Chest Pain

[jknnej]

Does anyone else get chest pain? I have it right around my left breast...it's a stabbing pain that can linger for days.

My doctors have said it's not heart related b/c I don't have any numbness, tingling, back pain, shortness of breath, etc and it has been going on for quite a few years. They think it's muscle related so I wanted to see if anyone else has these issues. I also get stabbing pains under my ribs....anyone else? those can be so sharp they take my breath away. Then these mystery pains will go away and not come back for a month, two months, or even more!

What gives???

I want to know if it's Celiac related or not.

I waterskiied this weekend so maybe I aggravated a muscle problem; you use all of your chest muscles when waterskiing.

any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated,

Jennifer

[rmmadden]

Jennifer,

I get the chest ache on the left pectoral leading down into my armpit. Most of the times it is just an ache but occassionally I will get a momentarily sharp pain. I went to the doctor and wore a heart monitor and everything is normal. I take my BP daily (which is good) and exercise regularly and have never been short-of-breath (This is how I double-check myself each day). I guess it's just something some of us have to live with.

Hope this helps.

Cleveland Bob

[skbird]

I get this. I have been getting it my whole life - I can remember being about 8 and having an "attack" of it and freaking myself and my parents out because I thought I was having a heart attack.

Mine don't last for days, just usually a few minutes, though the last one (which was within the last month) lasted for a couple of hours. I kept trying to breathe differently and relax, took a Xanax at some point, no help. Weirdly, when I took my nightly B12 sublingual (and B complex sublingual) within moments (maybe a minute or two?) it faded away.

I have always envisioned it as some air bubble in my chest. This last time it was on the left side but I don't think it's always on the left. It does take my breath away - it's hard to breathe because when you do it hurts worse.

I have not gotten any answers on this - I even posted about this on another message board I'm on when it happened earlier this month.

I can identify with you but I don't know what it is... sorry!

Stephanie

[Guest nini]

I get this too, several times went to the ER thinking it was heart related... they've done the whole heart monitor thing, I have a blood pressure monitor (it's good)... None of my dr's had any answer as to what it is or why, but I def. get this.

[jaimek]

I used to get extremely sharp pains right under my rib cage. the pain was excruciating. After going gluten-free they stopped. I have had it come back once in the past year and that was when i accidentally ingested gluten. So, I believe that mine was definitely gluten related.

[Guest Viola]

For those of you that have the chest (rib) pain for several days, weeks, or months, it could be Costocontritis. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago and for the most part I've been able to keep it reasonably under control until I handle a big, pulling dog during training, then I'm back on the anti inflammatories again. Also, over stretching of the upper body will irritate the problem.

Costocontritis is another auto immune problem. It is inflamation of the cartiledge connecting the rib cage to the breast bone. Sometimes it is also caused by a sports injury. My doctor says that Celiacs would be more prone to have Costo.

Check with your doctor and ask about it

[jknnej]

Oh, wow! I will DEFINITELY look into this.

I keep freaking myself out, thinking I am having a heart attack. But I don't have any other symptoms of a heart issue and I am only 28 with low cholesterol and low blood pressure.

Costocontritis? I'm going to look it up on the net.

I also am a choral conductor-I lift my arms for a living! (And sing).

I haven't had it in awhile but I think maybe the waterskiing aggravated it. You really get yanked up by the boat and it uses all of your chest muscles. Weird, though, that is started hurting 4 days after the boating.

I hope that's what it is.

[Guest Viola]

Yup .. sounds like a good possibility. Mine started when I grabbed a tree limb to stop myself from falling down a cliff. Now just over stretching will make it annoying.

[jknnej]

Mine can be left or right, thought it is most commonly left. Ribcage pain can be left or right, as well. Very sharp pain.

We'll see what the doc says.

[Guest Eloisa]

Those chest pains were why I went to the dr. in the first place. I thought I was having a heart attach and my md referred me to a gastrologist dr. It would last about any hour or so then it would go away but then I would have a hard time swollowing any food. I felt like someone had hit me on the chest and I couldn't speak it hurt so bad. My pain was in the center of my chest. The gastro dr. said they called this the nut cracker muscle. He said this was a result from so much reflux and acids from gluten. He prescribed nitri tabs for under my tongue for if it ever happened again. Since after that I was tested for celiac and went on the gluten-free diet it went away. Those were horrible and scary too.

[Bette]

Eloisa,

Ditto, after years of suffering with that symptom, I too, found out by my g.i. doctor it was part of the reflux. Nexium has helped, but occasionally it still happens, my doctor never told me about the nitri tabs. I will have to look into it. Just curious , is this like the nitro patch medication that is used for chest pain in cardiac pts., and is it g.f.?

[skbird]

Well it sounds like this is a different kind of experience than I've had - but also makes me think of something else that I've had a problem with as well. A year and a half ago I was in France for Christmas and eating more bread than I had in ages. Most of the way through the trip I suddenly had this mother-of-god bad pain in my left rib cage, on my side, below my breast. It was painful to the touch and spasmy as well. Breathing was uncomfortable. Made me think of when I got a cracked rib about 10 years earlier. Ever since this has been a problem of recurring pain for me.

I even went to a chiropractor and massage therapist and neither have helped. I have noticed recently that when I am glutened, it starts to hurt a day or two later and that lasts for a few days. I'm beginning to see it as an indicator of glutening.

