Chest Pain

[Predaphin]

Hi

A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT MYSELF....
I'm a 29yr old male, measure 5'9, and weigh between 245-250lbs (I consider myself obese).

I have a had a history of uncontrolled (never taken meds for high blood pressure) mild high blood pressure (which was first detected at about age 23) and recently quit smoking pot (I was a heavy consistent pot smoker for the last 2 years or so). I've considered myself very inactive as my job requires sitting in front of a computer for most of the day for the last 4 or 5 years and my eating habbits were careless, as I did not watch what I ate (I actually had the tendency to eat out at fast foods alot, including Pizza).

MY CURRENT SYMPTOMS....
It started about 4 to 5 weeks ago when I started having different kind of pains in the left side of my chest approx an inch to the left side of the center of my chest. These pains can range from achy, dullness, heavy pressure, tightness, shocking, burning, squeezing.... with achy, dull and shocking being the most common. The pains come and go ranging from 1-30 seconds. Sometimes they come more intense than other times. The pains seem to come spurraticly throughout the day and night. At times I can feel the pains with deep breaths and at times I cannot. I don't think anything specific is triggering the pains and I cannot seem to pin down when they often come (there is no certain cycle). To date, I have not felt them get worse with excertion or while exercising. I have not felt any pain radiate down my left arm, nor have I had any shortness of breath or cold sweats. Sometimes I can feel the pains (also shocking sensations) with each heartbeat. I twist and turn to see if the pain is related to possible muscle pain and the pain does not seem to happen with any movemnet or action. Atn one time, for a period of 3 days in a row I woke up with alot heavyness pressure and pain in my chest and as soon as I would get up it would slowly go away. The pains can become quite frightening, painful and very discomforting.

WHAT HAPPENED...
For the first few days i brushed it off, in hopes that it would go away, possibly by excersising. I decided to start excersing after I quit smoking and also decided to change my diet. But after a week and a half, I woke up with heavyness in my chest for 2 days in a row, not to mention a continuance of "on and off" pain that ha not gone away, I thought I better seek medical attention by making an appointment with my family doctor. They took me in right away as I complained of chest pains.

They checked my blood pressure and, as usual, mildly high (153/93). They did blood tests and 2 (resting) EKGs which both came back normal (including normal cholesterol). The doctor advised that she felt I may be suffering from GERD (acid reflux) and prescribed some Zantac. She stated she did not think this was a heart realted problem, but to be on the safe side, she has scheduled me for a stress test (treadmill EKG), which is pending on 7/7/08.

The day after I saw the doctor, I woke up with the most frightening pain of all, I had woekn up with heavyness in my chest in which this time had lasted by far the longest period of 3 to 4 minutes. I awoke and felt the pain but refused to sit up to see if it would go away and it would not. So I finally got up and it began to slowly go away. This made it 3 days in a row waking up with heavyness pressure and achy pain in my chest. I freaked out and quickly called my doctors office to advise that I beleived my symptoms had worsened as the chest pain lasted longer than ever before. I was quickly transferred to a nurse and she began to ask me all the questions in regards to my symptoms again. I advised I had taken the Zantac the night before as prescribed by my doctor and that was it. She asked if excersise had made the pain worse and I told her not to this date. She stated that the number one rule of thumb was not if the pain did not increase during physical activity then the chances are that it is not heart related and that was a good sign. At the time that I was on the phone with the nurse I was not having chest pains so she advised she would call me back after speaking with the doctor to see if I should go to the emergency room. I got a call back within 30 minutes by the Doctor and was advised not to go to the emergency room, but rather, if I continued to have chest pains consitently with new symptoms to walk in to the clinic. Ever since that scary incident, I continue to have spurratic chest pains that come and go, but I haven't had the consistent pain that lasted for more than a minute since then. (NOTE: I also noted that before I decided to diet, after I ate a heavy meal I would feel my head throbbing, my heart would feel like it was struggling to beat or beating very hard, and I felt very hyperactive).

MY CONCERNS....

My greatest concern is that my chest pain is heart related. Being that I had unctrolled high blood pressure smoked pot heavily, was inactive both at home and at work, Over-ate (Also due to Pot)....... Could this be heart related? Could I have somehow caused damage to my heart? Could I have stressed out my heart? Also, if the pain hasn't gone away, should I make another appointment to see my doctor?

I'm at a lost. This is causing depression and anxiety in my life (which now seems to alter my symptoms). I cannot concentrate at work (especially when I have spurratic pains in my chest). I am now having trouble sleeping, especially when I wake up to pain in my chest. Any help or input would be appreciated.

[Davy9]

Thank you for a very thorough account of your situation. I'd suggest that you have an evaluation under load also known as a stress test (see if they can do a thalium scan). There they will look at your EKG and changes in blood pressure under a work load. I did not read that any chest Xrays were done. Get one done just to cover the bases. Consider the possibility that stress could also be part of the equation.

Despite your vices you are young to be experiencing heart related issues, but they are not out of the question. If such problems are not in your family history at such a young age that is a positive note.