Does anyone have relief for chest pain?
Posted , 18 users are following.
Hey, Everyone. I’m new here and I’m looking for help. I was diagnosed with achalasia very young. I had the Heller Myotomy when I was 12 years old and I’m now 26. My esophagus has since tightened back up and eating is very difficult, but it is nothing compared to the chest pain I get. I’ve been experiencing this pain off and on for as long as I can remember. The first time I experienced it, I thought I was having a heart attack. The pain will sometimes radiate through my chest, into my jaw and down my arms. It can last anywhere from 15 minutes to agonizing HOURS. I’ve tried tracking the food I eat or the activities I do to see if there’s some sort of pattern or connection in hopes of finding out what causes it, but I can’t seem to put the pieces together. There is no rhyme or reason to it. It can happen in the middle of the day while I’m at work, or it will sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night. I can go weeks without having it and then all of the sudden have it every day. It’s almost paralyzing, and I’m not being dramatic. I’ve been to my doctor dozens of times and nothing we’ve tried seems to work. Does anyone experience something similar? If so, is there anything that helps you relieve the pain? I’m desperate and any help would be greatly appreciated.
0 likes, 35 replies
Nettie_Noo_Noo kcrepsley
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DJ-RN kcrepsley
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DJRN
Junktessa kcrepsley
Posted
Aciphex (a type of PPI) helped ease my spasms enormously. None of the other PPIs I tried worked, and I don't understand how or why a PPI can help with esophageal spasm related pain but am grateful it did. I am now on the generic drug, Rabeprazole, which is also helping. Aciphex is very expensive so perhaps trying the generic first may be best.
I know how bad the spasms can be and am glad you are feeling better!
sarahab05 kcrepsley
Posted
OMG! Yes, I experience the same problem. No rhyme or reason. I guess I am used to it, but when it happens it seems to scare those around me. Its embarrassing st work. I don't know about you, but I end up feeling the need to throw up, but yet I can't due to my esophagus not working! My previous GI doctor prescribed Nitroglycerin under the tongue which does seem to help me if I catch it right when the pain starts. I have heard drinking milk or warm water helps also, but have yet to try either. I don't understand why this has happened. I recently found out I now have gastroparesis. I feel like the disease is moving down. I wish you well and would love any advice too!
kcrepsley sarahab05
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I wish you the best, Sarah! Keep your chin up!!
Nettie_Noo_Noo sarahab05
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Take care
sarahab05 Nettie_Noo_Noo
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Wow! I am so sorry to hear of the abdominal distention! I too am having that issue, maybe not to your severity though. I am told it's due to the Gastroparesis. I feel huge most of the time and so uncomfortable. I often feel out of breath and have been getting dizzy. I am wondering now if it's due to the fact that I may not be getting enough oxygen?? Does this happen to anybody else?
How are you now? Any answers to the abdominal distention?
Nettie_Noo_Noo kcrepsley
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debashis1969 kcrepsley
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neil32387 kcrepsley
Posted
You are obviously well informed re Achalasia treatment etc, but one lesser known thing that helps me is High Strength Magnesium and Vitamin B. I also take a Calcium Channel Blocker on prescription. These help with both spasm pain and muscle relaxation.
I rarerly get spasm pain now, but if I do a gulp of ice cold water can stop it instantly... (weirdly warm water for some). Above all keep those stress levels down!:0 so easy to say lol
Wishing you healthy karma,
Neil.
neil32387
Posted
I forgot to say, its important to try and work out if your pain is muscular spasm or acid reflux related. For those that have had surgical treatment, there is always a chance that what feels like an A muscular spasm might be acid. Obviously acid can be controlled as per GERD advice etc; especially eating less/healthy often... Spasms are a bit trickier, but I hope my first advice helps...
N
john21286 kcrepsley
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I know exactly what you're going through........also like I was listening to myself tell someone about these attacks. You cannot explain this to anyone who hasn't gone through it, including some doctors. I had a H. Myotomy around 2006 after not being able to eat much of anything for 10 months. Even water wasn't going down many times. My chest pain actually began in 2004 while working in a restaurant before the surgery. I thought I was having a heart attack and sat in the back room. I was losing 25# per month for a total of 140#, and thought I was going to die. My diet consisted of water, hard candies, Lipton powered cups of soup with some PB & J swirled in for some calories, and certain cream soups would sometimes go down amazingly. I've been able to eat and swallow food since the surgery but I have been getting those chest pain attacks periodically ever since. What a nuisance, and very painful! The chief of surgery at Mass General hospital, who performed my H.M. in 2006 when I was about 34 yrs. old, said there was nothing that could be done about it. What I found, was that I had much less of these attacks when my diet was cleaner and more healthy. Poor food choices seem to make it worse. The ONLY thing that works for me, but takes some time to ride it out, is sipping water repeatedly while I lay on my back almost flat with my head propped up on 2 pillows..... or in my car with the seat back . I drink the equivalent of between 3-4 bottles of water, and even more for bad ones. It's room temp, but I'll drink it at any temp when the pain comes. After the 3rd bottle, I usually feel what I think is trapped gas, starting to break up and move around in my chest. Sometimes gas does exit and I feel better. It takes on avg. about 45 minutes to an hr. for the pain to subside. I've had it last several hrs also. There's other symptoms like retching, gagging, nausea, cold sweats, coughing, spitting up some foam along with the severe chest pain that shoot around my upper body. Its a burning pain sensation along with acute sharp chest pain in the center. I'm now turning 47 next month. I still deal with these highly unwelcome painful attacks. I'm going to try bananas to see if helps me. Thanks for sharing that by the way. I hope that by now you and others have found some comfort or something that helps. I just figured I'd share what works for me with hopes that it'll help you or someone else out. Not an easy thing to deal with, but I always remember there are people in much worse situations.
robert76159 kcrepsley
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I have had the same chest pains for 7 yrs. They come on out of nowhere. My longest was 6 hrs. I will tell you that my blood pressure would go up to 210/115 while having a attack which led me even more to think it was a heart attack. My drs put me on a blood pressure medication and now I still get the attacks but the pain is less and my pressure has gone down to 160/90. I also use to think it was food related, or gas. The attacks got worse after I had my gall bladder removed. Last thing is, ask your dr for some .5mg Ativan. When I feel one coming one I take one or if a bad attack I htake 2 tabs. It relaxes me which helps all round. When I remember to use the ativan the attacks usually only last about 30min. Good luck. You are not alone. I ve had Achalashia Type 3 for 8 yrs.
janet62996 kcrepsley
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my husband manages the disease with the following
taking magnesium tablets,
avoiding dairy and desserts after 6pm
one can of coke a day with dinner
having an expresso after dinner
when pain n in chest comes... he eats s banana.
hope this helps
NB also stopped taking his anti acid medication as it was making him very phlemmy