Tightness In My Throat And Chest

[mjan]

Ok ok.. I know I am out of shape.. BIG time..but today took a short walk. Immediately my neck/carotid got tight..along with my chest. I have never had this before and I know some of you have. Seems I am adding new symptoms on over the years that are progressive.

I see my POTS doc in July... the new Gastro doc this week for an ENDOSCOPIC exam as I have been having trouble swallowing. Seems that is related to my ACID REFLUX/hiatal hernia problem.ITs so bad that it scarring my throat and probaby my esophgus.. Is that related to the tightness in my neck/chest?

I DO NOT Have any burning..heartburn.. cannot tell. BUT its part of my POTS symptoms when I get these "episodes" where my HR/BP skyrocket then I lose control of my ability to remain alert..cannot move arms/legs..or talk..BUT.. I CAN HEAR!!! Ever heard of such a thing?

And.. get this: Met a new doc for my sleep study.. a pulmonologist.. who wants to help me with my LEGS.. go figure. He seems to be an expert with RESTLESS LEG syndrome..which he said I techinically dont have. He knows alot about leg problems..but my tightness and pain..buzzing..tremors CAN be treated by this Parkinson drug which he prescribed which I dislike. It keeps me UP at night now.. go figure..then it leaves me in a fog..more than usual I mean. Well... he means well.. and has my best interest at heart.

So.. just curious as to why my neck/chest got sooo dang tight.. I could hardly breathe.. BP/HR wa ok when I got back.

Jan

[janiedelite]

Hi Jan,

Sorry you're having to deal with this new symptom! I think any symptom that's new to you, especially something that could signify a more serious problem, deserves to be looked at by your doctor. I remember last August when this shortness of breath and tight chest feeling kicked in for me. I described it to my PCP as feeling like I was breathing through a straw, like every breath in and out took more effort. I'd had it on and off for about a week and decided for peace of mind to have it checked out. I went to an urgent care clinic first thing after they opened so I didn't have to wait around and they did an ECG, chest x-ray, BP, and listened to my chest. Of course, it was all normal except for the noticeable change in heartrate from lying (when they took the ECG) to just sitting (when the tech took my initial BP/HR). And my BP was high-ish (140's/90) sitting. At this time last year, I was seeing so many doctors for various symptoms all with the answer of "I don't know, maybe you should see my associate..." I just chalked it up to my mystery illness which I now know is POTS.

Now I just know that when I do anything that causes more pooling this symptom is worse, like getting too warm, doing too much, and some days it's there no matter what I do. At first, it was rather disconcerting, though. Since these symptoms can be a sign of more serious issues, it's always good to just get it checked out as soon as possible.

I know you probably can't get into your doctor today, but does your insurance cover an urgent care visit? Take care and I hope you feel better soon, Janie

[all4family]

Hi Jan,

So sorry that you are having a hard time. I do get that also, and it is really difficult to deal with. I usually get it with numbness right before I faint. I agree with Janie that maybe you should have this symptom checked out. Especially because it is new. I know for me I have a tendancy to blame it all on POTS, and put it in that big ol' pot, (pun intended!) but it might be better just to have a doc say everything else is a-ok! And that comes from me the doctor phobe!!! Ha Ha! I hope you get to feeling better real soon, and let us know how it goes. Even when I am not able to post I jump on and off, and just check on the people on here. So please let me know what you find out if you do. Take care.

Hugs

Suzy

[shoe]

Hi Jan,

My tightness is usually centered in my chest and right over my collarbone (and tends to be associated with scratchiness or like something in my throat swelled... down at thyroid level... really low) and I suppose it could be a reflux issue (had you eaten before the walk? Then... Don't they tell people with GERD to walk and sit up after eating? Hmm...) but I think Suzy is right that it might be worth an urgent care visit. (And like Suzy, I'm one to talk... "Oh, my heart is beating 200 times a minute and I can't stand up straight... well... I'm not dead or on the floor twitching, so I guess it can wait till my visit in three months.") But there's a whole lot of truth to patients (and doctors) who have (or know about) a pre-existing condition and the tendency to chalk new symptoms up to it.

I just wanted to chime in about the sleep doc, actually. I've had lots of fun times with sleep doctors. Heh. Actually, I've been lucky and had some great ones. I am not sure what he's treating you with -- I know Mirapex (often used for RLS) is supposed to be pretty good with muscle pain. I've taken Requip for that same reason (I don't have RLS, but some doctor somewhere down the line saw I took Requip months after I stopped, and then wrote I had RLS in my records. I have more diagnoses for disorders I have never had symptoms of in my records than is even remotely funny). The Requip wasn't great for the pain, but it was pretty good at knocking me out for at least a small portion of the night (I wake up all night long... Last sleep study showed 38 arousals an hour. None attributable to sleep disordered breathing or periodic limb movements. I just snap awake when I start to go into deeper stage sleep. Lucky me.) I think Mirapex is the preferred one for dealing with pain though.

shoe

[mjan]

Yes of course I would go to Urgent care or ER but.. I AM ON VACATION !!! And I was fine once back in my room.. BP/HR all within very nomal limits.. no tachy.

