Chest pains....

[Crystal in VA]

I have been having chest pains for a little over a week. The other day, I had numbness and tingling down my left arm. It lasted a couple of hours. The pain comes and goes, usually any where from 1-3 times a day. What would you do? My dh doesn't seem to think its a big deal.

I'm only 35 but do have heart troubles on both sides of my family. I tend to stay stressed out. Do I go to the doctors or the hospital? Anyone have any experience with this?

[MelissaM]

you need to go to a doctor very soon. This is not something wait around and "see".

[j.griff]

Go to the ER when it is happening, they can quickly do tests to determine whether you are having heart problems. Also do a follow up appt with your Dr. It could be something else entirely, but it's always best to be cautious about such symptoms. You NEED to have this checked out, no matter what your DH thinks/says about it. hugs

[melissel]

Go to the ER when it is happening, they can quickly do tests to determine whether you are having heart problems. Also do a follow up appt with your Dr. It could be something else entirely, but it's always best to be cautious about such symptoms. You NEED to have this checked out, no matter what your DH thinks/says about it. hugs

Yes, I agree. The numbness and tingling part would scare me very much.

[BarbaraL in OK]

Yes, go to urgent care or the ER during the pain (and don't wait for the more occasional numbness/tingling). It could be other stuff, but it could be heart related! Go, go, go. Be your own best caretaker -- get thee to a medical assessment!

[ack25]

If your dh was having this problem or your dear child was having this problem, what would you do? Most likely (and forgive me if I am wrong), you would take him to the ER! You need to take care of yourself with the same devotion!

[Unicorn]

Get thee to a doctor. Don't wait until it happens again; call your doc right away and go in. Tingling and numbness with chest pains are nothing to play around with. I hope it turns out to be nothing, but please don't take a chance!

[Diana in OR]

Definitely GO to the dr. However, from personal experience, I can tell you that tension that may or may not be accomanied by a pinched nerve in your neck or upper back can lead to chest pain and numbness and tingling down one or both arms.

It is still scary and nothing to mess around with.

[Jann in TX]

I was 33 and in great physical shape when I started feeling chest pains and numbness. I ended up in the hospital for a week in intensive care...I've gone to the ER more than 20 times for this--when it got so bad I could not control the pain. It took the Drs several years to figure out my triggers.

Luckily my pain ended up being non-cardiac. There are several heart conditions that do not show up until mid thirties...so get checked out!

Once you rule out real heart problems here are a few other things to consider.

Problems in the neck or upper back can cause the left hand numbness/ tingling and even chest pains.

Aspartame can cause permanent nerve damage (This is the cause of the majority of my pain). Stay away from artificial sweetners especially Equal and Splenda. I faced over $1,000,000 in medical bills because of aspartame--thank goodness for great insurance!

Stress and Anxiety are two more causes for chest pains...


After reading your post I took a moment and then noticed that my left arm is numb and my chest is a bit tight/heavy feeling. I know that I'm not in any danger and I'll take some Advil if it gets any worse. I did not sleep well last night and know my neck and upper back are the cause of todays pain. The pain caused by Aspartame was much worse!

[Crystal in VA]

My dh did come home from work to take me to the ER. They ran all kinds of test, which I'm very glad about, but everything is fine. The doc said to follow up with family doc in three days. I'm just so glad to know that I'm not ready to have a stroke or heart attack or something. :)

By the way, I think I made my dh said uncaring....that wasn't the case. He just takes things slower than me which made me feel like he wasn't taking it seriously. And yes...if it was one of them having a problem, I'd have them at the docs in a second. :o

[sdWTMer]

I've had to do that as well during the middle of the night. I didn't have heart issues, but I'm still glad that I went.

[j.griff]

I'm glad you went, and glad everything is fine. I didn't think your husband was uncaring, but maybe just not aware of how women have higher rates of heart disease than men, and go undiagnosed, etc. I'm glad everything is fine and that you have that knowledge and can stop worrying and wondering if you're gonna kill over any minute now (BTDT)