Sharp, breath taking, chest pain.. anyone else?

[Lauramary]

Hello everyone!

I haven’t as of yet been formally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia but it was mentioned by a GP after an A&E visit a month or so ago.
I have been having severe back, hip and chest pains since early September of this year. Initially it was thought to be kidney stones or my fibroids playing a part in it. Whilst waiting for scans and a referral to a gynaecologist I had a severe onset of left side chest pains. This isn’t new for me. I have been having these for about five years now? When it was looked at before I was told it was musco-skeletal and that due to a heart operation I had when I was 18 (I am now 33) where my sternum was broken, it’s probably that.
I took myself to A&E a month ago when these pains came on of an evening, leaving me unable to inhale a deep breath and in such pain for two days thereafter. I have been diagnosed with bradycardia and junctional rhythm a few years ago and I have an odd tendency to get blood clots for an unknown reason. I had two DVTs when I was younger. So naturally, I worry that chest pains mean something serious.
Five hours later and a few scans and blood tests, no clots, no concerns for my heart or lungs (XRAY, bloods and ECG dependant). This doctor then said he believes it could be fibromyalgia and has referred me to a rheumatologist. My appointment for that is in February.

I guess my question to everyone is; as those who suffer with fibromyalgia, alongside all the other aches and pains, do any of you experience these chest pains? The best way I can describe is; it comes on suddenly and it feels like a knife is going through the left side of chest, almost behind my breast but the top part. It stops me in my tracks, I have to verbally indicate the pain, it’s that severe. It last approximately 15-30 seconds and I struggle to take a deep breath in. There after, I have a dull ache for a few days in that same spot and on my back (again, like a knife has gone directly through and out the other side) I still struggle to do a deep breath in and I feel lethargic from it, like my body has gone through something physically exerting.

I have read of the back pains, the hip pains, headaches, neck and general chest area pains for Fibro but wondered if this was common for sufferers?

I have had Zapain, tramadol and naproxen prescribed to me for the collections of pains but none have touched it. I have now been prescribed Amitriptyline, so seeing how that fairs! I know it’s said to take 4-6 weeks to relieve pain, I’m only a week in. The overall pain for me has meant that I have struggled to sleep through the night as the hip and chest pain wake me up though the night. I am constantly in a stage of fatigue. I can’t do long car journeys driving because the pain and nausea kick in. It’s really affected my day to day life. I feel like am slowly losing who I am due to this pain, hoping some of you can relate!

 

[Auriel]

Hun I'm gonna call @JayCS over cos there's a chest condition I can't pronounce (or spell) that a few of the forum members have had ( i honestly dont know if it's that or not?) either way, welcome to the forum ️ (you do have a lot going on heathwise, so take care) ️️

 

[PANOWLCHAP]

HELP, I TRYED TO TYPE THE LINK SO THAT IT WASN'T A LINK. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

 

[JayCS]

as those who suffer with fibromyalgia, alongside all the other aches and pains, do any of you experience these chest pains?
wondered if this was common for sufferers?

Yes and yes! (Hi Lauramary!)

comes on suddenly and it feels like a knife is going through the left side of chest, almost behind my breast but the top part. It stops me in my tracks, I have to verbally indicate the pain, it’s that severe. It last approximately 15-30 seconds and I struggle to take a deep breath in. There after, I have a dull ache for a few days in that same spot and on my back (again, like a knife has gone directly through and out the other side) I still struggle to do a deep breath in and I feel lethargic from it, like my body has gone through something physically exerting.

Often it can be dull pain working up beforehand, too, but slow, so easier to ignore, then the stabs may wake us up to it and after it it may be the physical exertion of the pain (which is more fibromyalgia-like).
I once had it so bad as a lad (from hour long bad sitting posture) that the rib muscles seized up and when I laid down to try to ease it, it was already too late, I couldn't breathe at all for what seemed like hours, probably 30 seconds. I thought I was going to die. (If I'd've fainted, that cramp would have resolved, I realized decades later, but I still count it to my 3 almost dying moments...)

he believes it could be fibromyalgia and has referred me to a rheumatologist. My appointment for that is in February.

A severe local pain like this can be part of fibromyalgia, and your feeling of exertion after the pain might be an indication, but it can just be a local pain or collection of them on their own. Whatever, if everything else has been excluded it doesn't matter what it comes from, it just needs to be treated singly - gently.

call @JayCS over cos there's a chest condition I can't pronounce (or spell) that a few of the forum members have had ( i honestly dont know if it's that or not?)

Costochondritis, rib muscle inflammation (thanks for the call, Auriel ! )
I have had it as said since youth, and still always have to watch out. A pretty wonky spine doesn't help. I would suggest whether it's that or not to have a look at youtube exercises for it. If you're directly in the main pain flare the stretches and pressing would need to be very gentle, but can be done regularly (hourly) all the same, praps just a few seconds. Starting very low and increasing slowly. Till you've gotten a sense for what your body needs.

