Ive had a tightness and pain in the center of my chest that comes and goes for the last 2 days.  Tums dont help.  Sometimes it feels like someone is sitting on my chest or my bra is too tight.  I also have had severe gas in my stomach.  My mother died of a massive heart attach at age 65. She had complained of indigestion for a couple days prior to her massive heart attach.  Im only 51, but Im over weight... 58 240 lbs.   I hate to go see a doctor for just gas.
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. Your age is more than 50 years, you are obese and have strong family history of heart disease, so we should first rule out cardiac cause for your symptoms. So get done ECG, 2d echo and stress test. If all these are normal then no need to worry about heart diseases. Yes, gaseous distention of stomach can cause similar symptoms. In my opinion, you are mostly having HERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). HERD is due to laxity of gastroesophageal sphincter. Because of this the acid of the stomach tends to come up in the esophagus and cause symptoms of chest tightness, chest pressure, pain, gaseous distention etc. So follow these steps for better symptomatic relief in HERD. 1. Avoid hot and spicy food. Avoid junk food. Avoid large meals, instead take frequent small meals. 2. Take pantoprazole and levosulperide combination on empty stomach. 3. Avoid stress and tension, be relaxed and calm. 4. Go for walking after meals. 5. Lose weight and stay healthy. Don't worry, you will be alright with all these. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.