Hi, would really like some help as I'm pretty worried. I am a 20 year male old student and there is history of heart disease and diabetes in my family. Over the past few months I've been experiencing pains in the left side of my chest, basically over the left breast/heart. They are very short pains that come and go at iregular times, however, it seems to have been getting worse.. now when I bend over it hurts sometimes, and I'm also hesitant to turn over in bed.. if I apply pressure at a certain point over my left breast, it also hurts. Sometimes I am afraid to take a deep breathe because I feel it may hurt but 9/10 it doesn't. I never experience shortness of breath, nausea or anything with these pains.. it's just like a sharp prickly/itchy feeling that goes within seconds..
Anyway, yesterday I want to A and E to get it checked out.. they took my blood pressure which was high at first and then did an EKG.. they took my blood pressure again and it was fine.. they then told me the results of the EKG were fine and my heart was in very good shape and nothing was wrong.
I was told to take ibuprofen or aspirin to ease the pain... I still keep getting it and it continues to worry me.. any ideas?
They are very short pains that come and go at iregular times, however, it seems to have been getting worse.. now when I bend over it hurts sometimes, and I'm also hesitant to turn over in bed.. if I apply pressure at a certain point over my left breast, it also hurts. Sometimes I am afraid to take a deep breathe because I feel it may hurt but 9/10 it doesn't. I never experience shortness of breath, nausea or anything with these pains.. it's just like a sharp prickly/itchy feeling that goes within seconds..
Based on what you described in the quoted section above, the probability that you are experiencing angina is very very low. Angina (for me) came on like a slow rolling wave, not sharp, not pinpointable and not alleviated or worsened by doing things like bending, stretching, etc. It decreased when I was in bed, and returned as I became more active in the morning. It didn't hurt over the breast, it was more neck to shoulder area, and moving downwards towards the elbows, especially on the left side. There was a feeling like I needed a bit more oxygen, so I would take deeper breaths every so often. When the heart attack came, that was the first time I felt nausea, but I had been experiencing angina for 1.5 months by then--I had no clue that that is what it was. Hope the description above puts your mind at ease.
Based on what you described in the quoted section above, the probability that you are experiencing angina is very very low. Angina (for me) came on like a slow rolling wave, not sharp, not pinpointable and not alleviated or worsened by doing things like bending, stretching, etc. It decreased when I was in bed, and returned as I became more active in the morning. It didn't hurt over the breast, it was more neck to shoulder area, and moving downwards towards the elbows, especially on the left side. There was a feeling like I needed a bit more oxygen, so I would take deeper breaths every so often. When the heart attack came, that was the first time I felt nausea, but I had been experiencing angina for 1.5 months by then--I had no clue that that is what it was. Hope the description above puts your mind at ease.
Thanks, it does a bit but there's something wrong. If you don't mind me asking this question.. what does getting a heart attack actually feel like, is it excruiciating pain or does it just worse and worse... what did they do to you after you had the heart attack? Hope you're keeping in good health!
Just a suggestion, but could it be Pericarditis? My friend was told this was the most likely cause of similar symptoms to those you have described. He was told it was nothing to worry about, even though the pains are supposed to be quite alarming. It was suggested that he should try bending over slightly and leaning forward. Although this initially hurts, it would eventually get rid of the pain. If you're worried I'd suggest you ask your doctor to look into it further, but they rarely mess about with these things, and would have dealt with you straight-away if they had honestly thought there was a problem (especially with your family history).
Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium. The pericardium has an inner and outer layer with a small amount of lubricating fluid between them. When the pericardium becomes inflamed, the amount of fluid between the two layers increases. This squeezes the heart and restricts its action.
This problem occurs most often in men ages 20 to 50. Chest pain is common, especially pain behind the breastbone. Sometimes this pain spreads to the neck and left shoulder. Pain from pericarditis is different from angina. (Angina is chest pain or discomfort due to reduced blood supply to the heart muscle.) Angina feels like pressure, but pericarditis usually is a sharp, piercing pain over the center or left side of the chest. Often this pain gets worse if the person takes a deep breath. Less often the pain is dull. A fever is also common. Often people with pericarditis report feeling sick. Some have pain when they swallow.
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