The duodenal spasms that come with GERD can knock your ass down. I was crying like a baby in the ER, begging for morphine. But the left arm thing, I didn't have that.
Thanks for all the responses. A few things: Because of aforementioned stomach pains my GP had put me on omeprazole (acid) and dicylclomine (cramps). I have been on them since last Friday. SO this happened while taking. Next, the feeling was concentrated in the middle of my chest and slightly over (towards the heart) it was a gripping kind of pain - never severe - that felt a little like squeezing or like something was pressing against. The arm pain started at my elbow and then my two smallest fingers had a numb/tingle. It was really very odd. The fainting/light headedness I am chalking up to freaking out because of the experience. As far as other info - early 30's, thin, no smoking, alcohol very rarely, decently active (not as much as my younger days because of kids but at least one game of soccer a week) and I have been back to vegetarian since July because two tests since Spring came back with high cholesterol (even though I wasn't a big meat eater before). I have the GP on Monday, cardiologist on Tuesday and I already was planning on going to a gastro anyway so will go ahead and go this coming week. Thanks again for all your input. I am concerned but I have a feeling it is nothing too big. I just need someone to figure it out and hel me be normal again!
it could have been an episode if angina. you have any history of coronary artery disease? your age, diet, exercise, non smoking favor no CAD. However the high cholesterol is a concern. LDL increases your risk of CAD. maybe you had some kind of stress response that required your heart to have more perfusion of blood for a brief period of time. a CAD plaque could have prevented you from getting adequate perfusion so you had those symptoms... it could be GERD but that doesnt explain the radiating pain to your left arm (classic symptom of a heart attack). however, negative troponin means no heart attack. but you also have to consider the sensitivity of the test that they ran. maybe the machine wasnt calibrated... no changes on the EKG is also favorable. to me, it really sounds like angina. id definately get that stress test done and maybe get some more blood work (cholesterol). its always better to be safe than sorry. good luck.
No, my heart has always been strong - good resting puls, good active pulse, I once had a doctor tell me that athletes dope to get the kind of oxygen levels in their blood that I have naturally, etc. Batman, They did a chest XRay and said that all looked good...and pain does not increase with deep breaths or anything. Angina sounds similar to what I have experienced...I just don't have any of the "common causes" in my background and when I play soccer (or do anything active) I almost always can go faster and longer than most people...just confusing. Again, this is all very good to hear from you guys. I always over think things but in this case I don't think that will be a bad thing (as long as I don't get myself overly worked up).
I often wonder if the battery of tests they put you through causes more problems due to anxiety. Whenever I get ill, often worry about the illness itself makes it worse.
Wouldn't mean squat with a congenital condition. Use the insurance you paid for and let a specialist test and look at whatever he wants. For the kids. (not a doctor, just old)
Hmm rimbaud, if all the test came out ok the only thing I could think of is some type of spasm of the cardiac arteries. I've heard of a few cases where there are no blockages and everything looks good but people complain of these symptoms, but occasional cardiac artery spasms can cause short acting ischemic attacks that mimic heart attacks but resolve quite quickly. There is medication they give people to help relax the arteries and prevent further 'attacks' although being out of cardiac healthcare for over 2 years the name escapes me. Diagnosing spasms of this type is difficult, you almost have to catch it right as it happens during a cardiac cath procedure and that can be like watching chuck hayes score 20 points in a game...once in a blue moon. Other than that...the left arm numbness and chest pressure (not sharp) is pretty typical of cardiac related trauma. I hope everything works out for you man.
^^^ prinzmetals angina (idiopathic coronary vasospasms = dont know why they spasm) this is rare. rim, you may not have the variables that point to coronary artery disease but it has been found that these plaques start at childhood. its worth evaluating. you could also have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (big ass heart). Bigger hearts need more oxygen. there are several reasons for this but if your xray looked ok, then this is ruled out.
these types of things are a big deal in my family so I'm another armchair "doctor" on this type of stuff. The symptoms really do point to heart or anxiety (and anxiety can crop up at otherwise "confusing" times, like what could be stressful right now?) They have these completely non-invasive heart scans now (some kind of positron tomography, I think) that will show actual blood flow in all the major arteries, so a doc could actually see if you have any plaque buildup to worry about. I think, of course, that the scans have to be out of pocket at this point, depending on your insurance and your cardiologist. (About $500?) My dad did it, twice, and it was really, really worth it in his case. They found some narrowing of arteries. he went on an intense heart-healthy diet, and lipitor, and took another scan five years later and literally showed that the plaque buildup had reversed. Just having the knowledge was worth a ton. Consider your genetic history carefully on this. Both for heart stuff and anxiety stuff. I have had a friend who's had anxiety attacks (at random) so bad that they looked for all the world like heart attacks.
