Intense chest pains

[Scout]

Does anyone else get sudden chest pains, in the centre of their chest?

I had such a bad episode of that this morning. It only lasts around 10 seconds, but it was very painful and sharp. Almost a "wriggling" sensation, if that makes sense, but stabbing. 

I took some aspirin just to be safe, and feel OK now. But I get this happen fairly often. Usually the pain is duller, however. It is the sharp pains that startle me. 

My cardiologist is never worried when I mention this. He says it is most likely muscle pain, or, some short lived pain from my heart mitral valve, which is prolapsed. It still takes me off guard, however.

Just looking for some comfort, really, and seeing how many others experience this.

Have a lovely day. 

 

 

[Jwarrior77]

Yes I get really sharp pains in my heart as well. I can also get dull pains and burning pains too. If it only happens once and briefly I usually brush it off and don't think about it but its when they last a long time or keep coming back when I start to get worried. Most of the time the worry isn't needed though as heart attacks present differently. If you can pinpoint the location of the pain it's usually harmless.

It's just the sheer uncomfort and pain that is worrying for me and what is really causing it. I also get really sharp pains right underneath my left ribcage away from my heart. 

To be honest I don't know what really causes it but I wish I knew. I don't believe that anxiety is the culprit as a lot of the times it just comes out of no where without me being anxious at all. However whatever it is it's most likely nothing to worry about. 

Here's a good video that explains heart pains and how to differentiate when it's an actual medical emergency: https://youtu.be/e-Iw_EKz8TI

 

Hope you are doing better now and pain free!

[Pistol]

@Scout - yes, I get these sharp pains in the middle of my chest. In my case they have diagnosed them as esophageal spasms, since I do have GERD. I also have Prinzmetal angina, which is a rare condition that causes the coronary blood vessels to constrict. This feels definitely different than the esophageal pain: it is a squeezing, tight pain in my left chest that sometimes radiates into my neck or down my left arm and it can lst quite a while. The esophageal spasms usually only last a few minutes. Since your cardiologists are not concerned about the pain maybe you want to consult a gastroenterologist? Reflux disease can cause this pain aa well as many other unpleasant symptoms and can easily be controlled by medication and diet. Another sign of GERD can be frequent burping, heartburn and bloating. 

[Sushi]

18 hours ago, Scout said:

My cardiologist is never worried when I mention this. He says it is most likely muscle pain, or, some short lived pain from my heart mitral valve, which is prolapsed. It still takes me off guard, however.

Is your cardiologist open to further investigation? If it were me I'd want to find out the cause--even though it is most likely totally benign. Having just had a mitral valve repair for severe regurgitation (discovered in a routine echocardiogram) I am alert for any symptoms that are unexplained. 

[p8d]

I get them randomly too.  Cardiologist isn’t worried.  It lasts 15-20 minutes unpredictability but more so if I have been upright for longer than 10-15 minutes.

[Pistol]

I read in an article about POTS that chest pains in POTS often are caused by a change in circulation in the chest from vasoconstriction or vasodilation. 

[Scout]

On 1/13/2020 at 8:41 PM, Pistol said:

@Scout - yes, I get these sharp pains in the middle of my chest. In my case they have diagnosed them as esophageal spasms, since I do have GERD. I also have Prinzmetal angina, which is a rare condition that causes the coronary blood vessels to constrict. This feels definitely different than the esophageal pain: it is a squeezing, tight pain in my left chest that sometimes radiates into my neck or down my left arm and it can lst quite a while. The esophageal spasms usually only last a few minutes. Since your cardiologists are not concerned about the pain maybe you want to consult a gastroenterologist? Reflux disease can cause this pain aa well as many other unpleasant symptoms and can easily be controlled by medication and diet. Another sign of GERD can be frequent burping, heartburn and bloating. 

If you don't mind me asking, what does the pain from Prinzmetal Angina feel like? And how did you get it diagnosed? 

The pain in my chest is in the centre of the chest and slightly to the left, very sharp, pressure, squeezing feeling. Only short lived, though. Sometimes, up to 20 seconds or so, and occasionally in intervals. Usually when at rest. 

The episode I had a couple of days ago made my heart race straight after it happened, which could just be a response to the pain. I'm not sure entirely. 

[Scout]

On 1/14/2020 at 4:29 AM, Sushi said:

Is your cardiologist open to further investigation? If it were me I'd want to find out the cause--even though it is most likely totally benign. Having just had a mitral valve repair for severe regurgitation (discovered in a routine echocardiogram) I am alert for any symptoms that are unexplained. 

I have mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation which we monitor (it is not severe enough for me to have surgery, but he said I may need it in the future), but he seems so casual about the chest pains. I'm "young" (31), so he just says how young I am and not to worry, and when I was 26, I had a cardiac CT scan to look at my arteries, which he told me were all good and 100% open. 

I'd like more investigations because something just doesn't feel right when these pains happen. I know when it's muscle pain, but this feels different, if that makes sense. 

[Pistol]

4 hours ago, Scout said:

If you don't mind me asking, what does the pain from Prinzmetal Angina feel like? And how did you get it diagnosed? 

@Scout Prinzmetal angina - for me - is a tight, heavy pain right at the heart and it radiates up my left neck and at times down my left arm. Sometimes it is accompanied by mild shortness of breath. I have Raynauds syndrome in my toes, which means the venes spasm and constrict to where there is no longer any circulation and they turn blue. Prinzmetal is the exact same mechanism, only in the heart. I have an inverted T-wave in my EKG which is chronic but can mean that there is muscle death in the heart, so my cardiologist did a heart cath. That is when he discovered the angina b/c the coronary vessel that the catheter was in spasmed and they could see it. I took a nitro patch for a while but since I started with weekly ( and more if needed ) IV fluids I no longer get the pain and stopped the nitro. That - IMO - is proof that the IV fluids do more for POTS than just hydration ( as so many sceptics believe ). If the increased blood volume from the fluids can prevent excessive vasoconstriction then it is obviously a more complicated matter for POTS sufferers. I have hyperadrenergic POTS which causes excessive vasoconstriction which in turn causes high BP, tachycardia and orthostatic intolerance as well as sooooo many other miserable symptoms, all of which have improved with the fluids. 

Sorry about the rant but I am just so frustrated about physicians that refuse to even TRY IV fluids for POTS when it is obviously effective. 

[Sushi]

13 hours ago, Scout said:

I have mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation which we monitor (it is not severe enough for me to have surgery, but he said I may need it in the future)

I had mild prolapse and regurgitation most of my life and had figured it would stay that way. But I am no longer young and it did change and require surgery so it is just something to keep an eye on and it looks like your cardiologist is doing that.