Long term, unexplained chest pain

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Hi all

After struggling with docs for years over this I thought I would turn to the wider world some input. I am a 27 year old, healthy (enough) male who has been getting intermitment, iregular and infrequent chest pains on and off for around 10 years. 

During an 'attack' the pain can be quite severe and sharp - I guess a bit like being stabbed. The pain is localised to the left side of my sternum and feels fairly deep (i.e. it cannot be palpated). 

Attacks can last anywhere from a few seconds to a day or so, and tend to come in 'clusters' that can be present for up to a week. There can be months between each cluster of attacks (if you get my drift!).

Pain can sometimes be exacerbated when leaning forward, coughing, lying on my side or raising an arm (seems to always vary - and can sometimes not have any stimulators).

During a 'cluster' period and between attacks I can often feel a mild, underlying ache in my chest. This is easy enough to ignore however.

I have had ECGs and chest xrays that have all been fine, and am not affected at all during exercise - I can happily go out and run 10k with ease.

Doctors have in the past rulled out gastro refulx as there was no tenderness on palpation of my stomach area, although I have sometimes thought that attack can follow a big meal and be accompnied by burping (although this may be my mind tricking me). 

Muscolskeletal problems have been mentioned, but why would attacks come in clusters and seemingly out of the blue?

I am at a compltete loss and doctors have been no help. My wife is scared that I will just drop dead from a heart attack - and I am struggling to find new ways of reassuring her.

Any help/thoughts/insight/advice would be seriously welcome!

Thanks

 

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  • Posted

    Hi all,

    I m from India, I too have chest pain from last 1 year... one thing I want to add is all of you suffering from chest pain must once go for pulmonary function test and make sure your digestion is proper... Because initially when I had severe pain my Ayurveda doctor has given me some Ayurvedic medicine.. after having medicine for 5 months I m relieved from severe pain.. BT still my pain continue,,, then I went to my alopathic doctor, he did my pulmonary function test,, in which he found my lungs are not able to dilate properly,, so this condition s arising,, although my 2DEcho says my heart is fine..I get relaxed when I take respihalers.. but still pain occures, I am getting into depression...

  • Posted

    Hi, I too too have this dull aching in chest , I had an ecg 2 weeks ago but doctor now wants to see me regarding ecg results. I was told I had brachial neuritis 6 months ago, but I also have been having palpitations. 46 year old female, UK
  • Posted

    I have over 3 years with chest pain. Like 5-6 doctors saw me, no one gave me any answer.

    So far no relief other than just keep living and ignore the pain most of the time. I got anxiety and depression because of this, and also I put a lot of weight since the first visit to the ER. Got panic attacks and my life has been miserable. My only comfort is my wife and family.

    Now I'm decided just to be stronger and keep exercising to lose weight and see if sport can help me with my chest pain. I travel a lot and has been hard to even be on a plane. Change on weather affects me a lot and now I even feel pain on my left arm and lower back. Doctor said that is muscular. If I take any muscular relaxation medication, I get palpitations (I think is all on my head).

    My only advice will be to keep going, if doctors did not detected anything, just try to ignore the pain. Enjoy every minute of your life and be sure that we are all going to die, then just enjoy every second of your life.

  • Posted

    Hi Ji86

    Just to say that you have my sympathy. It sounds almost identical to what I and a lot of people on this thread are suffering from.

    Mine started last April time when I noticed pains in my left part of my back and the left hand side of my chest, with the pain the worst under my left armpit and radiating down left side. One night my heart was racing and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I went to A&E and had an ECG and blood tests. Everything came back fine. Since then the pain hasn't gone and I've had a further 3 trips to A&E, two doctor ECG's sent off to a Cardiologist and paid for a BUPA Wellman check. All of which have told me that my heart is okay and this includes two chest X-rays. I still don't know 100% as a few of the ECGs look like they've had a slight blip in them but I was told this is because iv been anxious. Blood tests have been fine and there's no trace of anything. I'm currently waiting on the results of an MRI nuclear scan and am seeing a Rheumatologist who specialises in muscular skeletal issues.

    All of this has left me broken compared with this person I was 14 months ago. I have the pain almost every day and it an be in clusters so it is quite severe. The he last 3 days especially. Some days the pain isn't too bad and I just get on with things. But I do have it every day at some point. I also have pain in the chest that can be a short 1 second jab every now and again and parts of my rib age, chest and arms can be really painful to touch.

