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Hi Linda-I, like you have had angina pains that no one can tell what they are caused from due to the fact that I have unstable angina, along with heart disease, asthma and now GERD! I was diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia, reflux and now Barrett's after barium swallow and then endoscopy. Shortness of breath is difficult to tell where it's coming from, I agree and I, too had in the past maybe a few episodes of heart burn, or the like after eating too much, or something didn't 'agree' with me, but basically no symptoms til I started getting the bile in the throat and canker sores to boot-got woke up in the middle of the night with severe chest 'crushing' pain, hard to breathe, and pain shooting into my neck and left arm-ambulance was called and had catherization and the works-they're still not 100% sure what caused that, but are leaning towards the GERD. Basically, each person is a bit different to their reactions to food-you need to take note of what is bothering you, caffeine, peppermint, onions, etc. and eliminate from your diet. Also, elavating the head of your bed can be beneficial. I wish I had known all this at an earlier time, so I wouldn't find myself in the position I am in now-though not cancer-I have to go in for frequent check ups for this now, along with all the other health problems. So please take care of yourself! Check out info on this site to get more info. Teri

what a relief to learn that i am not alone in this confusion! yes, had bad angina and was hospitalized twice for it. they did stress test (i flunked) and then did cath, but only 50% block in "minor artery" discovered. but do have PAD and 80% block in left internal illiac artery, but other side is picking up the slack at the moment. have pending tests for pulmonologist. meds are: prevacid 1x30mg, effexor 2x75mg; carbitrol (for temporal lobe epilepsy) 2x300mg; trazodone 1x100mg; isosorbide mono. er 1x30mg; enalapril (vasotec) 2x5mg. quite a c***tail! also a trick balancing all the "specialists" and checking all meds for interaction and/or side effects. yes, got something from my gut doc. after i pressed them, about care and feeding of the hiatal hernia. did you keep a diary of what foods bothered you or do you avoid any that may possibly upset you? i, too, have had heartburn very very rarely.. i.e. hardly ever.

nitro and i are old friends. it does help for pain. haven't tried it for shortness of breath. have you? brain stuff is almost easy compared to cardiologists and stomach stuff. have been treated for temporal lobe epilepsy for over 20 years. got temporal lobe damage several years ago from a bad concussion. of course, that was before they understood what was going on. being on carbitrol (antiseizure med) taught me to check and recheck meds and interactions, as level will either be raised or lowered by so many.

birden57, Hi and welcome!
That's a shame that'll you'll have to switch medications, especially since it was helping you, but I have heard from others that the OTC Prilosec has really helped them, too. (my son takes it.) Hope this helps. Teri

Hi, I am new here, but I am hoping to learn from you by coming here.

Can someone describe this angina-like pain you're speaking of?

I have had 2 intense episodes of sharp, stabbing, shooting pain in my chest that is pretty raging when I take deep breaths in. I am confused what heartburn is supposed to feel like. This is not burning. It is also off to the left of my chest. I have had an EKG, chest x-rays, and blood work - nothing. Can heartburn feel like a heart attack? How long does it last?

Thank you!