chest pain over the heart
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I am suffering from left chest heaviness/discomfort for the last 10 months since February 2018 on a daily basis lasting almost all hours of the day. I am a male, 42 years old, smoking many years, not known health issues– only cystitis on the bladder removed through cystoscopy last year.
This left chest discomfort is mostly below the left nipple and sometimes move to the left (on the armpit) or to the right (close to center of chest). This feeling/pain makes be miserable and prevent me from every day
activities including work. When happens sometimes I feel like to faint and seek emergency advise as soon as possible. Not much stress at work. AT times I do not have that feeling heavy headaches are coming.
When initially started (February 2018) I went to the emergency and made all related exams (ECG, blood testing, X ray) which came back fine. After for a period of three months I went another 4 times to the emergency doing the same with same results. In addition, I have been to various professions (cardiac, gastro, pulmonologist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, rheumatologist, physical therapy). All related tests including ECGs, echo, Trend mill, CT heart with dye (cardiac), CT thoracic, fluoroscopy, endoscopy,
colonoscopy (gastro), various blood tests including prostate, thyroid etc., CT chest, various X rays at numerous directions, X ray neck, and physical examination by neurologist were found ok. In addition, I did physical therapy including TENS, magnetic fields, laser, and massage. However, although the results of all tests were ok
I was having the same chest discomfort on a daily basis which was a bit relieved only by placing hot plaster at chest. At early June 2018, the gastro doctor has prescribed amitriptyline (at 10mg daily before sleep which later on increased to 20mg).
After some time (2 weeks) chest heaviness/discomfort was reduced in frequency to the half (instead of daily it was every two to three days). However, at mid-September I realize that amitriptyline was not adding any value and thus I stopped it. A week after the chest heaviness/discomfort came back more
intense every day lasting the whole day and did not go away with ibuprofen, paracetamol, etc. The only thing which a bit produce a relief was capsicum plasters placed either on the back or chest side (due to the heat the discomfort was felt taken off).
I went the last three weeks again to the emergency and GP and prescribed with baclofen which I took for almost two weeks with no results at all. Then, last week, the gastro doctor advise to start again the amitriptyline (initially to 10mg).
As a conclusion, after having all these exams and pills nothing has been improved and the chest heaviness/discomfort is still here all day every day. Doctors told me that is something muscular/neuro, however, when I asked them whether it is costochondritis, fibromyalgia, or rheumatic polymyalgia they told me that they do not believe. As such the matter was left open with diagnosis of atypical chest pain.
Can you please help me???????
1 like, 1 reply
david63834 manolis
Posted
Hi,
first, as always, this is all circumstantial. What you have sounds like what I had, but I obviously cant tell you outright that it is. Especially because there are some key differences, namely I am in my 20s and I've never smoked. I would trust your instincts and your try to believe in your doctors/ caretakers. Second, I might not reply after I send this, so I'm trying to get all my information out now. I enjoy helping people on this site because the site was really helpful for me when I was going through it, but I've had to stop because thinking about the pain makes the pain come back.
your symptoms sound very similar to what I was experiencing (especially the location). It was mainly on the left, and the rare flash of pain on the right side. I don't know how intense your pain is, but I would call mine more like a dull/pressure that was more annoying and distracting than painful. I would have VERY prolonged periods of it. Sometimes it would be every day for a month. When it started it just started randomly, no specific trigger (for example, one time i was making a sandwich). Just like you, I went to doctors and hospitals continuously, and never had anything but clear results. Even did a running test, and it was fine. I was assured by my doctors that it was anxiety and stress. At the time I didn't quite believe them, but I think now that they were correct.
This happened to me over the course of last year while I was in my masters. At the time I was 25, and at the start of it, I was quite a bit overweight. I was always away from my home city for the first time for an extended period of time, living on my own. I initially took the pain as a sign to start improving my life style. I started going to the gym more and running and biking and lost quite a bit of weight. It helped tremendously (although it in no way stopped it outright). At the time, I was sure that this was a sign that it was a physical problem that was getting better as I was getting healthier. However, I am now fairly sure it was because I found going to the gym therapeutic and stress relieving. There was another bonus from going to the gym though. Namely, I was doing a lot of intense running, and the pain would actually go away while I was focused on running (and I wasn't having a heart attack).
I genuinely found going to the gym helpful, but I was only able to do so because my university gives me free access, so I know its not an option for everyone. If thats not an option then try just going for a run at a local park in the morning or evening, or just even walks. You could also try to use the situation as an opportunity to try to quit smoking as well, and test to see if it makes you feel any better (by which I mean, you'll feel like crap due to withdrawal, but will your chest hurt?) Just throwing out random ideas at this point .
My pain finished around the same time I finished my masters and moved back home, sometime in September. I don't live with my parents, but I do at least live in the same city again, so I find that comforting. It has come back every so often, and it is almost always when I am stressed. It has never lasted as long as it used to. In fact, its actually come back a few times as I was writing this, because I was thinking about it. My last big bout of pain was as I was moving back home. But it made sense since I was starting my PhD right away and I really hate moving (especially the planes haha)
I'll leave by saying that your stress is not unreasonable. Obviously any chest pain warrants investigation, so keep in touch with your doctor. But, if it is the same thing that I went through then I won't tell you not to be worried since I know that only you can make yourself stop worrying. But I will tell you that you can get through it.
all the best!