I think its this GERD problem..so much pressure.. yet NO HEART BURN.. I can only feel some little pressure in my neck I think is the heartburn.

I am still being diagnosed with sleep study.. with my 2nd testing being arranged. Some think I have Narcolepsy with Cateplexy. This NEW pulmonologist does not think so and neither do I. Unlike other docs who dont listen or know what to do.. HE is so agressive. He is sure I have some kind of neuropathy in my legs...causing the buzzing..internal tremors and tingling. NOW I have pain which I never had before. NOW I have terrible stiff muscles in my whole back..with spasms..and terrible muscle fatigue with pain. Of course everything nails it as FIBROMYALGIA. Who cares.. I just dont want to drag my legs around.. I NEED to walk and exercise.. as I am sooo out of shape.

I dont have the serious POTS symptoms most of you have. I have an increase in BP/HR when I am at rest sitting quietly.. usually after eating..not when I stand..but have had 2 postivie TTTs.

This gets so confusing but I am grateful for 3 agreesive..caring docs in my life.

Thanks for your responses and support...yeah.. even my buddy Suzy

Jan

[erikainorlando]

Just my 2 cents .... I have such pain and tightness in my chest (not always but often enough especially if I have been up too long). Like Shoe it is in the center of my chest about 2 inches from my collar bone and frequently goes up my neck.

My throat seems to swell...I get hoarse.. I was tested for GERD etc.....nothing!! It goes away after I lay down for a while. I would give anything to know why I get this pain....you know physiologically what happens...is is the lack of blood?

Before my POTS diagnosis I was at the ER (one of the times!) and I kept insisting they xray my chest and neck....finally I was in so much pain they gave me pain meds....

Good luck...Erika

[shoe]

Just my 2 cents .... I have such pain and tightness in my chest (not always but often enough especially if I have been up too long). Like Shoe it is in the center of my chest about 2 inches from my collar bone and frequently goes up my neck.

My throat seems to swell...I get hoarse.. I was tested for GERD etc.....nothing!! It goes away after I lay down for a while. I would give anything to know why I get this pain....you know physiologically what happens...is is the lack of blood?

Before my POTS diagnosis I was at the ER (one of the times!) and I kept insisting they xray my chest and neck....finally I was in so much pain they gave me pain meds....

Good luck...Erika

OMG. YES YES YES! The swelling and hoarseness. When I lie back at an angle (less than 45 degrees) everything in my life gets better. Not great, but better. But most definitely the first things to feel better are the hoarseness and tickling/swelling feelings. Then my brain becomes slightly more cooperative. And it definitely is something that is a sign I've pushed a little too hard.

Jan... They've been working up to this point with me at the sleep place with a diagnosis of narcolepsy/hypersomnia spectrum disorder. Narcolepsy's a hard one to nail, my sleep doc said, unless a doctor sees you have an obvious cataplexy attack. And those are hardly ever obvious. He didn't think it was worth bothering with an MSLT because it doesn't always prove much, and from the frequent inexplicable awakenings on my overnight, it was pretty obvious that I'm tired and the MSLT would definitely point to a hypersomnia and probably even narcolepsy (whether it was true narcolepsy or just sleep deprivation), so it was kind of pointless to make me stop taking stimulants (which are the only things that keep me mildly functioning) to get a reading.

Seeing as narcolepsy is basically a disorder where your brain flips the "sleep/wake" switch randomly, I'm wondering if it's possible a dysautonomia can do the same thing -- you know, maybe there's nothing wrong with the orexin-A in our brains, but the dysregulation just messes with that area.

Speaking of which, switch just flipped for me. Time for bed. (Yes, I got up an hour ago and took 54 mg of Concerta and 10 mg of Ritalin. Whee.)

[potsgirl]

Jan,

I don't get the same symptomology that you do, but I get tightness and sharp stabbing pains right in the center of my chest. I can either be exercising or at rest. I agree with some of the others that the best position is to lean back in a recliner with you feet up and your body more or less at a 45 degree angle. Also, I've raised my bed 4" and that seems to help as well. I don't get hoarseness, but I get a 'tiny voice', like I hardly have the energy to talk. If you don't want to go in to Urgent Care while on vacation, perhaps you could be seen as soon as you get back? Hope you feel better soon.

Jana