Chronic chest pain: Searching for causes

Posted by mcuttonaro @mcuttonaro, 1 day ago

Hello, I have been experiencing chest pain for over 6 months now. I have seen a cardiologist and had multiple tests run. Nuclear stress test, echocardiogram, multiple EKGs, all came back normal. I am 34 years old extremely overweight with a CAC score of 3. I have lost over 80 pounds hoping there would be improvement. The chest pain seems to be worsening. Is there another test I should be asking for? Not having any answers is causing this chest pain to completely take over my life.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart & Blood Health Support Group.

gloaming | @gloaming | 1 day ago

Did you have a thoracic MRI to see if you have a growing tumor?

mcuttonaro | @mcuttonaro | 1 day ago

In reply to @gloaming "Did you have a thoracic MRI to see if you have a growing tumor?" + (show)

No I have not.

mikekennedy759 | @mikekennedy759 | 1 day ago

@mcuttonaro are you having any other symptoms? like shortness of breath. Is it the same when resting or exercising? Does the pain feel tight (as if someone is constricting you) or is it sharp? Does the pain feel like it is in a particular area? I'm not a physician, but I do know chest pain can have any number of causes.

jlharsh | @jlharsh | 1 day ago

I’m not much medical advice for you but I can offer insight as to troubleshooting.

Do you have a primary doctor? Maybe ask them and also your cardiologist what the pain could be, or how to continue ruling problems out. It just might not be your heart. You be an expert at what is happening with you and let them figure out how to apply their expertise to it. A good cardiologist helped me understand how difficult it is to figure out what is going on sometimes. They can’t see everything. They aren’t with us all the time. That is part of the reason they like to see patients exercise regularly. This way the patient literally is on the front line of recognizing what is going on in our bodies. This helped me recognize there is no one person/test/place that can solve my problem. This might not be your situation but the approach will help you make progress until you can pin down more.