Chest Pain: Heart Or Heartburn

Q: Chest pain: heart or heartburn? I am a 25 yr old female. i'm healthy, in great shape, and very active. last monday i started having some mild chest pains. they kept getting worse and going into my back. i went to the doctor yesterday and he thinks that it is probably acid reflux. i have never had heartburn before. is it possible to have heartburn for a week? i have been eating really bad over the holidays. i'm very scared that it's my heart. has anyone else ever had this problem? i started taking aciphex yesterday..but it's not helping yet.

A:Honestly, your doc would never send you home if he thought for a moment it was your heart. Too much liability for the doc. Acid reflux can hurt bad enough to make you think you are having a heart attack. Stay away from spicy foods, OJ, aspirin and anything that you know will agravate it.

My BF had this problem for almost nine months before he got better. He was on Nexium and tons of antacids. He also had a tear in his esophagus so it was probably worse than you had. I just know that he worried a lot about heart problems. Stress, anxiety and worrying will only make it worse. Just give the meds enough time to work, sometimes over a month, you'll feel better. Just need to be careful what you eat. It probably is just heartburn. Especially since it isn't like we eat healthy over the holidays. I get heartburn everyday (I'm pregnant) and it feels like what you are describing. Try drinking milk and take tums. Also cut out spicy, greasy, and fatty foods. Also soda can cause it.?