Long term pain getting worse
Posted , 2 users are following.
in March 2016 I began to suffer random bouts of chest pain .At first drs said it waa anxiety related but last summer changed diagnosis to costochondritis. In the laat 19 months I have been to A&E about 10 times 3 of those times sent by my GP who thought I waa having a heart attack 7 times because I waa desperate for pain relief. IV morphine is the only thing that helps. I have had numerous chest xrays, blood tests and ecgs all of which have been normal.
Over time the pain has become worse. i have gone from having about 1 costo flare a.month to being in pain almost everyday. It started in my central chest area over my sternum radiating into both breasts, then spread to the ribs over my breasts goin into my armpits. Then it spread to my upper back around my shoulder blades and in the last week I have started to get pain at the bottom of my sternum and under the breasts. The pain is usually a deep throbbing ache as if I have been severely beaten and left badly bruised that can laat for hours at a time. Other times its flashes or.twinges of severe pain that take my breath away and comes and goes randomly. The new pain feels different it is a deeper.type of pain that feels aa if someone has grabbed me hard under the boobs. If any of my front ribs are pressed firmly I can experience severe pain however the most tender spots are around the cleavage area and under the brests. My chest muscles feel rigid and tight and basically I just ache everywhere.
A cpl of.A&E drs as well as a chiropractor have said that costochondritis is a rubbish. diagnosis given to patients when serious issues have ben ruled out and.literally means nothing other then chest pain. The chiropractor said if the ecgs had nt been clear he would say I had heart pain and one dr said I should have other tests to check heart problems but my Gp wont refer me because my Ecgs are good.
It is not unusual for me to also get twinging, shooting pains and aching in my left bicep.whixh happens independantly of the chest pain and never at the same.time.
Pain is 95%.of the time at rest and is nt made worse by being physically active. In fact moving around often helps. However sitting or laying in certain posistions can hurt. But I can lift heavy stuff and twist etc etc just fine.
I have got seveee heart related health anxiety because of this but am running out if ways to help myself. i am a 37 year old female, a bit overweight but no other physical risk factors. However my dad has heart disease diagnosed at 65 after having a heart attack. My GP. saya thia would only be a riak factor if my dad waa under 55.
Help!
0 likes, 2 replies
david63834 marie58407
Posted
The fact that all your tests came back good and the line
"Pain is 95%.of the time at rest and is nt made worse by being physically active. In fact moving around often helps"
sound a lot like what I've been going through, but more severe. I havn't had it for a couple of weeks now and I don't know what makes it go on and off, except that it almost always went away right after I went to the docs or even Emerg and the doctors there said I was fine. Had 3 EKGs, blood work and x-ray and all turned out normal, and I am waiting on the results of a stress EKG with my cardiologist, although at the time the doctors there did not seem to indicate any kind of worry with it. Everyone so far has said it is not a heart issue. I wish I could help, but I can only say that there seems to be a lot of people going through it and you are not alone.
That being said, if you ever experience any NEW symptoms, go to the doctor or emergency. Its probably nothing, but with the chest you never want to mess around.
Also yes your GP is right. Heart disease after 55 is generally not an seen as an indication of heart disease in the family (I asked that as well).
Wish you all the best!
marie58407 david63834
Posted
Im sorry you are going through this too. I hate the anxiety this has caused and that no-one can give me an answer as to whats going on. I would happily accept the costochondritis diagnosis if the various drs could actually agree this is what it was rather then just contradict each other!
Wishing you the best too.