When chest pain tells an emotional truth

Abstract

Helen Watkins shares the physical symptoms brought on by heartache and what healthcare professionals can do to recognise a person’s emotional pain Six years ago, I went to the emergency department with chest pain. I had experienced severe pain during the previous night, pain which radiated to my back and ears. I didn’t disturb my husband, as we had arrived home in the UK from Australia only a few days earlier and were both still tired with jetlag. I told him the next morning, and we decided I should see my GP that day. The GP sent me to hospital to have my heart and troponin levels checked. My ECG showed no evidence of a heart attack and the blood tests were fine. I was discharged with a diagnosis of chest pain with an unknown cause, with a secondary provisional diagnosis of acid reflux. But I knew the real diagnosis was, quite …