Sharp pain when breathing in??? Freaking out

[wiggleshasmylife]

I'm on hold to 111 but when I take a deep breath I get a sharp pain under my left breast and I feel like I can't get a deep enough breath. I'm getting anxious about it as well which is making it worse. Is anyone free to talk? I'm on my own..my husbands working till midnight and I've only got my little one in the house so I'll have to ring him back from work.

Not too bad when sat up but when laid down its worse

Hope you're ok OP. I occasionally get precordial catch syndrome that sounds like the symptoms you describe but it usually doesn't last very long. How long have you been in pain?

I had this once and it was muscular….. try not to panic. You may have strained something and not realised

Also, I know it sounds strange, but unhook your bra if you're wearing one. I've had pain you wouldn't believe from an ill fitting bra. Thought I was done for. Mega embarrassed to learn the cause

I get this sometimes, especially if I'm anxious and I think it's muscular. When I get it I do some stretching and then it releases after a while

It's likely to be muscular so try not to freak out.

We took ds2 to the GP once because he was getting chest pain and after a thorough check it was put down to muscle pain. I remember the GP saying that any of the big nasties (heart attack, blood clot etc) would usually result in constant pain - holding your breath wouldn't stop it. If the pain is only on breathing in its likely to be muscular, usually the bits between the ribs.

It could be costocondritus which is inflammation of the cartilage around your ribs. I get it fairly regularly and it is incredibly painful but goes as quickly as it starts. When I've consulted a doctor about it before they’ve prescribed strong painkillers but it usually passes before I need them. Longest I’ve ever had it has been a couple of days. Hope you feel better soon

I had this a few weeks ago. I really thought I was having a heart attack. I had pulled a muscle. Try think if you've lifted or moved anything heavy. Or twisted, fallen.

It better after 2 or 3 days.

I had this a month or so ago. 111 are likely to want to send an ambulance round. They did for me and they did an ECG at home which was clear. I then went to A & E for a more thorough check over. Diagnosis was muscular pain. By the next morning it was completely gone. They said that heart related pain is more of a crushing/elephants walking on your chest type of pain rather than stabbing pain.

If you mention the magic words 'chest pain' to 111 there is a good chance they will send an ambulance, simply because they are massively risk averse when it comes to anything to do with chest pain. If that happens while it's a pain for the ambulance service at least you'll get an on the spot checkup at home.

What are you worried it might be?

I had this with a bad chest infection a couple of years ago.
The GP made a home visit to check for pneumonia etc but decided it was muscular and that I needed to move more (mostly immobile in bed apart from coughing).
It took ages to heal and I would randomly fall forward at times when I was back at worth and otherwise feeling fine, if I leant over to put some papers on a table for example. The pain would suddenly stab snd I would lose muscle tone or something. Just collapsed forwards.

How's your breathing? Are you puffed out after walking from one room to another when you're not normally? Could be any number of things (not all good) - in my case a spontaneous collapsed lung which has happened twice. You're doing the right thing calling 111. Hope it's nothing too serious.

I second that it could be costochondritis. I get it from time to time, but the first flare up terrified me, it was like being stabbed with a knitting needle through my ribs (left hand side, just under breast).

It does pass with time. I found an osteopath really helped.

NB: that's not to say you shouldn't be seen by a medical professional, you absolutely should. Chest pain should always been investigated.

I am still on hold with 111. They are very busy. Its like a stitch pain under my breast and it's worse when I breathe in or lay down. Either on my back or my side. I am terrified it's covid or something more serious. I have asthma and I'm getting anxious so I feel like im getting breathing. I dont know what to do about work tomorrow. I'm supposed to start St 4 am and it's my first shift back after a week off

It could be pleurisy or as pp have said costochondritis, you should get it checked though.

Getting Breathless not getting breathing

Have you tried the 111 Online service? that will trigger a callback too? You could do it while waiting for them to answer; multitasking.

Sending an ambulance is not what I expected. Will they be OK if I bundle my baby and take her? Husbands work isn't answering

Does lying on the painful side help? If so it's likely to be pleurisy.

Yes pressure on the painful side really helps.

I had this at the beginning of the year. It was also worse when laid down. I could feel it more at the back, around under my shoulder blade, very sharp when breathing deeply. I had an x-ray, all good. Around the same time I had tingling, numbness, pins and needles in my hands and sometimes even my foot. Burning sensation sometimes. I was like that for weeks, then it went away, both things at once, when the pain breathing in disappeared, the other symptoms disappeared too. I am convinced it was a pinched nerve. Maybe this could be it? Have you got other symptoms?

Hope you’re ok op, what did the paramedics say? X

I get this all the time - usually passes after a few hours and no harmful impact. I suspect it's trapped wind, a pulled muscle or leaning on a nerve. Never been anything serious for me over the last 10 years, in case it helps calm you down!

Good luck.

Hope your OK. I had something similar, it turned out to be stress.

I've also had this before. It was incredibly painful, came on very suddenly. After about an hour we called an ambulance who took me to A&E. whilst being checked over I felt a kind of pop and then the pain completely went! I was mortified!

I'm 99.9% sure this will be muscular. Try not to worry!