I have a pain in my chest, I'm wondering if you guys have advice for me before I head to the doctors?

Question

First, some history

I've been getting chest pains for many years, since about 1999. My Dad used to get them when he was my age. The pains come on suddenly, usually when I'm breathing in, and it's like someone is stabbing needles into my lungs. I can't breathe in and have to hold my breath for a while, ocasionally breathing in just a little to see if it subsides, then it sort of lingers for a little while before going away.

I asked 2 different doctors about it. Neither ran tests and one said it's just stress, the other said it was the bone in my ribs moving slightly against the cartlidge part. I accepted that as what it might be. They do tend to come more when I'm stressed though.

Anyway, I haven't actually had one of those for a while (I've been on holidays for 3 months) however I've got a new pain.

A few weeks back I got a bad pain in the top left of my chest. If I just sat still I can't feel anything, but if I move at all it really hurt. It feels like a muscle pain, but i'm not sure.

It went away for a while, but two days ago it came back again. Only a little. Then went away again. Then last night, I was walking from my living room to the kitchen when it hit full force and had me doubled over in the hallway as I couldnt' stand up without pain.

There's no numbness anywhere else, and I don't get dizzy from it and it's fairly localised, so I don't think it's heart related, but I'm wondering if you guys have any info

I have in the past had a couple of cigarettes on occasion, but it has never been a habit and it's been a good few months since I've had one.

I used to have asthma and got bronchitus a lot as a kid, so I have avoided it more than a VERY casual thing.

But as I said, I haven't smoked in a good few months.

I'm 21 and it's not acid reflux or heartburn, I know what these are like...

Answer 1

im a massage therapist and I see this from time to time. your intercostal muscles between your ribs might be in spasm. it might also be gas in your stomach. sometimes a rib head will come slightly out of alignment and cause pain. this can be fixed by a good kinesiological chiropractor. if you are stressed, your breathing might not be full and if you are holding breath from stress it might bring on the muscle spasm. relax, get on your back, on the floor with a pillow under your knees and take some slow and full breaths, making sure to expand your whole chest and abdomen. that being said, if things dont improve, you may want to check with your doctor again. good luck

Answer 2

Dear Shaun B
Your symptom is a very common and benign one.
Almost 98% of young people between ages 12 to 22 will be very concerned, because a sudden stabbing pain appears in the front f the chest, catches the person completely umprepared,and the pain can be sharp for some few seconds (in the front of the chest wyere the ribs join the cartilages), and causes pain if you attempt to pull air into your lungs (inspiration) until slowly subsides and you can breath again, scaring the soul out of You, leaving You wondering if You have some mysterrious heart problem.
Well, nothing to be concerned about.
irst during the growth period (cartilages and bones grow until the age 18 in girls and 21 in boys), and the pains you feel, have nothing to do with any disease, however, they are extremely uncomfortable.and are due to cartilage growth, and yes, they can sometimes ( not always) be aggravated by stress, or drinking too much coffe etc.
Ask to Your physician to give You, a mild muscle relaxant, such as methocarbamol tablets 250 mg TDS (that means three times a day, or acetaminophen plus orphenadrine citrate (Norflex).
There is nothing wrong with you...you have what we call "pungitive algias" (medical greek term thast means stabbing pains) just to impress people.
Please, do stop worrying.
You are OK
Yours garfield526

Answer 3

Your doctor can't think it is anything to do with your heart as an endoscopy looks down the oesophagus and at the stomach lining. Gastroscopy is a good test for seeing abnormalities in the upper gut. At 17 it is very, very, very unlikely to be caused by cancer. You sound very anxious, stressed, that could be the cause, your doctor is being thorough and eliminating any other cause that may need treatment.

Answer 4

It could be a particularly bad case of Conditris (SP?), but anything without
an obvious source that causes you to double over in pain is a good reason
to get someone to take you to the emergency room.

They'll take your blood to establish if you are having a coronary "event",
as well as vital signs, EKG and listen to your lungs etc.

If it turns out to be conditris or some other non-serious problem, it would
be good to KNOW that (instead of guessing it) - so that if/when something
more serious comes along, you know the difference.

If you are alone, you should consider calling an ambulance.
If not, get that person to take you to the nearest ER.

Answer 5

To be honest it sounds like acid reflux ,heart burn, that stuff hurts ,sometimes causing it where you can not breath,sharp knives into you . Also it could be infection of lungs called pleurisy(sure i miss spelled that one) Do you smoke this could cause to make it worse for both of these,you should talk to a new doctor and do not tell him what the others said and do not give them other doctors names as well ,so he can diagnose you instead of calling other doctor too see what that doctor diagnose. Go see doctor and ask if it can be gird ,acid reflux disease ,or infection in lungs. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

Do you smoke? That could be a warning sign that it's time to quit or do you have anxiety attacks alto or feel nervous all the time? That can cause chest pains and eventually lead to a heart attack. You may want to consult a physician that specializes in anxiety and get test for a stress disorder.

Answer 7

If the doctors that you've gone to aren't performing any sort of tests, you need to find a new one, and see him as soon as possible. Tell him first thing that you want him to do tests, x-rays, whatever he has to do to find a cause for your pain, and you won't just accept a guess when it comes to something as serious as your health.

Now, it really might be something as simple as stress, but even so you'll be better off knowing than guessing.

Answer 8

well we should also know how old you are..but honestly u really have to trust ur doctors..I know that in angina also there is pain during excercise in the region of the chest. But I don't think that you should ask this serious question on the internet and ignore what the doctors tell you..you can also search in medical sites about the causes of chest pain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chest_pain

Answer 9

True chest pains come from stress. Try to relax more. Let go of the tough problems of the world. Breath good air.

Answer 10

Go run about 10 miles in the middle of the day first.. that should fix you right up/