Chest pains..

[whatisitnow]

Hi can anyone tell me a bit about chest pains. I started getting them a few months ago, it was one of the reasons i stopped smoking a couple of months back, anyway, i started eating healthy, exercising & lost half a stone. Fell off the wagon last week, stopped exercising, had a couple of packets of smokes (ok about 3 in all over the week) then the begining of this week the chest pains came back, yesterday stuck a patch on and stopped smoking again. Anyway, guess im wondering how long someone has pains in there chest(these are like jabbing pains & a general ache usually right in the centre, ocasionally either side too) before they have a heart attack? Surely if it was something that bad i would have known when i first noticed the pains a few months ago? Also between that time i had another symptom that worried me & didnt notice the chest pains for weeks then? Im sure if they were there i would of noticed them? Think im worrying that smoking triggers off some sort of heart disease or something ive got! [B)]

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[whatisitnow]

Im 35 by the way so anythings possible i know.

Pete to win Big Brother! He is Daddy Fantastic with pants made of elastic!

[janie]

Hiya

I get chest pains pretty much all the time and I smoke also .... yes first thought is heart disease but I had an ecg and all ok. The pain is the musle wall in your chest, being constantly tense. It does take a while to realise that it's not your heart ..... I still have odd moments of doubt but try and put them in their place.

Ask your GP if you can have an ecg just to put your mind at rest. Mine was able to be done at the GP practice and it only took 5/10 mins.

I think us smokers always have that guilt that it has to be heart disease or lung cancer ......... I intend to give up also but it seems such an uphill battle when I've so much to deal with at the moment.

My pain moves from side to side, sometimes in between my shoulder blades, and sometimes bang in the middle of sternum. I figure that if it was related to my heart I wouldn't be able to do the things I do (dance, bike ride etc) and the pain would not move around.

Hope this helps. Take care

Janie xx

[pinkpenny1uk]

hi,
in reading this post u have put my mind at rest a little. i too get chest pains on and off sometimes at front sometimes at back. between shoulders or the middle of my sternum. this then makes my ribs ache etc.
i had a ecg done at the end of jan and that was fine. i would never have thought for one min it was the chest wall muscle being tense. i had all the usual bad thoughts. i too am a smoker.

[whatisitnow]

Im am a complete dumnbo and i dont wanna goggle anything to do with the body, but what is the sternum??? Thanks for your words of wisdom by the way folks [:X] tonights been a lot better.

Pete to win Big Brother! He is Daddy Fantastic with pants made of elastic!

[pinkpenny1uk]

hi,
the sternum is usually know as the breast bone. its that long thin bone down the middle of our chests that the ribs are attached too.

[whatisitnow]

Ahhhh ok i know what you mean now. Got the rounded end on the bottom. I can never push that bit, never have been able to without it hurting. Never thought much of that though.
Today has been a lot better, only the odd twinge here n there so hopefully its gonna be fine now.
C xxxxxxx

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[mandie]

hi

i get chest pains on and off too. i always think im gonna have a heart attack, but i have been suffering for a few years on and off now so im sure something would of happened by now.

the pain moves around to, and the doctor did tell me its tension.

doesnt stop me worrying though

love mandie x

[whatisitnow]

Thanks Mandie. I am managing to keep focused on it being anxiety. Its a classic for me, i get symptoms subtly for a few weeks, they go, then a few months later the symptom comes back again. Almost like it lies dormant til i have pmt or something at the time! Was better yesterday but woke up this morning with twinges in the chest. But its not getting the better of me this anxiety! Bit annoyed with myself because i was suppose to go to the docs 2 weeks ago about the anxiety but because i was fine then i didnt bother. :(

Pete to win Big Brother! He is Daddy Fantastic with pants made of elastic!

[flutterby]

i too get similar pains in my chest

i was a smoker and decided to give up three weeks ago to try and get rid of these pains they have calmed down a little but not completly and was starting to worry

i am a little bit more at ease now that i know what the cause could be

a big thank you

flutterby xx