Short answer: Most of the time you cannot tell gas pain from a heart attack by how it feels. Cardiologists advise suspecting a heart attack first, getting it ruled out at a hospital, and only then treating it as gas or indigestion.
“It’s probably just gas.”
If you’ve ever felt a burning or heavy feeling in your chest after a big meal, you’ve probably said this to yourself, or heard someone at home say it. Somebody brings out the Eno, you lie down for a bit, and you hope it passes.
And underneath, there’s often a quieter question you don’t say out loud: what if it’s my heart? How do I know whether this pain is serious?
You’re not being dramatic for asking. It’s one of the most important questions you can ask. So in our Dil Ke Doubts session on heart attack warning signs, Heart Health India Foundation founder Ram Khandelwal, who had his own heart attack at 33, put it to cardiologist Dr. Biswaranjan Mishra, Consultant Cardiologist at Max Diagnostic, Cuttack, and Hon. Secretary of the Cardiological Society of India (CSI), Odisha Chapter.
This article is based on the questions and answers in Dil Ke Doubts Webinar 10 (16 Sep 2026), part of Heart Health India Foundation’s World Heart Month 2026 series with the Cardiological Society of India and the World Heart Federation‘s Don’t Miss a Beat campaign.
Here’s what he told us, in plain words.
Can you tell gas pain from a heart attack by how it feels?
Honestly? Usually not. Dr. Mishra said it is very difficult to tell acidity, muscle pain and heart pain apart, even for people who have already had a heart attack once.
So doctors flip the question around. First assume it could be the heart, get that ruled out, and only then think about gas, indigestion or a pulled muscle. As he put it: “If it is not there, it’s okay, but heart attacks are life-threatening.”
That isn’t meant to scare you. It just means you don’t have to guess on your own, and you shouldn’t have to.
What does a heart attack usually feel like?
The way Dr. Mishra described it:
- Pain in the centre of the chest, not the left side the way films show it. It can feel like tightness, or like someone is pressing down on you
- Pain that spreads to the left arm or up to the jaw
- Sweating, feeling like throwing up, or actually vomiting
He also said chest pain isn’t always dramatic or severe. It can be quite ordinary, and that’s exactly why people brush it off. For a related overview of warning signs, see our guide on recognising heart attack warning signs.
Why it can feel different if you have diabetes, or if you’re a woman
This part surprises many families.
- If you have diabetes: long-term diabetes can damage the nerves (neuropathy), so a heart attack may come with very little pain or none at all. Doctors call this a “silent” heart attack. You might only feel tired, have what seems like indigestion, or feel dizzy, nauseous or breathless.
- If you’re a woman: the pain may be only in the back or the arms, or not in the chest at all. It can show up as breathlessness, unusual tiredness, dizziness, or pain and cramping in the upper stomach.
If you’re the one who usually looks after everyone else at home, please don’t dismiss these signs in yourself. Families may also find our caregiving guide for heart patients useful.
A simple rule to remember: navel to jaw
Dr. Mishra gave a rule of thumb that’s easy to keep in your head: any discomfort anywhere between your navel and your jaw, including your arms and back, could be a blockage, and until tests are done, nobody can say it isn’t.
His message was simple: don’t label it “indigestion” or “gas” and delay finding out.
“Can I just take Eno and rest for half an hour?”
This is what so many of us do. When this exact question came up, Dr. Mishra didn’t soften it. He called it “the most dangerous approach” and said it should be avoided.
He also understood why we do it. It’s hard to accept that it could be a heart attack. We tell ourselves, “I ate outside food, that’s why it’s burning,” or “No, this can’t happen to my heart.” That’s a very human reaction, and it’s exactly the thinking he warned against.
He added that if someone asks a doctor, a paramedic or even the chemist down the road for advice, the answer should be the same: see a physician or cardiologist and rule out a heart attack first. Only after that should it be treated as acidity.
What if the pain is below the navel, or comes with loose motions?
