Sharp Pain in Chest

[RideTheWalrus]

I'm 23 years old.  For the last few years I've been very physically active.  I walk 40 minutes a day and jog for 15-40 minutes per day (depending on how I feel), 6 days a week.  

I'm not overweight.  I also eat a very healthy low-fat diet.  As far as I'm aware absolutely nobody in my extended family has had heart problems.

For the past week been feeling 'sharp pains' that last for about 1-2 seconds, go away, then return later.  They seem to be near my heart.  Normally when I feel one of these sharp pains I instinctively burp which seems to relieve the pain a bit.

They don't seem to be brought on by exercise.  Most of the time they come on at rest.  

Four years ago I developed a panic/anxiety disorder and had an echocardiogram, several EKGs, and a chest X-Ray, all came back normal.

Could a heart problem have developed since then?  Does this sound like anything heart related?

I won't be able to go to the doctor for another 4 days.

[RideTheWalrus]

Well, here's an update.  I have bad anxiety and panic attacks at times.  I also have what's known as 'white coat' syndrome.  When I'm relaxing at home my BP will be perfectly fine, but when they try to take my BP at the doctors office it often shoots way up.

When I had my BP taken today at the doctors office it was 158/90. Then during the EKG the doc found my heart was beating 121 beats per minutes.  Whenever the doctor begins to attach those EKG things or straps a blood pressure thing on my arm I always start to feel really anxious.

Five minutes after the EKG stuff was off of me the doctor took my pulse and found it was at a normal resting rate.  While still listening to my pulse he strapped a blood pressure thing on my arm and found my pulse increased again.  I was not as anxious as I was during the first reading though, and it was down to 135/80.  Personally I know my BP is in the 110/70 area when I'm relaxed.

The doctor commented that my pulse was slower when he began taking my BP, and increased toward the end of it.

The doctor also said that there were no visible abnormalities in my EKG aside from a fast heart rate, which due to my long history of anxiety is almost certainly anxiety.  I had no skipped beats, ect...

He also told me though that detecting some abnormalities requires that I be calm and relaxed (not easy for me).  So essentially that EKG only partially cleared me.  He wants me back in 6 days or so and told me to take the minimum dose of a beta blocker ~20 minutes before I go in for my appointment.

I asked him if he typically sees many EKGs like that, and he told me yes he does in anxiety/panic sufferers.

He told me based on my age, fitness level, diet, and all of the previous heart tests I had done ~3-4 years ago (echocardiogram, ect...) that the chances of anything being wrong are next to nil but he still wants to try to get an EKG done when I'm in a relaxed state to be thorough.

[RideTheWalrus]

Thanks for the reply, I plan on seeing my doctor this Monday.

[Smiley2000]

I found the following article:

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/heart-attack/overview.html

I don't think your pains are heart related, the fact that you get relief from it by burping, makes me think that it might be esophegal-spasms (eish, spelling!) or maybe even a Hernia.  I think you should see a Doctor, just to rule that out.