Is there an underlying heart condition?

[mattbg213]

I am a 19 Year Old Male, who is 6'6" and weigh 140LBS. Ever since I was about 9 years old or so, i have had to give up all strenuous activity. When i run, or play any kind of Sports i get an extremely painful crushing pain in my chest, i get a very metallic taste in my mouth (no blood) but an increase in saliva. My head starts hurting really bad, my vision goes black, i get very dizzy, and cannot stand on my own. Its extremely debilitating and lasts for a good half hour or so, and i feel off for the rest of the day. They have done countless ECG tests, an ultrasound, wore a holter monitor, and a test where they hook up an ECG machine, and get me to run on a treadmill to get those symptoms. The symptoms came, but the test was clear. All my blood work was normal, Every test has been clear, but to this day, i still cannot do anything physical, because the symptoms always return. I know my heart doesn't do this for fun. There has to be something.

[ayl291]

What age did it start?

Has it worsened?

Have you had chest ct with and without contrast?

Left and right heart cath?

Workup with a metabolic geneticist?

I'm assuming easy things like asthma have been ruled out here?

[grendslori]

At your age, it would be VERY rare for you to be having chest pain as you describe. Crushing chest pain in almost every case is caused by blocked arteries which are located on the outside of the heart itself. A 45 year old man having a heart attack will often times refer to the pain as a crushing which is what you are describing. It takes at least 20 years of eating junk food to block the arteries on the heart to where a heart attack can occur. Sometimes it can happen in the 30's but even then, that's pretty rare. As you have had all kinds of heart related tests and everything has come back normal, I don't think you have too much to actually worry about. Those tests you had done would have shown a cardiomyopathy which can cause chest pain in children and teens if the walls are to thick and the blood flow to the heart muscle is lacking. Go enjoy being young.....your stress level may be playing havoc on you.