I am getting so tired of these chest pains

[yellowflower]

I have bad chest pressure again since waking up, at night it stops me falling asleep. It had pretty much gone away for a few days.

I feel a bit short of breath esp. when I go up the stairs. It is driving me crazy not knowing what it is. Could chest pains for this long (well over 3 weeks now) be all down to anxiety ?

The GP's say it isn't a cardiac problem (based on two blood tests) and physical examinations.

Any suggestions what else it could be ? One GP thought it was reflux putting pressure on my chest, but I took reflux tablets for 8 days and they did nothing.

Any one had a heavy-feeling pressure all over their breast bone and chest area (my shoulders feel heavy and uncomfortable too) and had it properly diagnosed ? What was it ?

It isn't a sharp, shooting pain, more like a heavy pressure, as though there is a heavy weight placed on my chest.

No coughing or chest infections detected by chest x-ray and GP listening to my chest.

Any ideas ?

[lesleyB]

I'm sure it is just anxiety have you tried relaxation before you go to sleep, I don't have pains myself but know people who have and that was just anxiety. Try to relax [easier said than done i know] and be kind to yourself.
Good luck.
Lesleyb

[neil1975]

Hi yellowflower,

I have had and still have exactly the same thing as what you describe. A constant pressure in the chest. I have had a chest x-ray, ecg's and seen a cardiologist who said it wasn't heart related. I have a condition that is called costrochondritis which is inflammation of the muscles in between the ribs and the sternum. The fact I am often tense and anxious hightens the awareness of this.
This could be what you have too. A lot of chest pressure is caused by tension and muscualar skeletal pain. It's annoying as hell I know but relaxation and breathing techniques can help.

Take care,

Neil

[yellowflower]

hi neil - that's interesting - could you please tell me a bit more - is it better on some days almost not there at all and then worse again on some days ?

for example i didn't have it or hardly for 2 days and yesterday it came back with a venegence, made my life a total misery as a result of which i also had two full blown panic attacks. the only reason i am able to get a few hours sleep is because i take sleeping tablets.

how was your condition diagnosed and treated ?

does it feel like a tonne of bricks put on the middle of your chest that diesn't go away all day ?

i am seeing the GP again in the morning, but don't know if they are going to pick up on what i have. so far one thought it was reflux putting pressure on my chest, but the reflux tablets are ineffective and there is no change in how i feel when i eat. i would have thought with reflux or another abdominal problem what you eat makes a difference ?

just to add i had two bouts of flu and suspected kidney infection in the past month. was your condition triggered by something else ?

i am so confused, any suggestions and more about your symptoms and how they started please.

[Elly 2]

Hi yellow flower, I have EXACTLY the same as you and have had now for the past 18 months, at first it wasn't too bad but for the last 6 months I have it constantly. I too have been told that it isn't heart related but saw a gastrologist 2 weeks ago who did an endoscopy which was normal, also before that I took antacids to no avail. I am having an angiogram recommended by the gastro doc to definitely rule out heart but I spent yesterday in A & E as chest pressure/pain was excruciating but ECG was normal and once they had the pain under control they sent me home. I am in a real state today, I just can't cope anymore. I feel so weak, my legs are like jelly and I just can't face another day of feeling like this. I will keep you posted if anything comes to light which might help you too. Feel free to pm me if you would like to x

[neil1975]

Hi yellowflower,

I have had this constant pressure over my chest for a long time now. My GP diagnosed it a couple of years back. More recently when I went to A&E with chest pain the doctor diagnosed it again and gave me anti-inflammatory tablets to take. Something similar to ibuprofen i think.
Mine doesn't feel like a heavy weight as such I would more describe it as a pressure, dull ache feeling in the centre and left side of my chest. Sometimes when I feel this I can stretch my arms over my head and lean back and my sternum will crack. It's not painful and it relieves some of the pressure. The flip side is that doing this is not giving the inflammation chance to heal properly.
What caused mine I would guess is primarily bad posture. I had and still do sometimes have a terrible habit of leaning all my weight to my left side when I am sitting or laying down.
Being tense and anxious causing overbreathing or chest breathing can cause the chest wall muscles to ache.
Can you replicate the pain in your chest by pressing the area that is sore?
If you can then it does sound that you have chest wall pain.
Have you checked your breathing to see whether you are using your chest more than your stomach to breathe?
You said you had the flu. I would imagine you where coughing quite a lot when you had that. That could strain the chest wall muscles too.

