Chest pain… Somebody help

[Mumof2boysxz]

Hello all. I am a regular lurker but this is my 1st post here and it took me a lot to do this.

I am a mum to 2 boys (a 6 year old and a 8 month old).

Since December of last year, I have been struggling with the most horrific chest pains. The pain can vary from pressure, stabbing pain, shooting pain, dull aching pain, burning pain and squeezing sensations. The pain also radiates into my back and shoulders - they are incredibly tight, sore, and hurt to touch.

I have been to a&e twice this year with the chest pain. At one point I was in the back of the taxi with severe chest pain, in absolute tears because I thought I was dying. This has consumed my life and I’m utterly obsessed with the thought I’m going to have a heart attack.

I have had 2 ECGs and 2 lots of blood tests and everything has came back as normal. I have had Omeprazole in case of GERD and this did not help at all, and it doesn’t feel anything like heartburn or stomach issues.

i have been to my GP who keeps telling me to go to a&e if the pain continues - But the pain is all day, every day and if that was the case, I’d live at the hospital. They have however, concluded I have high anxiety levels. I have been referred to a cardiologist for next week, but I’m not sure if this was just to put my mind at ease.

Other than this, I have extreme fatigue, sometimes pins and needles in the limbs, weak arms and so on.

For context, I am 25 years old. I have no family history of heart issues at a young age. I quit smoking a year ago, drink on very rare occasion and have never touched illegal drugs in my life. My diet isn’t the best and I’m slightly overweight, but I have gained weight since being pregnant and, similar to my last pregnancy, remained chunky afterwards, but in no means obese.

I am utterly obsessed with heart attacks and keep convincing myself I’m going to have one. I have tried anti depressants but they made me worse to the point I couldn’t even function. I’ve bought books on panic attacks, surfed the web no ends for info, had talking therapy and the list goes on.

I don’t feel any better. This is ruining my entire life. It gets in the way of my daily activities every day. The only thing I am able to do is take care of my children and run my Etsy shop. I am feeling completely helpless. I want the pain to fo away….

Has anyone else ever been through this? Has anyone had non cardiac chest pain (not GERD) and can give me any idea of what it is?

thank you in advance.

I was exactly like this just before I was diagnosed with cough variant asthma - have a google. I’m not saying it’s this but something to be aware of. Since I started using inhalers it’s much better. I never get a wheeze like the typical asthma wheeze, I just get chest pains and feel tight in the chest. Might be worth exploring.

I had about a year of feeling this way - trips back and forwards to A and E and eventually saw a cardiologist where I had a stress test and various echos, and ecgs before I was diagnosed with asthma at age 38. I know how scary the feeling can be.

Thank you so much for your response. I’m glad to hear your heart is ok. I haven’t considered anything like this - The dr at a&e listened to my chest and said it sounded clear, but I’m unsure of the accuracy for something more serious. I am considering asking for a chest x-ray.

Definitely ask for a chest X-ray. But keep in mind if it is asthma that won’t show up on one. The only way to see if it is asthma is to actually ask to see an asthma nurse at your doctors surgery - most have one- and then talk it through with them and they should give you an inhaler to start with and a peak flow monitor and you can keep a record to see if by using it that improves and the chest pain goes.

I am not saying it’s not anxiety by the way, I’ve had terrible anxiety too and it certainly can give you all sorts of horrible very physical symptoms but it’s important- for your own mental health as well - to rule everything it could possibly be out and then if it’s not that at least you can try some anti anxiety medication.

It would be an MRI rather than an x-ray you would need.

When you say your back is tight and sore to the touch.. are you sure this isn't anxiety? I have horrific anxiety and panic attacks and often when it's very bad I feel a crushing tightness in my chest. When I was a teenager I would get numbness and pins and needles in my hands from hyperventilation

Thank you so much for responding! My loved ones seem to think it’s all severe anxiety and the dr did say I am ranked as “severe anxiety” after I did the quiz with them. The pain is so incredibly physical and strong that I just can’t convince myself otherwise. I get anxious about the chest pain starting and that definitely makes it worse. It’s a vicious cycle :(

Has anybody checked your thoracic spine? You can have similar pains as a result of (or accompanied by) poor posture due to muscle weakness.

Are you able to draw your shoulderblades down and together or arch your upper back at all? Is it relieved at all by laying on the floor with your knees at 90 degrees resting on the sofa or against a wall? Could you feel like you almost need to be stretched out?

I'd look at seeing a physio if you can afford it (you'd get seen far quicker that way) and they'd be able to tell if there's an issue there. OK, I'd also be using a foam roller and listening to a million pops and cracks, but that's me and I know there isn't anything hideous going on other than pain.

At least the hospital is certain there isn't something heart related going on. You can be sure they've checked you fully for that.

Thank you so much for your help. I think it’s wise to explore physical avenues. Some may think I’m being over dramatic but I know the pain I feel every day. And if it is anxiety, further medical examination could help me to calm down.

goodness me that sounds frightening!

has your gp referred you to cardio for a holter (24h) ecg and/or stress ecg?

it could 'just' be anxiety (hollow laugh at the 'just') but cardio issues need to be excluded before coming to that conclusion.

do you have other risk factors? covid infection, high bmi, high cholesterol, hormonal birth control etc)
good call about asthma, some people don't wheeze, plus it's peak hayfever season right now.

all the best.

Costochondritis? Look it up and see if it seems familiar. I'm surprised a dr hasn't considered it!
People often mistake it for heart attack but it's muscular and ultimately not dangerous, but very painful!

