Pain in chest area

[Sammy1]

Hi, I have a very strange symptom that I want to describe and if anyone recognizes this symptom, please let me know.

The symptom I experience is pain in the chest area (left side). The epicenter is somewhere between my armpit and my chest but when the pain grows it spreads both downward and upward and even to my back (around my shoulder blade) and arm. The pain gradually develops when I'm physically or mentally active or when I lay down on the bed. It starts with a small tension that I'm able to ignore initially. When the tension gradually increases the pain gets greater. The tension and pain continues to increase until I feel an enormous pain and I feel that my chest/arm want to explode and my arm is about to burst away from my body. The time it takes to get to this maximum point variates between 15-60 min. It's almost like something gets clogged up and thus causes the tension. When I stop the physical or mental activity or sits upright again the tension and pain gradually diminishes. It takes about 5-10 min until I'm recovered.

 

[WillowJ]

hi Sammy, nice to meet you.

it would probably be a good idea to call a doctor. I'm not able to distinguish between dangerous and non-dangerous chest pains.

I hope you are ok.

 

[SOC]

No one here is qualified (afaik) or allowed to diagnose or advise on an issue as serious as chest pain. It is important that you see your doctor promptly.

 

[Sammy1]

Willow J and SOC: nice to meet you and I appreciate your concern. I've done every examination you can possible imagine but the doctors could only confirm that everything is fine with all my organs. That was good to hear but I still don't have any explanation to this symptom. It's not as acute as it sounds, I've dealt with it for many years but still, I'm curious to what could be the cause. That's why I posted the thread, hoping to find someone with similar experience.

 

[SOC]

Willow J and SOC: nice to meet you and I appreciate your concern. I've done every examination you can possible imagine but the doctors could only confirm that everything is fine with all my organs. That was good to hear but I still don't have any explanation to this symptom. It's not as acute as it sounds, I've dealt with it for many years but still, I'm curious to what could be the cause. That's why I posted the thread, hoping to find someone with similar experience.

Ah, good! If you've been tested, and the docs think there's nothing major wrong, that's a relief.

Intermittent tachycardia and mild irregular heartbeats can register as chest pain, although I wouldn't expect it to be that extreme. Have you been checked for muscle tightening/cramping, maybe from postural changes?

I don't believe the type of chest pain you are describing is common in ME/CFS, so it's not likely to be a result of the illness.

 

[Nielk]

Willow J and SOC: nice to meet you and I appreciate your concern. I've done every examination you can possible imagine but the doctors could only confirm that everything is fine with all my organs. That was good to hear but I still don't have any explanation to this symptom. It's not as acute as it sounds, I've dealt with it for many years but still, I'm curious to what could be the cause. That's why I posted the thread, hoping to find someone with similar experience.

Welcome to the forum.

It sounds strange to me too. Have you ever had any injury to your rib? The reason I am asking is that I was in a car crash 30 years ago and suffered (among other things) a broken rib. Since then, at times when i am very tired or if i make certain movements, I get a pretty sharp pain which stays for a few minutes and then disappears. I don't think though that what you describe is the same.

 

[snowathlete]

I doubt very much it is this, but I once worked with a guy who had a rib which grew outward (they aren't supposed to, obviously) and put pressure on his tissue and in the end his artery, so he needed to have surgery. This isnt something that happens fast, as far as I understand it, but it is presumably something which would be picked up by an x-ray..? Have you had this ruled out? I dont know how common it is. Like I said, I doubt it is this, but might be worth ruling out if you are trying to figure it out and have already ruled out more common stuff??

 

[caledonia]

I get chest pains from time to time, but don't have any correlation with laying down. Sometimes I will get them if I'm over exerting.

The laying down thing makes me think of POTS, but you would think that would make it better.

One time I did get chest pain with arm involvement when I was doing adrenal supplements. I discontinued the supplements and it took about a week to go away. From what I remember, it was more or less a steady pain, not intermittent like yours.

Did you have the doctors test you while you were laying down and having the pain? It seems to me that the postural aspect is a good clue to solving it.

 

[Sammy1]

Thank you all for your responses. I've done x-ray on my upper body and nothing wrong was found. Actually I was in a car accident when I was about 5 years old. I car drove in to me and I was thrown away a couple of meters. I don't now the speed of the car. According to my parents I was sent to the hospital and I was thoroughly examined. I didn't have any internal injuries, only some minor wounds. No injured or broken bones.

The strange thing is that this symptom started when my me/cfs started to get severe (2009/2010). I forgot to mention that my left eye itches when the symptom reaches it's maximum point. Also, the intensity of the symptom increases when I take medication or supplements. I have toxoplasmosis, epstein barr virus and the swine flu virus, maybe that could play a role?

It's just a mess, I think I'm the only one in the world with this symptom.

caledonia: "Did you have the doctors test you while you were laying down and having the pain? It seems to me that the postural aspect is a good clue to solving it." I think your on to something here but I've done so many examinations lately and my doctor and I decided to take a break for a couple of months. I'm only focusing on pacing right now.

 

[maryb]

Can you find the centre of the pain - ie. where is the most painful spot?
The area you are describing sounds a bit like the lymph up the side of the breast up round the back of the top of the arm and round the shoulder at the back towards the spine. If you google lymph massage (also Perrin technique) Having just done some this morning I know it can be very painful. Not sure about the arm - but pain can radiate?

As the others have said though you need to push your GP and make sure you are happy with the level of investigations.

MEers get a lot of chest pain in the rib area (costocoindroitis????) can't remember - but its so important to get the heart checked out in order to rule out cardiac problems first.

 

[Sammy1]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. If you have more suggestions just post it on this thread, I will take all suggestions and advices into consideration. It would really be a relief to get rid of this symptom.

maryb: I've tried lymph drainage a couple of times and it eased the pain and the tension for a while but it didn't work in the long run. Personally I suspect something is wrong with my lymph system, I think that my lymph fluid is not flowing as it suppose to. I'll see if I can have that checked...