Unexplained Chest Pain

• By Lizzieo
• Reply 3451932
• October 12, 2012 at 3:15 am
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Hello firstly I would write these questions down and ask my doc it's easy to forget things at appointments. A heart echo is the best way of determining an enlarged heart plus it can check the chambers too. Although the er staff are very experienced be comforted that a cardiologist who is specialised is not concerned. Worry/stress/anxiety can also cause these symptoms of shortness of breath chest pain and palpitations. Also another positive is that this palpitation or flutter was at the side of your chest most concerning ones are central and quite painful. It's hard but try not to worry as worry is your hearts worst enemy :) I hope u feel better soon tc

• By tammyhatesimitrex
• Reply 3452711
• October 12, 2012 at 11:28 am
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purplebutterfly318 ·I was recently diagnosed with coronary artery spasms. After 3 ER visits in about a week in a half period. My symptoms were saying it was my HEART but the tests were NOT. Finally one of my blood tests convinced one of the ER docs that there may be an issue with my heart on top of my husband being persistent they did a heart cath, and my heart actually started having spasms in my main artery while the cath was in my heart. Come to find out my migraine medicine, imitrex damaged my arteries.

Tell me how it feels when the pain starts??

• By TwinHearts
• Reply 3452739
• October 12, 2012 at 11:36 am
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I'd get checked out for Prinzmetal or endothelial dysfunction/MVD; very similar things were happening to me last year and it's something not detected by the normal heart tests. Mine last year started out as "bronchitis", then "costicondritis" before a doc who specializes in women's heart disease caught what she thinks was ED/MVD on an angiogram that she finally did. If they want to do an angiogram, make sure they test for these things. It's when the small blood vessels in your heart constrict instead of dialate. There are meds you can take but it's no fun getting the cocktail right, and once you do, you have to adjust them from time to time. Be persistent! ER docs think if the machines/tests they have don't show anything, there's nothing there. This is not true!!! Someday -- hopefully soon -- these finer tuned tests and diagnoses will be common. But until then, blaze the trail, you women out there!

Do let me know how things are working out for you and good luck!

• By purplebutterfly318
• Reply 3452991
• October 12, 2012 at 1:15 pm
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I just got off the phone with the phone with the cardiologist and he said my echo was normal and doesn't know why the scans at the hospital says I have an enlarged heart. He said that he would call and find out why.

This is confusing to me, hopefully he can give me answers when I get my note for work on Monday.

• By TigerWiger
• Reply 3453123
• October 12, 2012 at 2:02 pm
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Get a coronary artery scan done. This is usually done with angiogram. The doctor will inject a dye into your femoral artery in the groin area. It doesn't hurt, just stings a little. While the dye is going through your body, the doctor will look at your heart and arteries with a special x-ray machine. It is amazing. I even stayed awake for mine. Although, if you are nervous about it, they can give you something so you aren't aware of what is going on.

A newer procedure goes through an artery in your wrist. It is thought since this artery is closer to your heart than the one in your groin, it involves less risk and less recovery time. http://www.ptca.org/radial/overview.html

If you have blockage in your arteries, even though your heart will test normal, this is causing blood flow not to get to your heart when you are under stress, exercising, drinking caffeine, eating sugar, etc.

A newer non-invasive test is called a CT coronary angiogram scan. I would advise, if you elect this procedure, to get it done at a research/university hospital. I had this done at a small community hospital, where radiologist was in Australia (I am in USA) and viewed the scan from there. He didn't catch that my left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 99% blocked. Later, an angiogram detected this. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/services/tests/radiograph/coronarycta.a spx