... of the stress test I took over a week ago ... The heart is fine, ...thank You, Lord ... ...
The downside is the chest pain and discomfort is still there, and while I am convinced it's not life threatening it sure is taking its toll on the quality of life ... What I REALLY dislike is the fact that it distracts me to the point I don't even feel like playing music ... THAT'S bad !!! ....
Well, the next step is someplace like the Leahy (sp?) clinic in MA. ...
t.

Tony,
When we take these stress tests it always feels good to get positive results. But, it sure is maddening when it doesn't give a hint of why you have the discomfort.

I hope you (and the docs) can find a remedy for you.

Eddie

Tony
Glad to hear the ticker checked out good.
Hey, I had the same problem about 8 yrs. ago, & finally my
doctor found out that it was my esophagus causing the
problem.

I take prevacid, & aloe juice for it & get along pretty good now.
I think the aloe juice does as good if not better then the prevacid.
I took the prevacid for 3 months without any change, then started
taking 1 ounce of aloe 3 times a day, within 4 weeks time I
could feel things getting better, after 1 yr. I dropped down to
only 1 ounce a day.

Did a doctor ever check your esophagus ?
Might be worth a try if they haven't.

Denny

See, I told you the ticker was good! Now lets get down to determining what is wrong. No, I'm not a doctor, but I slept at the Holiday Inn near Johns Hopkins Hospital Not a nice neighborhood. One of the possibilities is intercostal neuralgia, which in most instances, mimics a heart attack to the point where the pain can cause the patient to black out. It's not readily diagnosed by anyone other than a good nuerosurgeon who is up on nueromuscular diseases.

The treatment, fortunately is does not usually involve surgery, but it does require a significant commitment from the patient. More often than not, weight loss and upper body exercise eliminates the pain after just a few months. Essentually, the physical therapy involves stretching the intercostal muscles by repititious bench pressing relatively light weights, 25 to 50 pounds max. This is usually done 3 to 4 days a week, with an average of 20 to 30 reps. Other exercises such as weight bench rowing devices help too.

The only medications that seem to help relieve the symptons of intercostal neuralgia are anti-inflamitory drugs, but other than ordinary Aspirin, most have some nasty side effects.

Good Luck,

Gary

Denny ... Thanks for the input ... This issue actually started about 11 months ago ... after a full check of the heart at the time, it was determined not to be cardiac ... we then ran the full course of esophagus and reflux related tests ... found nothing significant ... Been through Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid and now Protonix ... I may look into aloe ...

Gary ... Thank you also ... Perhaps you should be doing consult with my docs ...
I am in the weight loss mode right now, and the cardio Dr is setting me up for some cardio rehab so I can get back on the exercise routine under some supervision, at least initially ...
While no one diagnosed 'intercostal neuralgia', there was a diagnosis earlier that at least part of the problem could be muscular ... One Dr. even gave me an exercise to try when the symptoms appeared, but it didn't seem to help much ...
Coincidently, early last evening when I had the pain I decided to try some Tylenol ... I actually had some relief ...
Thanks again, ... I will ask about the possibility of 'intercostal neuralgia' ...

.... The things we talk about at a Bar !!!
thanks, Nigel ...
t.

Tony:

I'm not a doc, and not a bett'n man, but most of the people around my age don't drink water, and I bet you don't get enough,most people don't and medicine's and diets add to the problems, when you're not getting enough water the chest can give pain that feel like heart problems and even broken ribs. etc: If you're drinking water, and drinking coffee its a wipe out, more water. Try some and see if you don't feel better in a day or two.......

Take eight glasses and call me in the morning.......Pose

If you have a Viagra problem-- Take two nurses and call me in the Morning..

[This message has been edited by loungelyzard (edited 02-01-2005).]