Take care,

Neil

[yellowflower]

Hi Neil - I am so sorry that you had to go to A&E. I feel exactly as you say and totally miserable too.

I feel better today, but going by the pattern of the last 3 weeks I am not too hopeful. It still comes and goes, it is just a matter of degree too because I feel it's there all the time, it is just milder some days than others.

Interesting too what you say about bad posture. I suffer from that too, I spend a lot of time on my laptop and computer and it gives me back and shoulder pain. I also lean forwrad which can't be good for the chest.

Let us know how you get on with the further tests. I hope it can be resolved for you soon too

[dorabella]

I have the same problem as Neil - fibromyalgia (of which costochondritis is a sub-condition). Have been plagued by inexplicable aches and pains of varying levels of intensity, particularly in the chest and upper torso, for years. Had all the same tests too -now I've just come to accept them (for most part) and just grin and bear it. Fibromyalgia and costochondritis are usually exacerbated by continuous and repetitive activity in the upper chest - such as prolonged computer use, manual activity where the arms are extended and engaged in activity such as decorating or digging. Sometimes the pains can be brought on by climactic changes such as sudden cold snaps, damp atmosphere - anything which makes the body tense up. They are are essentially soft tissue disorders and currently there is no effective treatment, apart from to limit activity that you know will bring on a bad spell. A good way to test yourself is to press on the areas where you feel the pain (ribs, diaphragm, arms, shoulders) and if you feel pain like soreness or the sensation of bruising but without the bruises then it is most likely fibro or costo. Your doctor could do this simple test and confirm it for you.

[susiegoo]

Look at this site, very helpful:
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/...chondritis.htm

I came to thinking I may suffer from this, I have spent months not being able to sleep properly because of the pain right across my back and shoulder blades that often met round the front. A year or so ago I fell on my binoculars, fine the next day but the day after, oh the pain! It was at least 3 weeks before it started to ease and it even drove me to the doctors who just gave me difflam cream and pain killers, neither of which was very effective. It was only by chance that I was looking up Tietzes that I realised a lot of the symptoms matched mine. I have to be quite careful what I do now, a bout of using an arm exerciser provoked the same symptoms - eek!

[scared22]

I suffered from costochondritis for a couple of months and it scared the hell outta me and left me with really bad anxiety.
I woke up one night last october with this awful pain in the left of my chest and into my left arm. I went straight to A+E they kept me in all night and after various tests i was sent home with the explanation 'muscular'
But the pain didnt stop there, it took another 4/6 weeks and god knows how many visits to my GP to actually be diagnosed with costochondritis.
He came to the conclusion as pushing on the joints between my ribs and sterum caused a lot of pain.
I was happy with his diagnosis for a while but when the pain didnt stop i started to doubt him. By this time a was a complete anxious mess. I was visiting A+E at least one evening a week and even was on first name terms with one of the doctors! Aside from A+E i was going to my GP once or twice a week and the out of hours clinic every weekend. I cant even explain how much of a mess i was in around this time. When i saw a doctor and they would say oh yes its your costo dont worry then i was happy...but the pain would always return.
I know countless ECGs which came back fine. 3 or 4 chest x rays about 5 lots of blood tests and one echocardiogram.

What gave me relief from the pain? Seeing a doctor lol only temporary relief though! Heat packs helped diazapam helped a lot as did codeine but that was about it really it is hard to get relief from the pain and so little is known about it by doctors.

My symptoms were: Pain across the left of my chest into my arm sometimes with tingling in my fingers. Pain up my neck into my jaw. Sometimes it was on the right side of my chest. It ocassionally hurt to breathe. Sometimes just moving my arm was agony

I hope this is of help to some of you who think you may be suffering with costo any questions please just ask me as i went to hell and back with this condition so i know first hand of the pain and distress it can cause as unless you have suffered with it you really cant imagine the pain