Painful symptoms that scare me

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NY Farmwife

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Jul 26, 2021
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DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
03/1990
Country
US
State
NY
Crushing pain in the chest that radiates up to your jaw and down through your arm is the classic symptom of a heart attack. Every now and then I get these, and they last from seconds up to an hour.

The kicker is that this is all on my right side. The first time it happened--many years ago--I called 911, had an ambulance ride, spent the night in the ICU, and went home with a Holter monitor. My doctor thinks that it is caused by fibro triggering the muscles surrounding the rib cage.

Has anyone out there experienced this? What helps ease the pain?
 
I have not had this myself, but it sounds pretty bad for you. What I first think to suggest is that you work on reducing any kind of stress you have in your life, and also learn some good relaxation techniques. The relaxation techniques may or may not help once the pain starts, but might help it not to start or to be less debilitating when it does if you do the exercises daily.

I also suggest you read this post and try as many of the different things as you can, one at a time, to see what among them will help you. If you improve your overall health your fibro will improve.
 
Crushing pain in the chest that radiates up to your jaw and down through your arm is the classic symptom of a heart attack. Every now and then I get these, and they last from seconds up to an hour.

The kicker is that this is all on my right side. The first time it happened--many years ago--I called 911, had an ambulance ride, spent the night in the ICU, and went home with a Holter monitor. My doctor thinks that it is caused by fibro triggering the muscles surrounding the rib cage.

Has anyone out there experienced this? What helps ease the pain?
Hi NY Farmwife,

I get a little chest pain around my ribs, but haven't experienced something as intense as what you describe. That sounds very scary!

As soon as I read your post, I recalled reading about something similar on a website called "Living Smarter With Fibromyalgia". It describes a pain called costochondritis, which it defines as: "burning, stabbing, and radiating pain around the ribs and sometimes pushing up into the lower chest area." Perhaps have a look and see if it sounds familiar to you. They recommend avoiding side-sleeping and using chest wraps, as well as the usual broad fibro management strategies for dealing with costochondritis.

I hope you find something helpful!
 
These scare me too. Every pain actually scares me as I feel like I can die at any moment.
 
These scare me too. Every pain actually scares me as I feel like I can die at any moment.
Hi Fedhealth,

Perhaps you already read one of my posts about this, but I thought I'd share it again in case it helps you. I also used to feel like that - the horrible constant threat and fear feeling - and it was actually really triggering my symptoms and making everything worse. The more pain I felt, the more I panicked, which in turn triggered more pain. I actually worked with a neuropsychologist to get a handle on it. This is how I described what helped on another thread:

I was stuck in a vicious cycle of being afraid of my body, and having a really massive stress response whenever my symptoms either flared up or did something I couldn't figure out, which in turn triggered my fibro. A therapist helped me make a massive breakthrough by introducing me to the idea of "radical acceptance". Emphasis on the radical!

He got me to sit with my pain, tuning into my body, and to try to accept that each feeling is just there, but that it can't hurt me. As awful as we might feel, that pain is just a sensation - it can't damage us in any way - and it will recede again. When we have a good day, we can try to just live in the moment, and enjoy it as much as we're able. The more we accept how we feel, the less likely we are to trigger ourselves more by dumping stress hormones into our systems.
 
My first thought was costochondritis too, exceeding what Jemima quoted I've experienced it going further up too.
The way I managed it in my twens was learning good back exercises from a good physio and doing them every day for 10'
(I have lots of small spinal curves where they shdnt be, which is a great source of fun, and no doc can help, but physios.)
Nowadays if I had it with fibro again and I weren't used to back exercises, I'd use a gentle PT (acupressure, osteopathy, praps a good chiropractor, and not sure but praps: connective tissue massage) to help get started building up short to longer exercises.
 
exceeding what Jemima quoted I've experienced it going further up too.
I noticed that too, but suspected that they'd meant to write upper chest!
 
Thank you all. PT has never helped me, but has brought on several nasty, six week flareups. When the chest pain started, my family physician (a very practical guy) gave me some nitroglycerin tablets to stick under my tongue. That was 40+ years ago. But now it's returned, and, at 78, it's more of a. "Hey, that's not such a bad way to go." scariness.

I was officially diagnosed by a rheumatologist in 1991, right after they came back from the conference that named this nightmare "fibromyalgia." Since then, most doctors have come to "believe in" fibro, although there are still some holdouts who won't jump aboard until there is a definite cause and mechanism--not paper after paper with new laboratory findings. but no definitive answer. Thankfully, I no longer need 150 mcg/hour of fentanyl patches, amantadine, Neurontin, and cyclobenzaprine to manage my pain, the way I did back then.

But I am dealing with IBS, irritable bladder, muscle and joint pains that are thankfully more manageable, and incessant fatigue--not surprising for someone who gets up 3 and 4 times a night to visit the bathroom.

Thanks again on the refresher course. It's amazing what we have to figure out ourselves--often hit or miss--in order to survive more or less okay in our fibro world. (I'm still working on the elimination diets for IBS. You wouldn't believe how many foods do not trigger mine.)
 
From the sounds of it, NY Farmwife, you're one of the most battle-hardened warriors among us. I can only imagine what it must have been like to navigate fibromyalgia decades back - and you're so right that many doctors are still shockingly unsympathetic to those who really need their help. But the advantages we have now certainly make me feel humble.

I also didn't get far with the food trigger hunt, despite my best efforts. Still, I hope you continue to find unexpected avenues to explore, and that your chest pains ease up. As for "not such a bad way to go", I think a little dark humour is always gold, even if it's only half funny!
 
I been getting same crushing pains in chest jaw and down left arm for over 20yrs off and on sometimes lasts for weeks been told it's muscles because of it was cardiac would have died years ago very very frightening exactly the same symptoms everytime
 
Yes, I have experienced this. I have had three stress tests, ekgs, etc.. Heart is fine, it is a symptom of my fibromyalgia. It is extremely scary the first time, really uncomfortable when it occurs and I have found the only thing to do is stay calm and wait it out, it does eventually go away. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
 
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