I am a white female, 55 yrs old, mild diabetic, controlled with diet, exercise and metformin, 1,000 mg twice day. I am 5 7 , 180 lbs, I have been walking a mile to 2 a day about 4 days a week minimal. I have begun having rapid heart rate, tachycardia, upon exertion. I don t break out in a sweat or get nauseated, haven t really had arm or shoulder pain, but I do get tight in my chest, and minor shortness of breath. I can sit, and it goes away, until I exert again. I have minor medical knowledge, and know to get to ER if this gets worse and report to the doctor, but...was just wondering...do I need to go sooner than later?
Hello. Thank you for your question and welcome to Chat Doctor. I carefully read your concern. You are a 55-year-old woman, which is a borderline age for risk for cardiovascular disease. The pain in the chest you described, which is triggered by effort and goes away when you stop, fulfills some criteria of angina (chest pain caused by narrowing of coronary arteries - the arteries that surround the heart like a crown, hence the name, and supply its muscle with oxygen and nutrients). Of course, in this level of conversation, when none of the test were carried out, this is just an assumption judging by the characteristics of the pain. Therefore, I would strongly recommend you to do a cardiac check-up