I don't know what my pain is and I can't stand it anymore

Posted , 2 users are following.

Hi, I'm posting this in a few areas as currently nobody has any clue as to what is going on with me.

A little about me. I'm in my 30's, tall and 184lbs. I am sedentary unfortunately and work as a driver, so I sit a lot in a specific position with my arms also in the same spot all the time. I have a history of anxiety, which tenses up the muscles(think like 20 000 panic attacks more or less). The anxiety is mostly gone, but a few people in the health industry have commented at just how unbelievably tight and knotted my muscles are. I have a significant hiatal hernia.

Sympomts:

  1. Occasional, could disappear for months and then return with a vengeance and appear sporadically over a few weeks.
  2. Sharp excrutiating pain in the chest, right along the sternum. It's like getting rammed in the chest with a spear. When it hits, it hurts like a thousand you know whats.
  3. It does "not" radiate to any other part of my body, it's hyper focused to one specific area.
  4. When it hits, my heart rate goes up from anxiety.
  5. The pain never happens when I'm sitting and relaxing. It only happens if I'm going for a long walk, especially when I'm going up a hill or I'm suddenly feeling anxious over something.
  6. It does "not" get worse if I'm doing something else that raises my heart rate while the pain happens.
  7. It goes away after a few seconds once I sit down. After resting for like 30 seconds, the pain is gone and I can go about my business(walking, moving, etc, whatever you do in your daily life).
  8. My sternum is sore for a few days afterwards.
  9. I've had a CT scan done AND had my heart fully monitored at the same time while the pain was currently in progress. Both turned up negative for heart related issues.
  10. Notable unusual event: Last summer I had some horrid virus that made me violently puke. I heaved at least 10 times and my chest was sore afterwards. A few days after I checked in to the hospital ER with the pain in the chest coming on even at rest. It felt extremely painful. They hooked me up to a heart monitor and saw that my heart was beating at 129bpm. But everything was fine with my heart so they sent me home. The next day the pain was still there so I went to a different hospital where they repeated the previously mentioned step plus ran the CT scan. The doctor suggested I have constochondritis.
  11. I went to a specialist yesterday that deals with bone related pain. She said it's not costo, as the pain subsides so rapidly after I rest. She suggested a bone scan and some genetic testing. That is on the to do list but she is puzzled as to what it could be.
  12. I've gone to cardiologists and they all gave me the OK.

Notable examples of situations in which it manifested itself and how I was able to respond to it:

Example 1

  1. I ate a sub, then 20 minutes later I went off into the woods for a hike. The terrain was varied but there were stairs involved. I was out for about 30 minutes, and then I was done and started heading back. The pain suddenly hit in the sternum, I started freaking out, and I stopped and rested for a moment. Then while holding my chest I slowly walked up the stairs. There were like 30 stairs involved. I scaled them one step at a time and rested. I got up to the top and rested. Then I very slowly walked around half a kilometer back to my car.
  2. Once I sat down, I was fine and could drive back home without a problem.

Example 2

  1. I was hiking once again, but this time for maybe a kilometer each way. It was getting dark but I was doing a scavenger hunt so I was determined. The bugs started coming out of the woodwork and I was getting annoyed and p****d off so I turned back. The terrain was largely flat for most of the walk, with a slight incline on the way back. The pain hit me again, I paused for a few seconds and then started walking back the full distance to my car. I got in and everything was fine again

Example 3

  1. Once again I was out in a conservation area hiking. I was out for about 45 minutes after which I started heading back. There was a large hill that I had to walk up to get to my car. Halfway through the pain struck me, so I lied down on a bench for 45 minutes, after which I got up and finished the climb back to my car without the pain striking again.

I can't live with this pain, it prevents me from living a normal life. If you have any idea what this is, please let me know.

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    Oh and pain killers like Aleve or Tylenol have no effect on this.

  • Posted

    Hi Jack, sorry I meant to reply earlier. How are you doing?

    I'm also in my 30's, tall and sedentary like you, and I also have a hiatal hernia and a history of anxiety.

    I'm no medic, but I read a lot on the hernia subject. The symptoms you describe seems to me like the hernia triggers pain on the vagus nerve, and perhaps acid reflux irritating your oesophagus.

    My hernia doesn't cause the same effect. For me the pain radiates in my back, left side, if I eat spicy, or drink strong alcohol, or do intense exercise including running.

    I think you should definitely see a doctor about the anxiety. Medication helped in my case (I'm on Sertraline), but you could also try psychotherapy.

    For the hernia, I'm sure you already know the drill: light meals, sleep with a wedge pillow, no coffee no cigarette, etc etc.

    Good luck!

    • Posted

      Hi Alexis, thank you for the quick response.

      I have considered it being a hernia issue, but wouldn't acid reflux happen after eating food? This pain strikes me whether I've eaten anything or nothing all day. My sternum is also sore for a few days after. I had my esophagus checked before, and there was no scar damage.

      Does the pain strike when your heart rate is up, let's say for a reason other than exercise? For me a rapid heart rate has no effect on the pain.

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