I am a 31 year old male, 5′8″, 155lbs, non-smoker, 1 alcoholic drink a day (average), no known allergies, exercise a couple times a week and have always been in good health.

On Dec. 3, 2008 I began having chest discomfort/pain (2-4 out of 10) in the middle of my chest. It would last for a few minutes and recur 2-4 times an hour. I took a baby aspirin (81mg) and “lived with it” for the next few days. Unfortunately, I had an international trip coming up, so when it hadn’t subsided by Dec. 8 I went to an urgent care clinic where the doctor on staff prescribed Prevacid for acid reflux. This did not help.

The condition persisted with the pain occuring in localized areas anywhere from the left-center of my chest to the right nipple. Also during this time, my arms or feet would be “asleep” (tingling) when I woke up. I saw another doctor on Dec. 15 who gave me an ECG (normal), took me off the Pervacid and prescribed 1200mg/day of Oxaprozin (an NSAID), as he believed it could be the remnants of a viral infection (i.e., pericarditis). I was tested for thyroid, diabetes and everything came back normal. By about Dec. 20 the symptoms had gone away and I quit taking the Oxaprozin.

However, on Jan. 3, 2009, the pain resurfaced. I had another ECG (normal), blood pressure was normal; however, my pulse, which had always been in the 70s beats per minute range was in the 90s bpm. Within the week I had a stress echocardiogram, which came back normal on all accounts. Again the discomfort subsided for the most part and I resumed normal activities.

Around Feb. 9, the pain started again (about 2-3 out of 10). This time it’s almost all on the right-side (about 1″-2″ from my sternum). I have been taking 400mg of ibuprofen for the past two days with little relief.

Generally, the pain has never been reproducible, coming and going as it pleases. It does not seem related to eating or diet, and the only somewhat consistent relief is usually through moderate exercise. Lying down makes it more noticeable, but I think this may be because I don’t have anything else to focus on. Also, my head/thoughts have been fuzzy for the past month or so, although I don’t know if this is related.

The constant discomfort makes it hard to concentrate, as I fear it’s a symptom of something more serious since I’ve never had lingering pain before.