    I'm 38 male and recently a dad and someone who was sporty, social and outgoing. All this seems to have gone and I feel a shell of the person I was. Very anxious and scared to exercise in case I drop down dead. Stupid I know but it's how I feel. Medication I've been given has done nothing and seems to be more for anxiety. I just hope the test results help me to get to the bottom of this.also I've lost over two stone in body weigh 15 down to just under 13 stone and maybe this is why I think I can feel my heart beating more.

    I just don't know what to do, the Internet is a bad place to start looking at self assessing what you have wrong with you and I should listen to the medical professionals but after 14 months of this I'm none the wiser into what I have and I still have this every day.

  • Posted

    Hey every symptom which u have I have this is the exact way I have felt for 15 years I used to be a heavy smoker when I was young going out getting drunk all the time doing drugs and when I quit all that when I was 18 settled down it seemed like my body was reacting in a bad way getting chest pains a lot and even more when I would try n sleep the numbness and pins n needles in my arm was unreal I always thought I was having a minor heart attack I went from going to the hospital having all the checks u can have on my heart and they found nothing wrong with me then I would still get them some months I was ok other months the pain would stay with me for weeks unexplainable from the doctors side so I guess we all learn to live with it I even payed a lot of money to have me checked over at the nhs where they put me in a machine then injected some stuff into my blood stream and watched it on a screen flow round my body to see if anything was blocked anywhere came back all normal iv lived like this for 15 years they come and go some worse than others most of the time I will just stay awake and keep my brain active to forget the pain then it will go away so I can get to sleep but it's always there I think for all of us it just hides I would give anything to know wot it is or wot triggers it I always put it down to wrecking my body as a kid but I was always healthy and active so don't really know if it was the that even now I go to the gym 4 times a week I can run miles swim for miles and it doesn't really hold me back just feel it most days I really hope n pray someone finds out wot we have and maybe a cure for it Coz I just think that one day I'm not gna be able to just think thru it and that kills me to my core
  • Posted

    Hello,I am a joung adult 28 years old.have been having chest pain for over 6 years.thepain always gets worse when am lying down on my back.d pain extends Frm d my left chest back to the front.sometimes,when I do a push up excersise.when I move my left harm,I feel my joints making some noice which is veryunusual.also feel hurtness sometimes onlyat d middle of my chest. pls I need help. am so afraid that I have cadiovasular disease or a chest wall tumol
  • Posted

    Hey everyone I'm a 20 year old male from new York and I have had cheat pain over my heart for a couple months now. It won't go away. They've run so many test including ekg echo stress and multiple blood tests and mri they all came back normal. My Dr told me he has run out of tests to run. I've been to the ER 3 times now. Ive heard costochondritis or it's muscular skeletal. I used to workout 5 times a week and play basketball everyday. I haven't don't anything physical because I'm afraid of a heart attack even though my cardiologist said there's a very low chance it's my heart. I have no idea what it is. They said torn cartilage or damaged nerve is possible. Anyone thing it could be back related? I also get sharp pains in the left side of my back from time to time. I also have shortness of breathe and the drs have given my inhalers. This is ruining my life as I'm not myself anymore. Sometimes I get little burps and that calms the pain down for a bit but then it come right Back. They don't this is acid reflex or anything. To be honest I'm scared it's something serious. Thanks

  • Posted

    I could have easily written your post! I have had the same exact symptoms for about 4 years now, and still no answers. I have had a full cardiac work up ( ekg's, stress tests, holters, ct angio etc ) and GI tests and never got even close to an answer. Did you ever get any answers for your case?

  • Posted

    You exerted yourself picking up a bulky scooter. You might have torn a muscle or other soft tissue in your chest. Another possibility is a partially subluxated rib. They can be quite painful. If you pulled or tore something, there would be swelling and that might prevent the rib from going back into it's "seat". If it's one of the upper ribs, it could also cause the shoulder blade to be raised higher than the uninjured side. Find a good chiropractor or Doctor of Osteopathy.  They'll be better able to evaluate you. 

