What Causes Chest Pain And Stomach Discomfort?

Posted on Mon, 15 Sep 2014

Question: Hi, I'm not sure what is exactly the problem. It might just be over heated and dehydration. But for the last week I have been having some problems. It first started out with pressure over my heart. Day two, by the end of the day, it felt like that area was starting to feel sore. From there, it just became random what was wrong. My stomach would hurt. My abdominal area would hurt. I would think at first I was hungry, but when food didn't help I realized it was just an uncomfortable sensation and I had no idea how to make it go away. Then my muscles on my sides and lower back began to hurt too. It was getting pretty painful at this point. Unbuttoning my pants and taking off my bra seemed to help, but maybe that was a placebo effect? At anyrate, my aunt gave my a back massage and for about 24 hours I was pain free. But it keeps coming back. Generally the pressure over the heart and the strange stomach sensations. Sometimes together and sometimes apart. The first few nights, I didn't have pain when I first woke up. But last night there was heart pain all night and into the morning. This has been going on for a week, maybe 8 days. I don't have health insurance and my full time job that will have it doesn't start until next week. So I am hesitant to go in to seek help before October. Does this sound serious or should I just buck up and keep my chin up?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It might be acid reflux.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!
I read carefully your query and understand your concern.

The symptoms you describe of chest pain ,stomach discomfort might be related to acid reflux,which is a condition when the stomach acid moves up into esophagus causing inflammation.
The diagnosis is confirmed with upper endoscopy and 24 hours PH monitoring.
The treatment consist in using antiacids and PPI drugs to inhibit the acid production in stomach.

I would suggest to avoid fatty,processed foods,spicy foods,coffee, chocolate, and all foods that trigger your symptoms.
-Eat small frequent meals instead of three major meals
-Drink plenty of water and exercise regularly.

I also would suggest to take an over the counter PPI drug like Pantoprazol 40 mg once a day before meals for 1-2 weeks to see if your symptoms improve.
If they improve ,it also serves to confirm the diagnosis of acid reflux.

Your symptoms also might be related to stress and anxiety so mediation,and relaxation techniques like Yoga might help.

If your symptoms doesn't seem to improve or get worse ,I suggest to consult a physician and get examined.

Hope it was of help.
Let me know if you have other questions or doubt to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further.

Kind Regards!
Dr.Rovena Murati.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar