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Yay, unexplained chest pain!

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Done anything with your pectoral muscles lately or have you had any sort of chest or lung infection? Does it hurt more if someone presses on your chest?

Could be costochondritis.
 
gorcorps said:
heart palpitations

ease up on the caffeine champ
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Daily caffeine intake peaks at 50mg.
Since this started, I've tried stopping the caffeine. Doesn't seem to change anything.




child of wonder said:
Done anything with your pectoral muscles lately or have you had any sort of chest or lung infection? Does it hurt more if someone presses on your chest?

Could be costochondritis.
Click to expand...
No unusual pectoral muscle usage, at least not while awake.
No infections that I know of.
The doctor pushed and prodded here and there. No pain.





When the hell are we getting medical tricorders?
 
This sounds like stress. The body's reaction is different for everyone. For several years my jaw clicked when opening, due to the stress at the time. It seems like your muscles are tightening in your chest involuntarily. My ex-wife had/has similar symptoms, due to stress, as you described. You have the bloodwork and medical screen to be certain but I think you are stressed. This can take several months or even years to go away.


On a side note, I cannot believe that aliens guy posed for a wacky picture. That is hilarious!
 
Jeff7 said:
No pain from breathing in any fashion, nor from thumping my fist against my chest in that area. I don't know how I would have bruised or damaged a rib like that in the first place.
The only numb feeling came while they were taking blood, when I damn near passed out/threw up. I pretty much lost the ability to move at that point, and I was even whiter than usual.
No trouble breathing, no long flights, and that depends on your definition of "prolonged."

They said ibuprofen or tylenol. No mention of aspirin.


Interestingly, I just found that lying down on my stomach makes the feeling nearly go away entirely.
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I get the same thing sometimes, don't worry it's nothing.
 
Jeff7 said:
<blog>
<twitter>
<ATOT feigns interest>

For a few days, I'd had a weird feeling in the general vicinity of my heart. Just a very dull ache, barely quantifiable as pain. And a bit of pressure, like a very small and lightly-inflated balloon was stuck in my chest.
I finally called a doctor today, and they directed me to urgent care or the ER.

After the usual questions and "interview" from a doctor, I got an EKG, the chest X-rays, blood work, that fun stuff...and I've got no additional answers. I don't have the results of the bloodwork yet though. I gave three vials of blood, got very light-headed and got close to throwing up on the friendly and pleasant nurse there, and was given in return a nice bag of grape Kool-Aid. Yeah, I'm a wuss with needles, especially when they stay in for awhile. (And dammit, it apparently leaves a bruise.)
Anyway, the doctor said I don't seem like an at-risk person. I'm 30, have no known family history of heart disease, at least that I know of, which could possibly be a knowledge gap on my part, but no smoking, no drinking, no hookers or blow. X-rays look fine, and nothing else that to says I'm about to croak and finally get to ride a Jesusaurus. And I feel otherwise normal, though I admittedly don't do much in the way of exercise.

So, I was sent home then...it just sucks not knowing any better now what's the deal than I did before. Ok, so the doctor said it doesn't seem like an impending heart attack. But what the heck is this then? Grr. :\


Edit: Resting heart rate at urgent care was 80BPM. Walking up and down stairs here in the apartment for several minutes, it's about 112. Not exactly aerobic activity though. Chest feeling isn't changed much though.
Uhhh, blood pressure.... Systolic: 112mm Hg. Diastolic: 76mm Hg.


</improperly closed tags>
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You're not living life son.
 
heeeeeey, I have the same feeling in my chest area/heart area...only when I wake up. I just assume I sleep awkwardly and it causes it.
 
ViviTheMage said:
heeeeeey, I have the same feeling in my chest area/heart area...only when I wake up. I just assume I sleep awkwardly and it causes it.
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Sometimes I feel discomfort in the chest area, but then I try to "flex" by forcing my shoulders back and puffing the chest out. I hear a sound like I'm cracking my knuckles but in my ribcage then I'm good to go. I might be dying... but meh, it works.
 
gorcorps said:
Sometimes I feel discomfort in the chest area, but then I try to "flex" by forcing my shoulders back and puffing the chest out. I hear a sound like I'm cracking my knuckles but in my ribcage then I'm good to go. I might be dying... but meh, it works.
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exactly what I need to do too!

sometimes though, it doesn't work, and waskes me up in the middle of the night, shrug!
 
Sorry I suck at linking, still, but what was trying to offer was a link to a description of costochondritus. It's an inflammation of the cartilage around the sternum which is commonly mistaken for a heart attack. the fellow describing how he stretches that region by puffing his chest out is an indication of this. I used to get it during a very stressful time in my life, and my hearts as healthy as can be.

EDIT: also happened to miss another poster beat me to the "diagnosis"
 
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I had a neighbor who complained about having an occasional uncomfortable feeling in his chest behind the breastbone. He was told by his doctor it was angina due to exertion. His doctor told him to ensure all his physical activities have a cool down period at the end, and that he should be fine. He dropped dead from a heart attack shortly after in 2008 while mowing his lawn. He was a relatively fit guy who used to cycle in the summer. He used to do these charity bike rides quite often with his 17 year old son. Certainly not a guy who you would think would drop dead from a heart attack. He was 41.
 
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ViviTheMage said:
exactly what I need to do too!

sometimes though, it doesn't work, and waskes me up in the middle of the night, shrug!
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I've yet to have it while sleeping that I've noticed. Good to know I'm not the only one who cracks their rib cage. My friends think I'm nuts.
 
Jeff7 said:
It's on the left side, primarily between nipple and collarbone.
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Everyone read that before further commenting. Anyone have heart burn hit you there? No... I didn't think so.

I'd suspect blockage in a major blood vessel, artery etc... leading to risk of heart attack, if they didn't discover one already. Or some other heart or circulatory complication leading to 'pressure'.

Other options might include pulling muscle or other tissue in that area...is it numb at all, have you lost feeling in the area, or your left arm?

It's possible stress has seriously strained or tightened your muscles.

That's it for my speculative guessing.
 
gorcorps said:
I've yet to have it while sleeping that I've noticed. Good to know I'm not the only one who cracks their rib cage. My friends think I'm nuts.
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Yeah, like if you stretch your arms out, and then bring them inwards towards eachother ... crack! feels way better, happens once a week i'd say.
 
Jaskalas said:
I'd suspect blockage in a major blood vessel, artery etc... leading to risk of heart attack, if they didn't discover one already. Or some other heart or circulatory complication leading to 'pressure'.
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With 0 risk factors, normal blood work, and at age 30? Not so likely.
 
No way that's pancreatitis. I'm no doctor, but I've had it before (9 day hospital stay), and from your symptoms and description of your habits, fuck no.

No help for ya man but I hope everything turns out ok.
 
Jaskalas said:
Everyone read that before further commenting. Anyone have heart burn hit you there? No... I didn't think so.

I'd suspect blockage in a major blood vessel, artery etc... leading to risk of heart attack, if they didn't discover one already. Or some other heart or circulatory complication leading to 'pressure'.

Other options might include pulling muscle or other tissue in that area...is it numb at all, have you lost feeling in the area, or your left arm?

It's possible stress has seriously strained or tightened your muscles.

That's it for my speculative guessing.
Click to expand...
No numbness, no odd feelings anywhere else. It's entirely isolated to that one region.


The only other thing that hurts now is the bruise that's formed around where the needle went in for the blood extraction.




TheVrolok said:
With 0 risk factors, normal blood work, and at age 30? Not so likely.
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I did indeed get back the results of the bloodwork today: Everything normal.

The only possible risk factor: Exercise level. Not a whole lot of that going around. Damn stupid body. Damn stupid evolution. Damn stupid lazy self.



clamum said:
No way that's pancreatitis. I'm no doctor, but I've had it before (9 day hospital stay), and from your symptoms and description of your habits, fuck no.

No help for ya man but I hope everything turns out ok.
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And the pancreas is down toward the bottom of the ribcage, isn't it? Or below it?

(I read a book on human anatomy when I was in elementary school. I probably went over it a few times over the course of a few months. Oh, and there was a page that showed a drawing of a boob, too, with various internal organs visible behind it. Just sayin'. Though seriously, I did in fact go through the book for the interesting information.)
 
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