Chest Pain and GERD

[Robfromwales]

I have posted this on the Acid Reflux site as well......

I hsve had what the medics are calling non cardiac chest pain for getting on 3 years. I had an endoscopy that showed chronic but non cancerous oesophagitis. I don’t ( well didnt in sept2021) have a hiatus hernia. I don’t have h pylori. have taken every ppi and tried every home made remedy and diet so no avail. My reason for posting is to ask whether anyone else gets the chest pain that I do?

I do get the normal acid in the throat and rarely the burning sensation in the chest. I don’t get horseness or feeling of lump in throat and other normal symptoms. What I do get is discomfort/ pain in chest that I can only describe like pulses or waves of pain that are sometimes behind breastbone but sometimes seem to run horizontally not vertically. These last I would say in batches of 10-20 minutes then stop but theses nearly always a background of general discomfort. I would say I get these episodes at least twice a month with the last one lasting over 5 days. The espisodes and intensity are increasing and hence my post.

In last 2 years I have had exercise test, MRI stress test , 2 CTs, numerous echocardiagrams angiogram and only mild plaque build up and bi cuspid valve with mild regurg. I had open heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm in April last year.

Does anyone get chest pain like this as websites say chest pain is a symptom and mentions squeezing that I guess could be classed as waves of pain ? It certainly doesnt feel really like a tightness or pressure and there are no other symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea etc. Exercise or exertion doesnt change anything either.

Thoughts and experiences welcome as I now GERD and heart issues /symptoms are often confused!

[Happyrosie]

my son-in-law had very similar to you. He was told he had hiatus h. In the end after years, it was found that he had a diseased gallbladder and after it was removed he was fine. Has your gallbladder been investigated?

[Robfromwales in reply to Happyrosie]

No it hasnt and that may be a Line of enquiry . When I speak to others my symptoms don’t seem to be classic gerd although my reason for asking was that chest pain is mentioned as a symptom but what does this feel like for others?

[Robfromwales in reply to Happyrosie]

Just looked it up and pain from gallbladder is generally is in abdomen but mine is definitely chest. Did your son in law have chest pain? I presume so given your earlier response

[Happyrosie in reply to Robfromwales]

I’m not sure about the location of his pain.

Some years ago my husband had terrible back pain and was being treated for this, it turned out to be h pylori.

So what I’m saying is, just because you’ve got pain in one place it might be caused by something a bit further away (referred pain).

But I’m NOT a doc!

[Stuartc100 in reply to Happyrosie]

Its call referred pain and very true!

[Stent2024 in reply to Stuartc100]

So true . I had stent fitted 2 weeks ago for a blocked artery , but the aching sensation was nearly always in my left arm rather than chest

[Robfromwales]

Fair point indeed Happyrosie and something definitely to be considered

[Lowerfield_no_more]

I am also a 'hearty' - NSTEMI six years ago - and also have reflux disease and possibly a hiatus hernia. I have been taking PPIs for reflux for nearly 20 years. I found some time ago when I tried to fine tune the dose of the PPI that dose was critical to control the reflux symptoms, in that too little and the discomfort came back, so I went one step back up, and have been there ever since, although I had to change PPIs after my HA due to medication interactions. Even so although things now normally under control I can have relapses and I have to wind back my diet to let things settle down again. One trigger for this might be the hiatus hernia. Next, about three years ago, I presented to A&E with chest pains (twice) and was subsequently diagnosed with angina (most probably). But the symptoms subsided over a few weeks, I dropped the angina meds with GP approval and in the end I was discharged by the cardiologist who said it was most likely gastro related, and he was most likely correct. I have been OK (mostly) ever since. So from my experience the difference between cardio and gastro is sometimes difficult to identify from a medical professional and also a personal perspective. And I had h. pylori identified years ago which was eradicated with the usual weekly course of meds although discomfort was definitely in my stomach. So all that said (phew!) I don't know if there is anything there that you might find useful. My only other comment is that the vagus nerve controls both involuntary heart and gastro functions (amongst others) and that is known to sometimes have disorders so that might be worth researching.

[Robfromwales]

thank you lowerfield. Certainly something to think about. As I said it’s not ‘meant ‘ to be cardiac given all the blood supply tests I have had looking at my aortic aneurysm ( now fixed) and structural heart investigations eg mri and echos. But when it happens then your mind works overtime. When you had pain lower field was it anything like I have described as my main point in writing and asking was whether the ‘chest pain/discomfort’ that comes with other people’s reflux issues are more than burning and the typical indigestion type sternum pain ?

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to Robfromwales]

My reflux, possibly HH, pain usually occurs in the middle of the back not the chest, which can happen for some folks, apparently, me included. When I had my NSTEMI I had unusual chest discomfort which I thought was a chest infection, turned out it was a HA. And the chest 'pain' I had when I presented to A&E two or three years later was rather more unusual 'discomfort' which oddly, if it was gastro , doesn't fit with my normal gastro symptoms and which can also on occasion be quite severe, but at the time I also didn't tick all the normal boxes for angina. Hope this helps.

[Robfromwales]

thanks indeed.

[Weetabixie]

Hi Robfromwales, I've had where doctors suspect heart but was acid reflux digestion, I don't get burning only on occasion was prescribed GTN which didn't work, had stress test ruled heart out at the time. Had endoscopy had oesophagitis and reflux disease, been on lansaprazole ever since, that I think was 2004/5, along with gaviscon which was a godsend for chest pain at the time for many years. Until last year, I would take the gaviscon for quite severe pain that would feel like when you have taken a huge gulp of a drink and it feels painful and slow sinking down throat/chest, sometimes in throat pain same time. This one time last June I took it, by God did I regret it, it was a heart attack and the gaviscon according to cardiologist said it triggered it off and had most likely been heart pain all along when I'd been taken. Bit strange considering it used to take it away prior to this night when it changed everything, got the whole classic you read of symptoms, still I wasn't convinced and talked myself out of going hospital, part doubt, part fear and fell asleep. Following morning was only in left upper arm. Went gp and ambulance called. Tests showed NSTEMI. The only difference was extreme pain in chest,It is confusing and from time to time I take GTN only I'm trying not to do often, I'm just learning what it works for and does not work for.