Hello,

I'm posting here today in hopes of getting some feedback on something
I've been dealing with as of late.

I've been struggling with chest pains for the last 4-5 months now. The
pain is in my upper chest and tends to move around a fair amount, but
usually radiates from the center of my chest (never to my arms, neck,
or shoulders). I would describe the pain as an aching sensation, and
it's generally fairly mild.

Shortly after experiencing this pain for the first time, I went to the
ER. They did an ECG and a cardiolite stress test, and found no problems
(doctor said I have excellent blood flow, etc.). Later these tests were
followed up with a lipoprotein analysis, which also turned out normal.

The problem, as I alluded to earlier, is that the chest pains continue
and nobody seems to know precisely what's going on. I have a couple
questions, and would appreciate any advice from the readers of this
group, and especially from anyone with similar experiences.

First, should I still follow up with a cardiologist? Or are the tests
I've had pretty much definitive enough to rule out a cardiovascular
cause? My family doctor feels pretty confident that the pains aren't
cardiac, but I'm not sure if I should seek another opinion.

Second, can cardiac-related pain move around the chest area as mine
does? As I noted above, it tends to raidate from the center of my
chest, but on other days I feel it more to the left or more to the
right. This doesn't seem like the angina pain that I'd read about in
books, but I realize that real-world experiences can be different.

Third, does the fact that I've been dealing with this pain for months
now seem to suggest a non-cardiac cause, or can angina precede a
serious heart problem by a fairly long period of time?

Finally, does anyone know of any muscular problems that might be
causing my symptoms? I do sit in front of a computer a LOT.

Thanks very much for any feedback.

- MR