In the session, the panel said pain below the navel, or pain that comes with loose motions, may not be a heart attack. But the advice didn’t change: ask “could this be my heart?” first, and let a medical professional rule it out before you treat it as a stomach problem.
What happens at the hospital? How do doctors rule it out?
Knowing what to expect can make that first step less frightening. Dr. Mishra walked us through it:
- An ECG first. But here’s something everyone should know: an ECG can look normal even during a heart attack.
- A troponin blood test. In the first few hours, this can also come back negative.
- Repeating the ECG and troponin if there’s still reason to worry, for example if the person is elderly, has diabetes, smokes, or has a family history of heart attacks at a young age. There’s no fixed timing; it may be repeated after 2, 3 or 6 hours.
- An echocardiogram (echo) can also show signs of a heart attack, especially while the symptoms are happening.
- A stress test (treadmill test, stress echo or nuclear scan), or angiography, sometimes a non-invasive CT coronary angiography, if doctors are still suspicious.
If the repeat tests stay normal, you can be considered low risk and sent home.
So if the doctor asks you to stay a few hours for a repeat test, it’s not because they’re making a fuss. It’s because one normal result isn’t always the full picture. For more on what common heart tests are for, see understanding your heart tests.
“But I’m too young for a heart attack”
Ram asked about people between 25 and 45 who may not even know yet that they have diabetes or high BP. Dr. Mishra said the tests are the same whether you’re young or old, and that young people often ignore symptoms because they think they’re too young. With long hours sitting, unhealthy food and stress, he said, a heart attack in a young person is not unusual.
Ram knows this personally. Don’t ignore the symptoms because of your age. Survivors’ journeys after an event are covered in life after a heart attack.
What you can do next
- If you have chest discomfort right now, or anything between your navel and jaw that worries you, go to the nearest hospital or doctor. Don’t wait for the Eno to work.
- Ask for an ECG, and if you’re told it’s normal but you still feel unwell or have risk factors, ask: “Should we repeat the ECG or troponin?”
- Tell the doctor about your risk factors: diabetes, smoking, age, or a family history of heart attacks at a young age.
- Share this with your family WhatsApp group. The person who most needs to read it is often the one who says “it’s just gas.”
- Explore more sessions from the series on our Dil Ke Doubts World Heart Month 2026 page.
Frequently asked questions
Most of the time you can’t tell by how it feels. Cardiologists advise suspecting a heart attack first and getting it ruled out at a hospital before treating it as gas.
Dr. Biswaranjan Mishra called taking gas medicine and waiting “the most dangerous approach”. Get a heart attack ruled out first.
Yes. An ECG can be normal during a heart attack, which is why doctors may repeat the ECG and troponin test.
Any discomfort from the navel up to the jaw, including the arms and back.
They can be. People with diabetes may feel little or no pain. Women may feel it in the back, arms or upper stomach, or only as breathlessness, tiredness or dizziness.
Watch the full session
Want to hear it from Dr. Mishra himself? The full Dil Ke Doubts session is below.
▶️ Watch the full session: Heart Attack – Warning Signs and the Golden Hour · Please also Subscribe on YouTube @hearthealthindia.
Dr. Mishra’s final message: “Don’t ignore any discomfort in upper abdomen, chest or jaws and arms. It is very dangerous to take gas medicine and wait… Take advice from the nearest hospital or doctor to rule out a heart attack before taking treatment for gas or indigestion.”
Authoritative sources (for further reading)
These links support general heart-attack education. They do not replace Dr. Mishra’s words in the session above, and they are not a personal diagnosis.
- WHO — Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) fact sheet
- NHLBI (NIH) — Heart attack symptoms
- MedlinePlus — Heart attack
- NHS — Heart attack symptoms
- European Society of Cardiology — Guidelines hub
- Cardiological Society of India
About this article
Disclaimer: The medical information in this article is based only on the views shared by the session speaker, Dr. Biswaranjan Mishra. It is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult your cardiologist for advice personalised to you. In an emergency, go to the nearest hospital immediately. See also our medical disclaimer.
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