Chest Pains

[jknightuk]

To be honest guys, this is the 3rd time I've faced a health issue.

In 2002, I was shot in the back and in 2003 nearly died from plurasy (did I spell that right?!)

I'm not frightend of dying... just dont want my time to end yet as I have so much in life I want to offer! lol.

As for me worrying... I was worried, but from what I can sense: the more I worry, the worse I will become! Travisevian... you are a truly great person and I appreciate your support. Thanks for being there for me

Kallipolis: thank you again for your response. It's great to know I have someone I can talk to who comes from the medical profession! The doctor I have here does not seem to understand... as for my hospital? Im not sure what to say about them (I have no disrespect for the medical staff... just wish they could have found out what the trouble was).

The other niggle is that my ex was there with me, and my blood pressure went from normal to sky high! Cue chest pounding once again.

As I said.. I'm home now, relaxing and talking to you all here at JUB. I love being with you all

 

[unloadonme]

You've been to hospital twice. They've poked and prodded you and sent you home.

If I were you, and if the symptoms are continuing, I'd make an appointment to see my GP. If it is some form of anxiety, he should be able to help.

 

[kallipolis]

To be honest guys, this is the 3rd time I've faced a health issue.

In 2002, I was shot in the back and in 2003 nearly died from plurasy (did I spell that right?!)

I'm not frightend of dying... just dont want my time to end yet as I have so much in life I want to offer! lol.

As for me worrying... I was worried, but from what I can sense: the more I worry, the worse I will become! Travisevian... you are a truly great person and I appreciate your support. Thanks for being there for me

Kallipolis: thank you again for your response. It's great to know I have someone I can talk to who comes from the medical profession! The doctor I have here does not seem to understand... as for my hospital? Im not sure what to say about them (I have no disrespect for the medical staff... just wish they could have found out what the trouble was).

The other niggle is that my ex was there with me, and my blood pressure went from normal to sky high! Cue chest pounding once again.

As I said.. I'm home now, relaxing and talking to you all here at JUB. I love being with you all

You may wish to arrange an appointment with your GP and after placing him in the picture, invite him to make arrangements for you to be referred to psychiatric services.

I repeat that your symptoms demonstrate heightened anxiety, and combined with your background information would suggest that you need more specialised assistance from those (psycho-therapy) professionals more able to deal effectively with your particular matter.

 

[KaraBulut]

It's very difficult to pinpoint causes of chest pain- it's really more a matter of elimination. Typically an EKG and some blood work eliminates the thing that most people worry about- a "heart attack" also known as a myocardial infarction.

Given your relatively young age, unless you had a strong family history of cardiac disease or a known problem like severely elevated cholesterol, cardiac problems wouldn't be the most likely cause.

If the pain did not resolve with time and rest, a chest xray might be warranted to eliminate other causes.

But you've provided information that tends to suggest that anxiety and elevated blood pressure probably played a role in this. It is something that you should followup with your family doctor or internist about.

 

[jknightuk]

Oh crikey... psychiatric services? That makes me sound like a total nutcase! lol (erm.. no offence intended there, I promise!).

Daft thing is, I feel like I have a release here on JUB. The more I talk about my day-to-day life, the more I can cope with everything.

Being here is the best thing that could ever have happened to me

 

[JayQueer]

jknightuk,

You have a history of pleurisy (from 2003). Pleurisy is an inflammation or swelling of the outside lining of the lungs which causes chest pain.

You said that the pain feels like someone "pressing their foot down on you." Have you considered the possibility of costochondritis? Costochondritis is a feeling of chest pain that feels like a heart attack, but is actually benign and is caused by inflammation or swelling of the cartilage around the ribs in your chest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costochondritis

Based on what you've said so far, this is what I'm thinking about --

1) Inflammation in your chest -- Costochondritis, Pleurisy, etc.
2) Heart attack (NOT common for a 38 year old, even if you're a smoker)
3) Hypertrophic obstructive myocardiopathy (HCM) -- unlikely, usually presents in athletes in their teens & 20s.
4) Some type of heart infection or heart valve damage -- unlikely, unless you have had untreated or recent rheumatic fever
5) Some type of trauma or physical accident you don't remember or haven't mentioned
6) Asthma -- have you ever had asthma or had difficulty breathing before? have you used an inhaler before?
7) Pneumonia -- Have you recently been sick with a bad cough/cold/flu?
8) Pneumothorax -- when your lung(s) collapse. Less likely in your case as it is an extremely uncomfortable, sharp/stabbing pain
9) Pulmonary embolism -- this can occur if a clot in your blood vessels travels and gets stuck in your lung, causing extreme discomfort & pain. Can occur if you've been bedridden or if you've been sitting on a very long plane flight.
10) Acid Reflux or Peptic Ulcer disease -- Unless you feel a burning pain after eating, or notice a worsening or improvement in the pain with eating, this is probably not likely.
11) Sickle cell disease -- unless you are African-American or have a history of sickle cell disease, very unlikely.
12) Herpes zoster -- unlikely at age 38, unless you have HIV or AIDS.
13) Pyschogenic & Anxiety -- A big possibility in your case, especially since you have had personal relationship issues recently. However, even if the cause of the chest pain is not purely due to psychological causes or anxiety --- having anxiety & stress can make the chest pain even worse.


That's some of the things that could be causing your chest pain. I hope this helped, but definitely you should keep in close touch with your doctors, as this board is certainly not a replacement for a doctor or accredited medical advice.

 

[jknightuk]

Hi JayQueer...

Wow... you've certainly gone out of your way to look this up for me. Thank you for your help, and advice

I've not long ago had the emergency Doctor come out. He was quite good... took my blood pressure (which I confess is too high) and when he asked me what I've done to be so stressed he did a double take!

I showed him a list of tasks, appointments and work I had done over the last 48 hours. In one line, he summed it up:

"Are you trying to work yourself into an early grave?..."

Since he said it, I've cancelled a lot of appointments and am now under strict instructions to rest for a few days. So... I thought I would spend these days with you all here at JUB

Moral of my post? Never run a business!

Thanks again, everyone... your help has really been appreciated, and it's nice to know I have people who really do care!

 

[medic1]

ON a postscript sometime,s medical terminology is diffrent depending on
where you are.
A classic example is when posters were mentioning EKG,s . Here in the UK we use
the word ELECTROCARDIAGRAM and the Brain is an EEG.
Small point,s but maybe worth remembering.
We have protolols in place at National levels for M.I,s-Aswell as other cardiec event,s , the same can be said for Strokes or Cardio-Vascular Accident,s.
Have made a few daft spelling mistakes
Though i think that we can all agree that chest-pain should never be taken lightly.
An glad that you are feeling a bit better .

 

[kallipolis]

Oh crikey... psychiatric services? That makes me sound like a total nutcase! lol (erm.. no offence intended there, I promise!).

No it does not. It simply means that your condition warrants examination by a psycho-therapist who will evaluate your state of mind and possibly recommend treatment that addresses your heightened anxiety.

It is also highly likely that your GP may prescribe you an anti-depressant rather than refer you to psychiatric services.