I do this very successfully for every local pain, I just have to work at every one diligently. Like during a walk just now 5 came up: mainly 1 knee, then both feet, and both elbows, which I resolved all of by twist-stretch-walking, that is twisting each limb while walking. At the end of the walk I'd got them down again, didn't need to stop. I've had a rib one coming up a few times lately, working on that by pressing and doing more isometric back exercises.
(It's the overall Ache after exertion that's harder to come by.... but it seems not everyone with fibro has that.)

 

[Lauramary]

Hi Jay!
Thanks so much for the reply! I will certainly have a look at this, watch some videos and put it in to practice when the pains start to flare up. Have you found, alongside the movements, any particular painkillers have helped to keep it at bay or have you managed it with the exercises alone?

 

[sunkacola]

HELP, I TRYED TO TYPE THE LINK SO THAT IT WASN'T A LINK. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

If you put an outside link into your post the link will either be edited out, or your post will be deleted.

If you type in the website address it will always show up as a direct link.
The only way to do it is to post other words, words that are not actually in the link, that will lead a person to that website if they type them into a search bar.
In this particular case, you could just say "Go to the Mayo clinic website and search there".
Thank you.

 

[Auriel]

Jay's a genie he's actually a guru (it sais on his status)

 

[JayCS]

Thanks so much for the reply! I will certainly have a look at this, watch some videos and put it in to practice when the pains start to flare up. Have you found, alongside the movements, any particular painkillers have helped to keep it at bay or have you managed it with the exercises alone?

Painkillers don't work for me, plus they harm my skin and dull me, so I have no alternative than to do all this with exercises, acupressure, massager. I do take lots of supps that are supposed to help pain, but I don't think any substances would work for me, that's my experience .
In acute/severe cases: heat and/or cold, "arnica cream" or what else works to rub in.

 

[JayCS]

I TRYED TO TYPE THE LINK SO THAT IT WASN'T A LINK. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

Well, apparently it was still too much like a link and the forum software still saw its link character.
I've actually never had a problem with pulling a link apart.
Take your "Curcumin ES™ Veg Capsules" by e-tyh for example,
here I've put in spaces for all the punctuation and it's under the radar of the software: https www e-tyh com Curcumin-ES™-60-Veg-Capsules_p_196 html
same goes for forum trigger words like L D N or go ogle...

 

[JayCS]

in spaces for all the punctuation

Or here: just a space after each punctuation mark rather than removing it:
https:// www. e-tyh. com/ Curcumin-ES™-60-Veg-Capsules_p_196. html

This is of course a bit impractical to mark and copy.
But naming the company like you tried with "To Your Health" is misleading if there are several, like in this case.
And telling someone to search on a specific website themselves in many cases will waste their time (depending on the size of the website and topic).

So best here is something like <e-tyh Curcumin-ES™-60-Veg-Capsules>
That's the website name in the link, before com etc., and then the page name in the link.

From sunkacola's remark it sounds as if you may have been linking to "mayoclinic's costochondritis" page. The way I've put that illustrates the above, because I haven't written Mayo Clinic, but mayoclinic, like in the link. Someone just has to mark and copy the bold type (even with the 's) and the right link(s) will usually come up first in the search engine without having to search again on the website, which is usually much worse than a good search engine like duckduckgo.

For both sides more complicated would be to take the domain apart, but this would be quickest: mayoclinic.org and then separated
diseases-conditions/costochondritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20371175
cos I haven't removed all punctuation marks.

 

[nikkozoo]

Yes, I have had this. First time was very frightening and went to the emergency room, definitely thought I was having a heart attack. After being checked out and later doing a heart stress test, etc., heart was fine. Additional testing showed clear arteries, no buildup. I've had fibro for 20+ years and every now and then get the chest pain, stops you in your tracks, you don't even want to breathe. I just wait for it to diminish which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. I started keeping a journal several years ago, keeping track of all symptoms, activity, food, pain level, etc.. This has helped me to really know my body and what is fibro pain and what is not. You need to get anything checked out which is different or new. I know, we all get tired of those doctor appointments and emergency room visits, but that's the hand we have been dealt. Good luck, hope you feel better.

 

[JayCS]

First time was very frightening and went to the emergency room, definitely thought I was having a heart attack. After being checked out and later doing a heart stress test, etc., heart was fine. Additional testing showed clear arteries, no buildup.

Ah, forgot, me too, yonks ago, an afternoon of fun and games in a crowded waiting room. I didn't think it was one, but my wife.
At the time no plaque, no suspicion. But 15 years on, check-ups as spin-off from fibro showed I'm pretty high risk: CVD on mother's side, lipids high, probably from fibro: blood pressure up ...

 

[JayCS]

in a crowded waiting room. I didn't think it was one, but my wife.

Ehm: my wife feared it was a heart attack, I didn't. Everyone thought the room crowded.

 

[30 plus years]

I'm not sure, but I suffered from very painful costochondritis for years, for no apparent reason. My rib cage hurt all over and I could barely touch my sternum. Everywhere I went I carried a pillow just to sort of lean into, and I had a lawn chair that worked to sit in because it tilted back.

 

[30 plus years]

Forgot to mention pains in chest were sharp, knife-like, and at times it really hurt to breathe