Sharp stabbing pains in chest

[Sunnydays1982]

Hi everyone! I ve probably asked this before but it’s the asthma symptom that most freaks me out in my case! Does anyone get the stabbing pains in their chest when it’s a bit irritated? My asthma is under control but I just get this from time to time and I don’t really know why if it’s under control? 🤷🏼‍♀️It’s horrible and is quite a scary feeling but my consultant has never said it’s anything other than asthma! 😫 For info I have eosinophilic asthma and am also a non wheezer too!

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi

Is it on your ribs? You may have a touch of costochondritis which is inflammation of where the ribs attach to the sternum, which can be more common in people with resp conditions. But it can be so bad that during flares of costochondritis people can think they are having heart attacks! If you can reproduce the pain when you poke your ribs during the flares etc than this is possibly what’s going on.

Hope this helps

[Sunnydays1982 in reply to EmmaF91]

Funny you should say that as I have suffered from that quite badly over the years on & off! Absolutely horrible! So yes could be a touch of that 😕

[Mogget]

Hi, yes I get chest pain and it varies - sometimes it’ll be a sharp stabbing pain in a specific spot on the left side of my chest which worsens on inspiration and makes it difficult to draw a deep breath. Movement worsens it (so have to stop what I’m doing and breathe shallowly until it goes). Other times it’s more an achy tight band of pain around my chest but doesn’t really inhibit deep breaths. Other times it’s just general dull flutters of pain all over. Sometimes my ribs will be tender to touch which has a name like Emma mentions.

I’ve had a number of ECGs over the years to rule out heart problems so it’s all most likely asthma-related! I seem to experience it more when I’m particularly run-down/fatigued.

I’ve experienced chest pain since I was a teen so very used to it now - just an annoyance to deal with! As if the asthma itself isn’t enough 😫

[Sunnydays1982 in reply to Mogget]

I could have written that myself! That’s exactly how mine is too! Do you take anything or do anything that relieves it a bit? 😕

[Sunnydays1982 in reply to Mogget]

Also do you find these pains are triggered by anything? I find sometimes when I lie on my side with my chest kind of crushed can make it hurt? Also depending on what exercise I do can cause a bit of a strain and the pains! 😫 Although as a non wheezer I wouldn’t have put this down to my asthma but I m wondering of us asthmatics just have a general chest weakness in a number of ways! 😟

[Mogget in reply to Sunnydays1982]

No I don’t take anything but just relax if possible until the pain resolves. With the sharp stabbing one I absolutely have to sit down with my upper half supported and stay still otherwise it gets aggravated. I find fatigue and funny positions (like you say lying with your chest crushed) can be triggers. I also recall laughing hard at school once set the sharp stabbing pain off and I had to sit in a chair until it went! Yes I’ve never been 100% sure it’s related to asthma and no-one’s ever been able to say for sure. Unhelpful GPs when I was a teen would sometimes put it down to anxiety 🙄 Which I only had in the sense of being anxious about the pain and my health in general, and not being taken seriously..! I also have autoimmune problems so don’t know if the pains are linked to that in some way but in my head I’ve always just linked it more to asthma as it’s the chest area 🤷‍♀️

[Sunnydays1982 in reply to Mogget]

Don’t get my started on the anxiety card! Like you I am only ever ‘anxious’ over the symptoms I have!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience....it’s so nice to know other people experience the same. Just resting up trying to relax the symptoms!! 😫

[Mogget in reply to Sunnydays1982]

Yes definitely good to know other people have similar symptoms - I didn’t know of anyone having these chest pains until I joined this forum! Makes you feel less alone and also reassures you that it isn’t all in your head!! Hope you feel better soon 🤞

[Beefull8]

Oh wow this sounds like me! I thought it was my scoliosis but the few years I’ve been diagnosed with asthma and have had these serious chest pains where I need to lie down. I’ve also gone to a cardiologist and done a multitude of tests. I guess I’m not alone. I do notice it gets worse if I do push-upsz

[Sunnydays1982 in reply to Beefull8]

Same here!! I feel any chest exercise makes these pains come back! And I have been doing a few garage workouts just lately involving the chest then with the weather turning colder..maybe the combination of the two leads to disaster!! 😫

[Beefull8 in reply to Sunnydays1982]

Sounds like that could be it! I guess it’s the age old question which came first the chicken (chest pain) or the egg (asthma)?