I have been suffering from chest pains on my left side for about 6/7 years now and can't seem to get a proper diagnosis for it.
I have been going to doctors and specialist for years and everyone is baffled it’s so frustrating to have a really bad pain and know one knows what’s going on.
I find it so hard to describe to doctors I get so many different sorts of pains in different areas of my chest and back.
It 1st started when I got a really bad chest infection that lasted about 6 months constantly cough up nasty stuff.
My left hand side has just felt so wrong since this chest infection; I get really bad stabbing pains in between my ribs, about 3rd/4th up, it almost feels like a really painful stitch.
I get pains down the centre of my rib cage its feels like I have been hit with a big bat and when I push down it kinda relieves some pressure.
I feel like the whole of my left side is really tight.
The worst pain I get is a very deep dull pain in the middle of my chest from front to back its feels like some muscles have tighten up around my heart/lungs. It constantly feels like I need to stretch this muscle I can’t get too.
Sometimes when my pains are bad my I get a lot of heart flutters and my heart just beats really hard once….its so painful just for a few seconds then goes away.
I could sit hear all day telling you what I have tried and what hasn't worked...I seem to get knowwhere, I've had every test you can think of on my chest apart from a cat scan (I can’t seem to get the docs to give me one).
I have a constant dull pain and presure feeling that drives me round the bend!
I was going on the theory that I had some sort of chronic pleurisy coz that would kind a make sense but my chest sounds fine…the problem and most of the pain seems to be coming from my heart.??
Can anyone help me? or is anyone experiancing the same thing?
I’d love to hear from someone that knows what I’m on about.
Has a doctor ever mentioned to you Costocondritis? It's an inflammation of the cartildge in the rip cage. It can occur from doing heavy lifting or from coughing hard.
Before I was diagnosed I had sharp pains on the left side of my sternum and also what I guess would be the breast bone. The pain would last only a few seconds, but it was pretty painful. It also hurt when those areas were pressed on. Other times I would have a dull pain in that area and it made me think that I was having a heart attack even though there was no possible way that I could be. It even felt like someone was punching me in the chest.
My doctor did an EKG and sent me to have a chest XRAY and they both came back normal. Costocondritis can't be seen on the XRAY.
Hi Thanks for your help, its nice to know i'm not the only one in the world feelin like this.
I have had a look into Costochondritis and last time I saw a chest specialist he did think it was something to do with damaged or inflamed cartilage, this might explain some of my pains but not all.
I get really bad cramps which is more like muscle pains.
Can I ask, do you pains get worst when you drink alcohol, the only thing that really sets my pain of is alcohol, I know I shouldn't drink...but I am young...
Thats what worries me the most and makes me think theres something a bit more to it!
It would be nice to hear from you again!
No alcohol does not make mine worse, but I rarely drink. Mine is made worse by stress and not lifiting heavy stuff properly.
I can't really help you with it feeling like muscle cramps because when my costochondritis acts up it is a dull pain that gets worse when I press down on it.
I have a suggestion for you that you might find useful
Try to do some sports, go to the gym , try to work out , im not sure what you are having , but as you said , they couldnt diagnose it so i will just assume. I've heard about many people who had chest pains for years and years, trying to treat the pains with meds, and basically for nothing , and then one day, they started to do sports and the pain has been significantely reduced. so u might want to try it...
or at least consult your doctor about it
Hi there interesting post as l too get sternum area pain and stabbing pains in my ribs. I too wondered if l had Costochondritis lve been to docs numerous times and noone seems to know what it is lve had the ecgs too heart came back fine ,, l notice if ive carried a bit shopping it can trigger it off generally l feel weak in my muscles due to having undiagnosed graves disease probally for alot of years also stress triggers it too and my menstrual cycle.. it does my head in grr its so annoying and scary the pain/sensation only lasts a short time but can come and go all day if it pleases.... paracetemol just takes the edge of it. Just want to say your not alone mate good luck x
These pains in between my ribs and in chest wall seem quite common, these kinda make sense for me as my infection and coughing could well of done some serious damage these i can deal with a bit!
