Coping With Chest Pain

My first episode of chest pains started in graduate school during my second year. Now I am at the end of my 4th year.

Location: Center/off center to the left. Duration: a few hours here and there. Pain is 3-4/10. It happens 2-3days out of 7. The pain feels like a pressure feeling that doesn’t go away. Worse when running after 5 minutes 100% of the time. It gets worse during stressful times (exams, when I work with my patients, when the mother in law is in town). It feels like a pressure or irritation under my rib cage. Every since it started my bpm is 80-95 beats per minute. And that’s been the going rate for over 2 years now. Sometimes it radiates up the left side of my neck to my left armpit. I currently feel it as we speak. I ignore it most of the time. The best concern is that my heart rate used to be 60 beats per minute 2-3 years ago…and now it’s always up (2 years going).

I am not allergic to anything, I don’t take any medications. BP 108/68. It’s always been in that range. I used to exercise a lot before graduate school. Now I just avoid exercise. I don’t, smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs of any kind. I’ve had multiple EKGs, Echo ultrasounds, blood work, stress Echo’s, a 24 hour heart monitor, chest-xray, barium swallow for upper GI w/ and w/o contrast.

It’s very concerning to…and I would love to get back to exercise (cardio stuff). Weight lifting is okay. It’s hard to concentrate daily when my heart rate is up all the time and I’m constant checking my pulse. Professional/Educated input would be great appreciated.