Oh bless you, it’s awful isn’t it? I’ve had anxiety chest pain recently, not helped by the fact I have a really bad episode in my immediate family history which only adds to the anxiety. I have ECGs a couple of times a year because my GP are aware of the situation and just get me in if I ring - it’s always when I’m stressed though.
The feeling is like I’ve chain smoked 40 fags, even though I quit years ago. Beta blockers help. I don’t take them daily, just if and when it strikes.
Good luck x

Thank you for your response. I’ve never been checked out for anything muscle or bone wise before. The back and shoulder pain is horrendous and it hurts me to move into any position. I did consider I may have done my back in though I’m not sure how - but I’m still trying to figure out how the chest pain relates to the back pain. I have most “heart attack” symptoms (back pain being one) - though I have them all day every day, for the last 6 months - it would be an absolute miracle if I’ve lived through a 6 month long heart attack, and with clear blood tests! 😂

To add to my last post, it can be common in parents of young children because of the carrying them on your hip, constant picking up and putting them down can cause the breast bone to inflame which starts it off.

Thank you for your response. As far as I know, I have never had COVID (though could have had it with no symptoms). I am taking birth control. I’m unsure of my BMI, but I would say I’m overweight after having baby. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels are all normal.

My mum has this! It was mentioned to my dr, I asked her about it and, she told me to go a&e before exploring anything else because I was in pain on the call. I went to a&e an hour afterwards with all clear tests for my heart once again, after having been a month previous. I went back to the GP and it hasn’t really been mentioned since. I don’t have any pain in my ribs though, so I’m not sure.

Thank you for responding. I’m so sorry your going through this. My chest feels worse now than it did when I smoked - incredibly tight as though I had been chain smoking the night previously! I have tried beta blockers but It didn’t help with the pain. When I went in to see a different doctor, she seemed cross I was prescribed them to begin with and actually advised me to stop them! I haven’t had any changes between taking and stopping them - still the same!

but I’m still trying to figure out how the chest pain relates to the back pain.

Think about your rib cage. Your ribs are attached to your spine, then wrap around before joining at the breastbone (actually it's three segments, joined to each other bit and the ribs by cartilage). Then there are muscles that are in different layers and wrap around/across/up and down to allow you to move your arms, twist, bend and stand up.

If you've injured your mid-upper back (everything gets looser during pregnancy or from a lack of exercise) from lifting something/someone too heavy with poor form or lifting and twisting at the same time - like a child about to puke so you have them at arm's length and spin to point them at the toilet - or from bending over repeatedly putting things away, this can cause swelling or spasms.

The most intense pains I can remember have all been due to my spine - in my case, the worst came from my neck, as the muscle spasm meant I couldn't feel anything but cold tingles all the way down my forearm and into my ring and little finger/palm. As soon as that was sorted by a physio helping it release and the purchase of a neck support shaped pillow, plus doing my strengthening exercises every day, it was fine 99.998% of the time and for the remainder, a cold pack helped ease it enough for it to relax again.

I am utterly obsessed with heart attacks and keep convincing myself I’m going to have one.

There's your problem. Because your mind is utterly focused on this issue your body is producing a stress reaction (shortness of breath, muscle tension, pain) which further convinces your mind that something awful is happening...and so the cycle continues. The body has no way of knowing if a threat is real and life threatening or if it's a product of an overactive imagination - the reaction is identical.

What happened in December?

I suppose that’s a more logical way of looking at things. They are all connected. It could be from pregnancy - I wasn’t able to exercise from 23 weeks pregnant by doctors orders as I had PPROM (my waters broke) and exercise could have caused me to go into premature labour (which I developed sepsis during labour anyway!) Perhaps it was from the months of bed rest paired with carrying a heavy child every day.

Thank you for your response. I completely understand what your saying. I just find it so hard to accept that anxiety of the mind can cause such physical pain. Nothing happened in December that I can recall, but I gave birth to my 2nd child on the last day of August (so not too long before). I had pregnancy complications (my waters broke at 23 weeks so incredibly high risk) I was kept in hospital after a big bleed and given steroids to prepare for a premature baby which was incredibly traumatic. I went on to be induced at 37 weeks and developed sepsis in labour. I was very unwell and in hospital on an IV drip - I found it to be incredibly tough and I often wonder if I just haven’t been the same since then.

Have a look at this video to see how easily the mind can fool the body;

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Thank you, so much!

I suffer from a form of costochondritis called tietze syndrome and during my first flare up of it, spent 24 hours in hospital having all sorts of tests. They still couldn't decide what was causing it, and I had a battery of cardiac tests but still no answers. It was pure luck that I saw a GP at my own surgery who had had it themselves and recognised it straightaway. The pain is like something I've never experienced, and I got the most help from an osteopath and taking a long term course of naproxen (alongside omeprazole to protect my stomach). It took around 4 to 6 months to clear up, but if i'm tired/stressed/run down, it flares back up again. I was always told to go into A & E to have an ECG and bloods done just in case, but I'm so familiar with it now that I no longer bother. The pain is usually in my back under my shoulders, and right across my sternum on the front fairly high up. I would never have said it was in my ribs oddly enough.
https://patient.info/doctor/costochondritis-and-tietzes-syndrome

Sorry you're going through this OP. I don't have much helpful advice but my step dad is exactly the same. Numerous trips to a&e because he thinks he's having a heart attack but every time his results come back fine. Doctors are pretty sure it's just anxiety and panic attacks. He's also scared of heart attacks because his dad died from a heart attack at the same age he is now and I think it's all related.

Have you had therapy/ counselling? Do you think that might help?

My mum has this, and it does say it can be hereditary, however the GP hasn’t really done anything about it when I’ve mentioned it!

I was going to suggest this too.

I found it so painful I couldn't believe it wasn't deadly... Surely something that hurt so much had to be doing damage?

It turns out it's an inflammation of the intercostal muscles between the ribs.

Like @Bluebells1970 i had Tietze syndrome, once I had it diagnosed, I found osteopathy really useful.