nuclear stress test, if something shows up on to the cath lab for an angiogram.
To answer your question, I had a normal EKG and normal ECHO, it wasnt until my stress test that anything was picked up, bottom line I had a 95% blocked LAD and needed a stent !!!!!
My blood tests were all perfect too. The EKG is a starting point, you NEED a cardio Dr NOW..
Dont mess with the symptoms you have and do NOT rely on the EKG. If your Dr doesnt go along with this then you need a new Dr.
It may or may not be anything serious but you NEED to have the PROPER tests done and I wouldnt out it off.
Good luck !
when it comes to chest pain going into arm and shortness of breath i dont want to mess around with something like that thank you cvcman for that info i have sceduled an apointment with the cardio for oct 3rd of next month and the gi Specialist oct 4th i guess im crossing all the t,s then and will finally get to the bottom of this terible nightmare wish me luck its only the 14th wish they could get me in earlyer but these places love taking there time while your health may be at risk and hospitals dont do nothing should have gone to the specialist from the start didnt no tho thanks again evryone who has responded to my post
The following user gives a hug of support to lunarweblink: sjb (09-14-2011)
help does normal egk rule out heart problems? 
Re: help does normal egk rule out heart problems? 
wish they could get me in earlyer but these places love taking there time while your health may be at risk and hospitals dont do nothing should have gone to the specialist from the start didnt no tho thanks again evryone who has responded to my post
