Crushing pressure around chest - what is it?

[bytheMoonlight]

The night before last I had a crushing pain around my chest, was really intense. Felt as if someone was pulling an elastic band around me tighter and tighter, at times I felt as if I couldn't breathe. It lasted about half hour, I took neurofen and some Rennies, not sure if they made it stop or it went away by itself.

I had this twice when I was pregnant (gave birth 2 wks ago) but thought it was just the baby turning round and getting stuck, seems not as I have now exprienced it again.

I was fine yesterday but today I have a really uncomftable feeling just under my breasts and my asthma has been really bad the last couple of days, my inhalers do not stop me being breathless and I have to cough to catch my breath at times.

Any ideas?

You really need to be seen. You could have a pulmonary embolism.

Please get to the doctor or A&E straight away.

Could also be a heart attack. I'd go straight to A&E.

Crushing chest pain is an indicator of a heart attack. Also, being sweaty, clammy, pale in colour, urge to poo, radiating pain in shoulder, neck, jaw, arm and chest.

On the other hand, I get chest pain when I have bad asthma and I cough a lot. It is usually from torn intercostal muscles and cracked ribs but you need to be coughing a lot for that to happen.

Either way, go to the hospital now. YOu could have had an MI, could have pneumonia, or have cracked ribs.

Go now. Not later. Now.

PE very much increased risk postpartum.

Have you gone yet?!

I agree with Ennis.

Don't want to panic you but I think you need to get checked out today in case it is something serious.

here

I can phone the doctors at 2pm and get an appointment this afternoon, can't really rush anywhere as I have a newborn and a toddler and no one to look after them.

Will def. phone the doctors at 2 though, you are not allowed to phone any earlier.

Please get a taxi to A&E, or at least ring your midwife. It would not be good to have a heart attack with your children in the house and no one around to help.

This is URGENT.

A PE can cause a heart attack suddenly. You are having strong symptoms.

Take the kids with you, the nurses will look after them.

Dr will likely send you to A&E anyway.

Do what you are being told.

Go to A&E

Absolutely not worth messing around waiting until 2.00pm.

If you really can't get to A&E right now, pls walk to your GP with children and ask for the duty doctor to see you NOW. Tell them the symptoms. GP will not make you wait till 2pm in this situation! They can then help yo uwork out what to do next. A lot less nervewracking than turning up at A&E.

Get friend/parent/anyone to come with you? Just in case...

Do it now please.

Go to A&E. Really. Take the children with you.

Whereabouts are you in the country (roughly)?

I know that's how a heart attack is described as felling. Get help.

Oh well, don't go then. Yes it is hard with small children but harder for them if you are dead.

Sorry.

Look OP if we as a bunch of strangers are reacting like this to your symptoms, a doctor is going to be worried too.

You are at high risk of embolism

You have had pain, breathlessness and coughing.

That's 3 out of 5 and a smaller PE often has no symptoms.

There are red flags waving madly at you, please seek help.

999 is the number, should you not have the money for a taxi

and if your GP won't let you call till 2

They would WANT you to call believe me.

Agreeing with everyone else.

Please take this seriously. It would be lovely if we were all wrong but you cannot afford to take that risk.

Hope you are ok, BytheMoonlight. Please take the advice of the other posters and get help.

yes, or call 999 and they will come and check your heart

if you get the pain again

(but do get seen asap too)

Oh dear I find these threads soooo difficult.

I expect OP will follow her own instinct in the end. I hope she will be fine, it's just such a risk tbh and now we all feel responsible and worried!

I went to the doctors and he listened to my lungs and heart and found no problems. He checked my stomach, abdomen and blood pressure, all was fine.

So he said he couldnt find a cause, he mentioned DVT but he said it was unlikely as I didnt have any pain in my legs. He said he would prescribe aspirin normally but couldn't as I'm breastfeeding.

So I'm none the wiser but want to thank everyone for their advice.

Wow, well maybe you were right not to panic then!
I'm sorry if we freaked you out. Did you mention the pain?

I think in your shoes I'd still be demanding some proper tests, presuming he didn't have a heart monitor or ECG in his surgery? It takes several diagnostics to rule out PE, such as scans etc.

If you have any more trouble please go and get seen at the hospital.

Tbh your GP sounds a bit, well, hopeless - he didn't know what it was but sent you home anyway with no investigation.

...and he didn't prescribe aspirin bcos you're bf? So he would have normally? So why would he, if he doesn't suspect DVT?

I take it back, I think you need to get seen properly by the hospital. You can't take chances with this sort of thing.

Maybe he thought I was making it up or making a big deal out of nothing.

I don't think I present myself very well in the doctors surgery tbh, I rarely go but when I do I get the impression that they think I'm wasting their time.

Not sure what I should do next, I get quite intimidated when I'm in the actual surgery so demanding something isn't really an option for me