Since my infection my left side has never felt normal...can't even remember what normal is now anyway.
The thing that worries me the most, when my pains are bad and my chest is really tight my heart seems to acts really strange, every now and agin I get a massive and really painful heart beat that makes me just out of my skin in pain, just last for a few seconds..makes me scream sometime and Iam as strong as a ox normaly with pain..this is the only pain that makes not sense...the only time I really get these are the next day after drinking...nothing else seems to bring these pains on, they just come on for a few days some times....sometimes for no reason at all.
I wish I could just to the bottom of this,I really would give anything.. in the back on my mind I think there something badly wrong and theres nothing I can do but just wait for something bad to happen
Hi ya can understand ...when l get it l dont scream.. l dare not move or speak it makes me want to stay very still incase l make it worse... have you been looked at for digestive problems? You mentioned alcohol brings it on? What about your gall bladder/liver l guess you've had liver function blood test etc?? I went to docs a few months ago about it along with other symptoms gas etc and she tested me for h pylori l was positive had the treatment but still have this sternum area pain/discomfort! I told her it had been happening to me for years and other docs out it down to stress or whatever. I knew it wasnt cos l get it when lm not stressed! I know what you mean about waiting for something worse to come along! The things lve put off when l know its affecting me... lately lve been getting stabbing pains which last a short time down the sides of my ribs.. l think thye just wait and see with me with having the thyroid probs just had it out in July last year so everything is been put down to that! Good luck mate keep us informed
Hi ya can understand ...when l get it l dont scream.. l dare not move or speak it makes me want to stay very still incase l make it worse... have you been looked at for digestive problems? You mentioned alcohol brings it on? What about your gall bladder/liver l guess you've had liver function blood test etc?? I went to docs a few months ago about it along with other symptoms gas etc and she tested me for h pylori l was positive had the treatment but still have this sternum area pain/discomfort! I told her it had been happening to me for years and other docs out it down to stress or whatever. I knew it wasnt cos l get it when lm not stressed! I know what you mean about waiting for something worse to come along! The things lve put off when l know its affecting me... lately lve been getting stabbing pains which last a short time down the sides of my ribs.. l think thye just wait and see with me with having the thyroid probs just had it out in July last year so everything is been put down to that! Good luck mate keep us informed
I know exactly the pain you mean, I get this also but not often, only when my discomfort is really bad, it kind feels like someone has put a staple in between my ribs, same place eveytime....don;t want to move or even breath.
The thing is with this pain, i've had it so many times i know if I just keep really still it will go away, it always does....never have it for long just maybe 15/20 mins at the most!just like really painful stitch ay,like some one
Its nice to know someone gets this,its really painful.
I have had my blood tested so many times, last year my liver function was a bit abnormal, liver count was down. I have seen a specialist about this and be diagnosed with gilbert syndrome...but this dosn't seem to be any problem now!
I know this chest infection and damaged me in some way, just don't know how yet.
trust me i can understand what ur going through
i'm not really sure I know its nothing to worry about, don't even think i have it, I was just getting pains in my liver for about 6 months, when to specialist and i don't think they really knew what was going on, but i'm ok now, not sure about my liver count tho.
how old are you and when did you chest pains start>?if ya dont mind me asking?
Im 41 and they started approx 3 years ago regular however first time l remember having them l must of been 32 but they didnt happen that often. I think it may be digestive probs? who knows? If l didnt have this thyroid crap l think l would pester more but if you know anything about thyroid disease its one long list of mystery symptoms!! Had ecg a few times so l dont think its heart related (better not be lol)
yer i have had loads od ECGs but nothing shows up. you sound like you get the exact pain as me.
Let me know when you find out what it is..lol i been trying for 6 years to find out whats going on!
If there are loads of us getting the same pains then surely we can work out what the cause is.
It did cross my mind once but I have had loads of chest xrays and they have its never been picked up.
Im convinced that if i'm given a scan something might be picked up on, but this seems nearly imposible..
When we have had health problems in our family we went to one doc and moved on if they didn't have answers. Not all docs know everything. I took my daughter to countless docs until I found one that cured her. I don't take no for an answer very well.
