1. Community
  2. Chest and lungs
  3. Chest Pain

chest pain really affecting my life, can anyone shed some light?

Posted , 3 users are following.

faye199612
faye199612

hey guys, im a 20 y/o otherwise healthy woman, but for the past couple of months i've been suffering from chest pain mainly on my left side, all different kinds of pain as well. It's a long story but i would so appreciate anyone's time as i really am struggling to cope day to day with this, it's affected my life so much.

early april: experienced quite severe cannibis induced tachyacardia, ended up at A&E, had bloods done and ECG & everything was normal (not sure this has anything to do with my current situation but is probably worth mentioning) 

mid april: experienced mild discomfort on left side of my chest, im not sure how to say exactly where so, sort of just where you'd place your hand to feel your heart haha - this sort of pain came and went, sometimes briefly sometimea all day

late april: visit doc and explain chest pain, she sends for second ECG and bloods because my white blood cell count was a bit off from the A&E visits, results came back fine

early may: 2nd doc visit, explained all again as chest pain was still concerning me, now chest pain varied could be pressure, tightness, sharp pain, stabbing, feeling like being prodded, tingles in fingertips and pain in jaw - you name it i felt it. she bet it was anxiety related, but ordered an echo just to be sure (thought she heard a murmur) 

later may: apparent out of the blue severe pain just underneath my left breast and radiating across my left shoulder especially bad when i breathed in - after this faded i experienced a dull pain sort of with every heart beat. walked to A&E, had another ECG, felt tingling in left leg and arms and Jaw even twitches in my heart - of course ECG is fine, doctor reckons it's stomach related and that i overthink far too much. prescribed 1 month lansoprazole 30mg everyday. He said to go back to doc after month if it wasn't better.

one month later: and i'm back to the doctors. Lansoprazole helped to an extent, pains got better though never 100% dissapeared, after one night of drinking the pain was bad the next day. One week after i finished course, pains started to come back and get gradually worse. This doctor prescribes me a lower dose of same meds, says take it "if and when" and that it's "probably my stomach" and sent me on my way. 

Now: im taking the lansoprazole and gaviscon, and have only just started, but i'm just so so depressed. it is on my mind so often - i have gotten better at not thinking about it but it is so hard as it's an area that is assosiated with such life threatening illnesses and conditions. the pain isn't really any better, plus doc said gaviscon would definitely help if it was my stomach and it hasn't. 

I'm at my wits end! i'm fed up of being so anxious and miserable and being dismissed by doctors! Can anyone tell me anything? has anyone got or had similar experiences? literally anything? i would so so so appreciate you taking the time to tell me and thank you so much for reading. 

 

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • faye199612
    faye199612

    Posted

    FORGOT TO MENTION: it doesn't get worse after exercise, although after some small exertions like lifting my arm suddenly my chest sometimes twinges, for lack of a better word.

    it also sometimes feels worse lying crunched up on my left side in bed

    pressing on my chest doesn't recreate the pain

    thank you again!

    • stephb22
      stephb22 faye199612

      Posted

      I'd look into chronic inflammation. Also cardiac syndrome x. Just some places to start.

  • XoMonkey
    XoMonkey faye199612

    Posted

    So sorry you are having such a hard time with this. I noticed you had said the chest pain hurts more when you breath in - this COULD suggest costocondritis. Costocondritis can cause many distress in people - including myself. However, this probably doesnt fit into it radiating down to the other places you have mentioned. It could possibly be your heart. What were the results of the Echocardiogram? You mentioned that lansoprazole somewhat helped ease the pain which could suggest you have a stomach problem. GERD often gives you heartburn and a lot of chest pain which is confused with a heart attack. But as said above, there is a lot of reasons why you're experiencing this and it's a case of elimination, sadly. Did the doctors check your ESR levels in the blood test? As ESR levels could point out inflammation in the body however it isn't always accurate. Typically, for a diagnosis of costocondritis they'll check ECG results etc. 

    I'm 17 and have had similar ish experiences. I had really sharp chest pains along with heart palpitations. I went to the doctors and they said costocondritis. I also have acid reflux with 40mg omeprazole daily for like 2 yrs lol. Still get chest pains though. One day was so bad, I couldn't actually move. Although my symptoms sometimes went down my left arm, they are quite unlike yours so sorry if this doesn't help. I do have a cardiac arrythmia, however.

    I really hope you get some answers soon. They may even suggest some anti-anxiety meds to cope with it. Or CBT will also help to talk about your worries. Best wishes

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.