Chest Pain/discomfort

[jump]

Hello all,

I'm just trying to sort out which of my complaints are just a part of POTS and which I have to keep pursuing with a doctor! I have constant chest discomfort, like a weight on my chest. I always figured this was related to my fun heart doing it's fun and crazy things. But recently I was talking to a friend (who has no medical experience, mind you) who said that if it hurts more when I take a deep breath (which it does) then that means there's something wrong with my lungs. So my questions are 1) can POTS-related chest pain increase with breathing? and 2) are there any lung problems associated with POTS that might be causing this symptom?

Thanks! I'm still learning so much about this... it's such a relief to be able to ask questions without worrying people are going to look at you like this hehe. I just discovered those smilies, can anyone tell?

take care,

jump

[flop]

Hi Jump, welcome to the board.

Chest pain that is worse on taking a deep breath can be due to a lung problem, but it is more likely to be due to a musculoskeletal problem. Things like inflammed cartilage between the ribs and breast bone (costochondritis) and pulled muscles between ribs often cause chest pain that is worse on breathing. If you find that you can trigger the pain by pressing on a certain part of your chest then it is much more likely to be musculoskeletal.

It is always best to report new symptoms to your doctor - if they agree that it is nothing serious then you can stop worrying about it.

I don't think that anyone knows enough about POTS to know exactly what symptoms are part of POTS and which are seperate. There do seem to be a lot of board members with problems like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - are they connected? More research is needed!

Flop

[Ernie]

Hi,

Once I fainted and fell on my rid cage and hurt some of my ribs. The pain was worst when I was breathing and the deeper I was breathing the more intense was the pain. It took about 6 weeks to heal.

[jump]

Thanks guys!

I will definitely bring this up with my doc then. Sometimes I'm nervous about bringing something up that is "obviously" POTS because then my doctor just looks at me and says "That's normal for autonomic dysfunction" and I feel silly. I know I need to kind of 'get over' that feeling -- worrying what the doctors think certainly hasn't helped me in the past! -- but it's still reassuring to have a sounding board first.

jump

[lloppyllama]

For me when I take deep breaths it gets worse, but I would still check it out with your doctor just to be sure.

[juliegee]

Hi Jump,

I have this periodically and am also trying to sort it out. I've had costochondritis in the past, but I suspect this is different. It hurts worse when I breathe in. I haven't totally ruled out asthma. Singular and Primatene Mist (OTC epinephrine) seem to help. Minor stress and even standing can trigger mine....so can nothing. I had a spirometry asthma test (while having the chest pain) and sure enough, my lungs weren't working well, about 65%, but albuterol didn't help, so supposedly no asthma. My allergist spoke of another type of asthma test. I think I'm going to ask for that.

If you learn anything about yours, share! Like everything, this has been a tough one to figure out.

Julie

[Megan]

Sometimes my chest pain is severe enough to make breathing difficult...or rather, taking a breath make the pain feel worse. But def. get it checked out with your dr.

Meg

[persephone]

It can be part of Ehlers Danlos. Do you have this? PEople with EDS can get chest pain that resembles angina but which is infact musculo-skeletal.