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Symptoms can sometimes be confusing. The heart lies in the middle, a little bit to the left of the chest. Well right behind the heart is the esophagus or feeding tube. If you have gastroesophageal reflux –again doctors with big words. Gastro for stomach, esophagus for the feeding tube, and acid comes into the area the pain can be in the same area as the heart attack.
So if you have severe gastroesophageal reflux –they call it GERD or heartburn, it can mimic the signs of a heart attack. How do you know the difference? Sometimes you don’t. And that’s why it’s important to have an identified source of primary care; someone you can go to and get an EKG or be evaluated. And don’t just use the emergency room as that source of care because it’s expensive, it’s timely, and it’s often not necessary.
If the pain is severe and recurring, especially accompanied by shortness of breath and sweating, that may be a sign of a heart attack, especially in an older individual. But we don’t diagnose of course without seeing the patient and that’s why it’s important to have that identifiable source of care.
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