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Heart Attack or Gerd?

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Heart & Cardiovascular Disease
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Posted 9/24/2021 12:41 PM (GMT -8)
Let me start by saying I am a 26 year old woman, who is currently overweight by 30 or 40 pounds give or take. I try to be on my feet as much as possible, as I do have small children who require me to be after them 24/7. My problem is, a few weeks ago I was having some minor left sided chest pain, more towards my shoulder and arm pit area. It went away after a few days, but then last week it came back, it was manageable, didn't cause me much grief besides a bit of anxiety. I went to the ER 2 days ago and they did an Xray, blood work and an EKG which all ruled out a heart attack, fast forward to yesterday and today, Im having quite a bit of pain and discomfort, in the left side of my chest but it radiates down my arm, into my neck and sometimes my jaw, along with my shoulder and back. I brought this up to the ER doctor and she said sense all my tests were normal that it was more then likely GERD. Which I know I have, I just wasn't aware that it could make me feel like I was having a heart attack....I don't have shortness of breathe, but I've not been able to really eat anything the past 2 days because of nausea. I've thrown up once, and that was last night after trying to eat some yogurt and drink water. So I guess my question is, does it sound like a heart attack, or is it GERD? Because my anxiety is through the roof, which I know goes hand and hand with GERD...
Posted 9/25/2021 3:41 AM (GMT -8)
Anxiety & Gerd can both mimic a heart attack. It's good that you were checked in ER to make sure everything checked out ok. Typically, ER advises to follow up with your pcp which you should do. By all means discuss your concerns with your dr & see if he/she has any recommendations.

Take care.
Posted 9/25/2021 5:24 AM (GMT -8)
I see my Primary on Wednesday, I'm hoping my symptoms are gone by then but I'm having doubts, I went to the ER again this morning at 4 am because I woke up with shortness of breathe and my heart was thudding in my chest. The dr told me it was my anxiety after doing another EKG. He said the likeliness of it being a heart attack at my age is very low. He said gerd causes the same symptoms.
Posted 9/25/2021 9:21 AM (GMT -8)
Susie is absolutely right. I don't have gerd but I do have anxiety and it makes my blood pressure very high. This put me in the ER twice in a month thinking I was having or had a heart attack. They took an x-ray, ekg and blood. The blood test is for a protein produced when a person has a heart attack. When the ER does these tests and they come out clear, it's safe to believe them.

Anxiety can cause many strange symptoms. I hope that this is addressed by your primary doctor. There are several safe medications for it but therapy also helps - finding the causes of anxiety, how to deal with them effectively, etc. I know this is worrisome and challenging. My first difficult step was to trust the ER doctors that I was not having or didn't have a heart attack. Changing my mindset and priorities, choosing not to worry about things I have no control over and approaching everything differently took a lot off my shoulders.

I hope you are doing better. Keep us updated.
Posted 9/25/2021 10:49 AM (GMT -8)
They did do a blood test, but my thing is, what if I hadn't had the heart attack yet? I know xrays and ekgs aren't always accurate. My mind plays horrible tricks on me, I have almost the exact symptoms of a heart attack but so far I've been able to kinda talk myself out of believing I'm having one.
Posted 9/25/2021 11:43 AM (GMT -8)
I understand what you're saying because I was also in denial. I was sure the tests and the doctors missed something. Now, in my case, I didn't have the pains in the chest - but I had twinges in the chest area, fleeting twinges sometimes. My primary doctor referred me to a cardio but tests showed nothing related to the heart. Then, I'd get headaches at the back of the head for days. Long story short, the body and the mind seems to work against us sometimes.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, be sure to reach out to your doctor as well as your family members that you feel you can talk to.
Posted 9/25/2021 2:13 PM (GMT -8)
Yeah, it hasnt been constant today, thank god, but my chest has been numb and tingly with burning pain on the left side, it radiates down my left arm and right into my finger tips. It also travels up into my neck, face and head but its just a burning sensation. My upper back has been killing me on and off all day, Im having tingling in my arms and legs as well. I know these are all prime examples of anxiety making my gerd symptoms much worse. Ive been having palpatations on and off all day as well. I went back to the er this morning and he didnt run any new tests, just said my tests from the other day looked awesome and Im "too young" for clogged arteries..
Posted 9/25/2021 4:21 PM (GMT -8)
Try focusing on other things. Your first post mentioned small children. Are you a stay-at-home mom? Can you come up with some activities you can do outside with them? This will help take your mind off your fears.
Posted 9/25/2021 4:22 PM (GMT -8)
I have 3 children. 11 year old bonus daughter, and 2 boys, 6 and 2. I try to stay busy with the 2 year old because the older ones are at school during the day. Its so hard to want to do anything feeling like this though
Posted 9/25/2021 4:32 PM (GMT -8)
I know exactly. I went through this when I was younger, too, although the possible heart and BP problems weren't as pronounced as my panic attacks. Believe it or not, taking a walk in the woods helps. I mean that both literally and figuratively. Even if you have to drive to a park area with the stroller and the 2-year old, that's fine. A place with trees, a park, etc. has a calming effect on us. You mentioned you're also overweight, so if you have a daily routine of this, that will also help you. The mind and body works together in both positive and negative ways.
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