24 yo female with intermittent chest pain
Posted , 2 users are following.
I have been struggling with left side pain for some time now. I would describe my pain as "episodes" because they seem to happen intermittently, but also seem to be getting worse over time. There are times when I feel tight soreness in my left breast area, along with occasional shooting pains up my left side neck, and then recently I've had some jaw pain, on both sides but worse on the left. I also get shoulder pains, in my left shoulder blade, but also where the joint is for my forearm and shoulder. Sometimes the pain can also have a strain down my forearm to my elbow. Recently I have noticed that I get dizzy quite often as well, like when laying down I will feel like my vision is spinning, and when I stand up I feel more lightheaded than I have before. I've been to my PCP, a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, a therapist, you name it. The cardiologist took an EKG, echocardiogram, and stress test, all which came back normal. He told me I was healthy and fine. I have gotten multiple EKGs over the past couple years for this issue and they all have come back "normal". Blood tests have shown slightly high cholestoral, but nothing alarming. But I am still experiencing these issues. I've tried acid reducer, inhalers, pain medication, all to no avail. I have also seen therapists and talked to people about anxiety. But these pains are very real and very physical, and I am stumped on what this could be. I just want it to go away, so I can live my life, but these pains are preventing me from doing so. Anyone else have these experiences?
0 likes, 2 replies
Mary_Beth08170 clo5
Posted
I sympathize with you Clo5...I can't get over how many seem to be experiencing similar symptoms at all ages.. Blood pressure medications and cholesterol medications can cause joint pain as well as other types of side effects. Stress can cause shoulder and neck pain and tightness. If you are clenching your teeth or have any type of jaw condition this can cause jaw pain plus headaches and i'm guessing all sorts of things. I have a jaw condition known as TMJ which i really know little about except it can wreak havoc with some of the symptoms that you describe. My body and mind have experienced a lot of trauma over the past few years and I think pain is associated with that, but it's not usual pain we may be used to; it's pain like i never experienced throughout my entire body; some say it's fibromyalgia, but i think it's more shock to my body and body parts from too much over use and too much stress so i change my eating a little bit and use an elliptical and stationary bike as often as possible and feel better, but i do still get the pains almost daily except I do feel stronger after exercising. Repetitive use of our body parts can cause eventual pain plus pain in other areas. So, for example if you use your left hand to lift something heavy, then it's very likely you'll experience pain in your left hand, arm, shoulder, neck and probably chest plus your breast area. This is how our body works. Watch when you use your hands, arms to do something and see how many body parts are affected by that one little thing you're doing. You'll be surprised. It's hard to ignore the pains, but in time you probably can and hopefully you can rid yourself of them completely now that you have had testing. Have you been tested for lyme disease ? I asked for that test myself and it was negative though. Also make sure you have had complete blood work done and have had your neck and shoulders looked at by a doctor. My boobs both are very sore and this is extremely annoying so I try to wear a bra more often or even an ace bandage when necessary. I use icepacks or heat (hot compresses) for all my neck and body aches which does help alot. Try that 3x daily and see if you get relief. Believe it or not, anxiety is real and can cause dizziness or a rapid heart rate can also cause dizziness among other things I'd guess. It's disturbing I know. I also think it's good to find a support person who you can talk to and vice versa. I notice when I'm with others I'm not feeling the pain as much plus i feel safer. This world with all the medical alerts has made us very jittery and nervous and many are having similar symptoms as you and I due to fear I think... I learned a lot of my chest pain is actually heartburn or gas and i usually drink a little ginger ale and it's gone within a few minutes, but there's other pain i don't get answers for as of yet...try not to worry and just get all the answers you can from doctors and ask what they think it can be ? I really hope you can find a support person as this is what i would like too and I know I'd feel 100% better. I know others feel the same way...Good luck and keep us posted; hope you get relief...PS: don't drive yourself crazy researching too much on internet although I did just that myself...lol...
I might suggest seeing an ear nose and throat doctor for the dizziness as it could possibly be an ear thing..I also have like motion sickness, but only around sound; motors running for example...i feel like i live on the ARK as in Noah's ark...it goes away when i leave the house, but starts again around sounds from motors like refrigerators, anything with a loud motor..Get well and take it easier..
clo5 Mary_Beth08170
Posted
thank you so much for replying to me so quickly Mary Beth, i really appreciate it. sorry its taken me so long to reply.
I've been working with various doctors all year (and since I started this post as well) and am trying to figure out what is going on. I still get the same symptoms that come in episodes. my multiple doctor visits have always ended with them saying my heart is fine (tho i do so much research on the internet.....i think we all do lol its so hard not to). i recently started going to a new PCP and she seems more patient and like she actually wants to help me figure things out (my other PCP is a good doctor but she just has too many patients and I literally wait hours to see her for about 20 minutes....its ridiculous...and then she has to leave while i'm still talking to her, like shes in such a rush to leave and cant give me enough time even though i wait hours to see her). the new pcp gave me a whole bunch of blood tests to check for possible muscle skeletal issues, and she also tested me for lymes, which came back negative. all the other blood tests were normal.
i think a lot of doctors brush me off because of my young age, but i was actually able to find out i have arthritis and a bone spur in my neck, despite that being uncommon for "young people." i have since been going to physical therapy which i think is still too early to say if its helping with my symptoms. i have a good support system in my boyfriend and his family, they are all very caring to me and check on me basically every time they see me. other things that have helped a bit is my doctor prescribed me muscle relaxants, which have definitely helped when i feel really bad and cant sleep due to pain. the bad thing about the muscle relaxants is that i dont want to become dependent on them, because apparently that can happen when you are on them for a long time. i dont think i'm anywhere near that point, but it still concerns me. another thing about them is that they make me super drowsy and give me really dry mouth, so if i take them they basically make me not able to drive for the duration i am on them.
my doctor has also prescribed me acid reducer medicine for GERD, as i definitely have pretty bad GERD at times. i've had to change my diet a lot to account for that. i now know i can NOT eat anything too late, otherwise i will be waking up in the middle of the night with burning chest pain and difficulty breathing. ive started keeping a daily log of things like my pain and what i was doing and how i was feeling when the pain started (like how you were saying lifting heavy objects or doing certain movements) to see if theres any connection there with the arm and breast pain. i also keep a log of my blood pressure and pulse.
and as you suggested the TMJ for the jaw pain, i've went to my doctor and dentist about it, and they both told me to try a mouth guard at night time to see if it helps. i bought one of those moldable ones off of amazon, and tried it a few times, but my gosh is it uncomfortable. i end up taking it out because i just cant fall asleep with it in my mouth. my dentist recommended i get a professional doctor made one with them, but i haven't gotten around to it yet.
i can definitely relate to that dizziness you are talking about, like being on Noah's ark. i'm not sure what causes that for me, but i think its a combination of neck problems and the crystals in my ear. i've heard there are crystals in your ear that can fall out of their chambers, and you have to do weird maneuvers to get them back in their place. the body sure is complex and odd, that is for sure.
ill try to keep things updated once in a while, maybe others can relate to my set of problems as well.
i wish you luck as well, and hope you can get some answers for your ailments too! 😃