Interesting about Costocontritis - I'll look it up.

Stephanie

[jknnej]

My pain isn't in the center it's usually on the left side with occassional right side pain. I also get it right under my rib cage where it hurts so bad I can't breathe every once in a while.

For me it does NOT happen related to gluten, though, which is why it sounds like this costochoritis or however you spell it! I read up on it on the net and it said it comes and goes and it is an autoimmune disorder but doesn't have to be gastro related, i think.

[Bette]

Yeah prior to me being diagonosed with the reflux disease, my doctor did think I might of had the costochondritis, I was actually sent to a anestesiologist to get injections with antiflammatories with lidocaine right into the ribcage (the cartilage part). It did not help, but I was thankful to have somebody try to get rid of the pain. The reflux was diagnosed a couple of years later.

I guess every one persons symptoms can present very differently. But it sure helps to hear what other people have dealt with on this board, and how they dealt with it. At least now you have some ideals what it may be, so that you can look it up and then discuss it with your doctor.

Good luck

[Guest Eloisa]

Bette,

I'm sorry it took me so long to answer your question about the Nitroquick pills. Yes they are the ones they give you when your having chest pains from a possible heart attach. GI doc told me that the muscle around the esophugus tightens and they call it a nutcraker muscle and for me to put one under my tongue when this happened. It really freaked me out with these pills cause I knew what they were used for and it scared me to use them.

Eloisa

[skbird]

I'm going to my doctor on Monday and am going to ask him about this as it's been happening quite a bit to me lately. I have been taking more regular vitamin B's and when I take them when an "attack" occurs, it clears up. It's very strange. I don't know if he'll figure it out but I would like to ask about it anyway. When I google "b vitamin" and "chest pain" at the same time I keep getting "angina" results. I don't know if that's the case for me as I have had this my whole life and no other signs that would point to angina. But if your homeocystine is too high, you should be taking B6, B12 and folic acid to help metabolize and reduce the levels.

It's scary to me to even think about this... but I have to ask.

Stephanie

[mytummyhurts]

I've had this happen to me too, so I went and looked up costochondritis and found this page with all these links to articles. Interesting.

Open Original Shared Link

[judy05]

Once again I am glad to be reading this message board. I have costalchondritis too, I naver knew it was related to celiac's (which according to my Dr I don't have, but it seems like I have every symptom of it!). I also have the pain on my right side, sometimes on the left which Dr attributes to the IBS (he will confirm that I have this which doesn't surprise me. Anyway he told me to take fiber pills every day (Citrucel is gluten-free) and this is helping me. If you touch the area on your ribs and pinpoint it then it probably is Chondritis. Once again check with your Dr.

[Anne Downs]

Las week, I had tightness and discomfort (not sharp pain) in my chest after walking for 20 minutes. Then I felt weak and slightly nauseated. I went to my internist who promptly put me in the hospital for tests in the cardiac unit. All they found abnormal was a low blood level of potassium which can weaken the muscles, including the heart muscles. So I'm supposing that my gut isn't absorbing the potassium from my diet since i eat plenty of fruits and veggies that are high in potassium. Are there enzymes to take that increase the absorption?

Is anyone else low in potassium? Maybe that is causing some of other peoples unexplained chest pain.

Thanks, Anne

[sdore]

I get this too! On the left side. It doesn't hurt bad but it very annoying. I also hurt in my lower rib cage. One of my doctors said this (under) can be caused by wearing underwire bras. The underwire puts pressure on that one area and can make it quite sore. I know it may sound crazy but he's a pretty good doctor. This could be causing the under pain.

[Anne Downs]

Thanks for the reply. However, my bra is wireless.

[tarnalberry]

A friend of mine was getting chest pain - varying in intensity. Turns out it's shingles for him. Unusual presentation, and not a very fun one to have, but not life-threatening.

[CaliGirl]

How wierd!

I have had this my whole life. Every 3 to 6 months or so, I would get a really sharp pain inside my rib cage (always the left side), and it would really hurt to breath in deeply. I would just take some time out, breath really shallow, and it eventually would go away after 15 minutes or so. I thought it was just more examples of my body making life difficult for me.

It's always nice to know you're not the only person who has these side effects.

[skbird]

CaliGirl - yes, that sounds like what I get. Especially the breathing part. I saw my doctor last week and asked about it and he asked how long the episodes last - I said 5 mins? Maybe a little longer, except the one that was about an hour. And that they go away with B vitamin supplementation. He said that B vitamins can help blood vessels to relax, if they are spasming. I asked if this was angina - and could I have it my whole life? And he asked if it came on from exertion (it doesn't) and said not likely, then. Said if B vitamins help it go away, then keep taking them.

I don't know how I feel about this because it wasn't an explanation. He's a real, "if it works, then go with it" kind of guy. I like answers better than ease, but was glad it didn't alarm him.

[DOCKLEARFAN]

Not sure if this was mentioned but...I have Mitral Valve Prolapse (A heart valve keeps "flopping" around, sorta gets backed up and then releases) it is VERY common and the Dr says not to worry about it unless you get other symptoms of course)

My symptoms were dull to severe chest pain, sorta like someone was squeezing my heart. I don't remember getting Sharp pains however.