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Chest pain and headache, healthy 21 year old

Posted , 26 users are following.

JameiD3
JameiD3

Hi, I am a 21 year old who is relatively healthy. I don't smoke and drink only occasionally and not to excess. I eat reasonably healthy, but in the last couple of months haven't been to the gym much.

About 6 weeks ago, I started to get some sharp pain in my chest. I was really struggling to breathe and my left arm went numb and tingly. I immediately went to my local doctor who did an ECG then rushed me off to A & E in an ambulance just in case it was a blood clot in my lung. At the hospital they did lots of ECG's on me, blood tests and a chest X-ray. However the doctors said these all came back how they should have and they didn't know what it was. Told me to get some rest and take pain killers. I did but the pain took a few days to go away. I must admit I was rather nervous of it mainly because of not knowing. After a few days it was gone and I have been fine for the last 6 weeks.

On Friday, I started to get the pain in my Cheat again and a really sore neck. Its not a sharp pain, more of a dull ache. Its usually on my left handside however it does move around to my right and my chest feels tight. It is not constant either, it will come and go sometimes worse than others. Bending over sometimes makes it hurt more. I also feel like I constantly need to burp, but burping only offers a few seconds of relief. I sometimes get aches in my arms if moving / lifting them up (ie on the phone). I get an on and off pain in my right temple, more of a pressure than pain but I don't know if thats at all related.

On Saturday it got really bad and I was struggling to breathe. My heart was racing and my blood pressure was high. I phoned 111 and spoke to a few people there, but they said it didn't sound serious enough to go to A & E but to arrange a appointment with my GP ASAP.

Today I have been to my GP who said she wants to rule out asthma. She has also booked me in for another ECG and blood test later this week. I have on and off pain in my chest, and a really achey righty arm.

My first question is, is this likely to be something wrong with my heart like angina etc? If it was would the previous ECG / Blood test / Chest X-ray have picked this up or would A & E only have been looking out for a blood clot which I was sent there for?

Secondly, could this be something like a Virus, as I said the dull ache, more muscular than stabbing. Or could it be something related to Gastroesophageal reflux? I do occasionally get heart burn but nothing that bad.

Finally, I'm not usually an anxious person and really quite laid back about most things to be honest. However this has got my anxious as it could be my heart. I don't have a family history of heart disease either. Could this been anxiety disorder, and if so how would I know / confront this.

I know this probably sounds stupid but it's just rather worrying me and it's not a nice feeling to have. sad I'd appreciate your thoughts on this, thankyou

1 like, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • mario73649
    mario73649 JameiD3

    Posted

    Hi JameiD3

    I am having almost identical symptom to you.

    I too have had ECG , chest X-ray, scan and blood test but they didn't find anything.

    Did you get to the bottom of your symptoms.

    What was the outcome?

  • tinap74
    tinap74 JameiD3

    Posted

    my 15yr old daughter has been having sharp chest pains, arm goes numb and tingling. and at times has hard time breathing. im taking her to a night clinic tonight after school. as she fainted in school today.. she is on birth control so i will be bringing this up to the dr as well. she has gone in for such symptoms but is sent on her way with the answer nothing is wrong and that she needs to loose weight and diet. she is like almost 6ft tall already and hardly over weight with her height..getting frustrated. any suggestions? thanks
  • adam47430
    adam47430 JameiD3

    Posted

    Have you had your thyroid tested? Also might suggest a sleep study, or looking into food intolerances, like gluten, etc.
    • tinap74
      tinap74 adam47430

      Posted

      ya they have checked her thyroid. all blood work and ekg all came back really good. no blood clots either..so they are still sticking with the conclusion that she needs to eat healthier and go on diet. the thing is that she is hardly over weight, and has been eating healthier for a couple months now. we are working on better sleeping habits. she is 15 and we all know how much sleep they get! dr suggested it could be caused by stress from lack of sleep. still no straight answers.
    • adam47430
      adam47430 tinap74

      Posted

      Ok. I wasn't referring to eating healthy, I am talking about identifying foods which could cause a reaction, like an allergic reaction or an intolerance. Yes sleep is very important! Try for 9 hours a night!

    • tinap74
      tinap74 adam47430

      Posted

      yep we have been paying alot more attention to what shes eating and trying to figure out if it is caused by a food. havent noticed it being causef by food yet. symptoms still are very inconsistent come and go all different times day or night. work in progress.
    • As6778742
      As6778742 tinap74

      Posted

      Did your daughter get a CAT scan because someone commented above that a CAT scan was what showed a blood clot.
    • As6778742
      As6778742

      Posted

      I mean in her case the CAT scan was what showed a blood clot.
  • alexander19966
    alexander19966 JameiD3

    Posted

    Im going through the same thing im only 20 and i been going though the same thing . I been having sharp pains on my left side of my chest for more than a year now. I dont smoke or drink or anything, i take care of myself . Worried i will have a heart attack i go see a doctor. They performed a ekg and other test on me and found nothing wrong with me . Doc told me to just take Motrin, but i still have crushing sharp pains on my left side of my chest . I need answers getting really worried .
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