  • Posted

    Hi ji86

    I had this pain for more than 10 years i was 16 when it started, i've don ECG chest x-rays everything was normal,

    My pain seems to change I don't have one specific characteristic, it's ether mild dull pain that i could live with, and the SUDDEN sharp severe pain that I couldn't live with i cant, breath sneez cough or burp everythin that deels with my chest can't be done without a sharp unimaginable pain!

    I had tough times, i was 16 imagine having that pain that doctors couldn't treat hunting you, I studied in a dental college for 6 years and i had bad grades in some subjects because of it. I get used to plan my days around it, last year was my last year at college it was the toughest of all my years with that pain, i went through a severe depression because of it, and I'm happily through it now, and believe it or not i had it in my graduation ceremony. I'm now an i'm an intern doctor (:.

    One thing I learned about this pain hot packs are very helpful, rest, stretching you chest muscle, physiotherapy, and taking your time on healing.

  • Posted

    I have been experiencing the same exact things for many years now, I too have had a full cardio work up and have come up healthy, but the pain is absolutely horrible, I feel like I'm having a heart attack like every week because of the location of the pain and how it's always the left side. Some days the pain is not so bad, other days absolutely excruciating. I have had several doctors examine me and come up with nothing. Really not sure what to do. I'm a professional drummer and it's really been affecting my playing and there is nothing I can do about it, it seems. I too am at a loss for what to do. It also seems as I get older it gets worse, I have had it since my late 20s and I'm 36 years old now and have yet to find medical treatment or an actual diagnosis. If anyone has any answers please let me know as well.

    Thank you,

    Tony

  • Posted

    Hi I hope you're feeling better I myself feel terrified I'm going to drop down dead this pain is really starting to get me down now it seems to be getting worse. I went back to doctors the other day and he basically told me it's something I'm going to have to put up with. What do you do to help with the pain ? I do find if I press on it it easys off a little. Many thanks

    • Posted

      Hi Karen,

      I suffer with long term pain too. Have done for the last 4 years. Tell me abit more about you're pain and symptoms?

    • Posted

      Hi I have been back and fourth to doctors for 3 years now the pain is the left side of my breast under my arm and across the top of my breast bone I also get a tingling in my fingers and pain in my arm I also noticed I get a fair bit of heartburn I have had 3 ecgs and been seen by a heart specialist. It hasn't stopped me worrying and wanting to call a ambulance out . Sometimes I can't keep a bra on because it seems to make it worse every night I go to bed just lately I think it's going to be my last ??

    • Posted

      Ive had the same thing for 4 years! How old are you if you don't mind me asking? Sometimes I get pain down my arms but it's just an uncomfortable pain on the left side of my chest. Are you taking any medication? I've had MRI's, ECGs, the lot. And everything has come back fine. Even seen a pain specialist and a cardiologist who again both said i was fine. I now just have to manage the pain anyway that I can.

      It's just good to know I'm not the only one.

    • Posted

      Hi yes I was put on Ampritypline tablets but I stopped taking them last week because they was making me feel not with it the doctor said they keep you sedative thou I must admit they did help me sleep. I get pain down my arm that's one of the reasons I get scared pain in left arm and chest I'm 49 now. What do you take to help with the pain? I do find heat pads help a bit but I can't walk around all day with a heat pad in my bra x

    • Posted

      I'm on the same medication, but I am also on Pregabalin. To be honest there isn't anything I do imparticular. I just know with all the tests I have had that when the pain is there that it's just pain and I just have to reassure myself that it's nothing serious. I find that my left side of my chest is a lot more sensitive when I touch it but I also touch it because I find when I touch that side it does ease off. To an extent it has ruined my life and slows me down from things I want to do but like I said I'm getting used to living with it as no one else can help unfortunately.

    • Posted

      Your right there it is definitely ruining my life. It would be nice just to have a good night sleep for once
    • Posted

      Hi Mate,

      I have gone through the same for nearly 16+ years. Believe me I am completely free for the past 5 years. I constantly practising breathing techniques which give me a break from this pain. Looks to be Pshygological rather than physical ailments. I met a pshgologist who offered me a advise to do mindful breathing every time when u feel the paIn and also while waking up from ur bed and also before going bed. Believe me, it will work . I have practised this nearly 3  months constantly after her advise. It was completely gone. Believe me. Hope , it will help everyone here. If u need any advise, pls give a ping. 

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