chest pain thought it was a heart attack, has any one else had this

[pennells]

a few weeks ago i went to bed as usual and started getting these chest pains for some time now i have had chest pain , its been so bad that i have been sick with it, , i have had them on and off for some time,this evening it started before i went to bed , and i was up and down for a couple of hours, any way i had to get up again and went down stairs to get a drink , the pain was excruciating and i thought i was having a heart attack, i manage to get to the bottom of the stairs and sat down , i could feel myself passing out, any way i called my hubby and he called 999, they were very good , got me into hospital very quickly, i had all the tests done on my heart and everything was ok, they have told me that its the fibro ,its were all the muscles tighten up in the chest, was wondering if any one else had had this , thanks for reading this , i send all of you my love , we need it , sue xx

[shell27]

iv suffered chest pains and rib pains, my doc put it down 2 fibro or the car crash i had lst year basically i think it's easier 4 them 2 put it down 2 our condtion rather than figurein it out.

hope the pain gets better 4 u x

[Hidden]

Yes, I get this on and off and like you I've been taken to hospital more than once. They never find anything wrong with my heart , and put it down to the Fibro or acid reflux. Blood pressure is normal and ECG shows nothing .

I find it gets worse when I'm stressed so I guess it is to do with the chest muscles, but I also get pain in the breast bone and ribs.

It is really scary and I hope you feel better soon.

Hugs

xx

[Hidden]

I had heart problems 13 yrs ago after the birth of my youngest, I was given beta blockers and a spreay, the spray I couldnt use as I was breast feeding, I had loads of tests but mothing came of them, I still get tightening under my ribs

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hey lally, gentle hugs.

I have heart spray too - Nitrolingual pump spray. I use it at times when my heart kicks off racing all over the place, and when, like now, the pain around my heart, ribs and chest muscles are really bad - but - I only use the spray at night - as it ALWAYS makes me feel unwell and I have to lay down. And sleep blessedly overcomes me.

Thankfully my racing heart spells only last a few hours tops, and the spray settles it right down. Once this pump is finished - I'm hoping my GP will still let me have another one as, despite my heart being normal - it does need help at times. I'm on beta blockers as well - due to high BP and the heart racing along.

Love,

Carol xx

[Hidden]

Hey pennells, gentle hugs.

I'm actually going through the very thing you mention. Even down to pain in the left arm and being unable to breathe. It's been going on a while on and off over the past 3 years but this week has been the very worst "attack" for me. I'm barely able to move for such is the pain. A Couple of years ago I had tests done via bloods and an ECG or two - Plus a few goes inside some sort of machine. Yet all was fine with my ticker. So instead of waiting for someone to tell me it was Mr Fibro upto tricks - I just assumed it was him and will have to put up with the evil son-of-a-guns nastiness!

And like Helen, stress plays a major role when an attack comes on - my chest, ribs and breastbone are all affected - even my neck. Not a pain I want to have again when this one eases back off - but I am never THAT lucky!

Love,

Carol xx

[Mdaisy]

often hunni....its called costochronditis hun....common with fibro x

chronicfatigue.about.com/od...

hope this helps

[Hidden in reply to Mdaisy]

Hey Mdaisy, gentle hugs.

Geez another thing to ad to my ever-growing list of symptoms for Fibromyalgia.

Thanks for the heads up though.

Love,

Carol xx

[Mdaisy in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hun yep my list is growing ever longer too

Gentle hugs back..... M x

[gerry1]

hiya, yes I get this often now, it feels like my chest bone is being ripped from side to side, very slowely, its really really painful, I knew its wasnt a heart attack when it started.

kind regards

gerry

[poshlady6]

hi ive had bad pains like you and had heart tests which were fine but other than the pain which is bad enough ive got an under active thyroid and get tingling in my arms and legs which can make sleeping dificult and at first it was hard when people didnt believe i was ill but to all those doubting people out there if you suffered it you would'nt wish it on anyone it makes life very hard and i have had it 28 years then it was'nt well known but i was lucky i had a doctor who new about it and was great

[Hidden]

After Mri done I was told that I had spondoloyis sorry Bout spelling note it wasn't spondylitis it affects the neck rib cage and plays hell with the. Shoulders and arms I cannot use my arms to lift carry or helpme in anyway holding a laptop or sitting up for to long is a no no my neck needs constant support. The only thing I do in life is my writing and now have to use voice to text which can be amusing with my Zimbabwe. Accent I got so angry the other day that I swore at the laptop told it to f;;;;;; off sorry but had to use the bad word in order l to share the humour. My machine was silent for a fees seconds and then said what was that it was just too funny p

[Hidden]

oh fadedblossom youve made my day, Im always swearing at inanamate objects

[lindarhewitt]

HI, i have been suffering the same chest pains for a long time, i am not able to walk very far before they tighten and i have difficulty breathing.

[Hidden]

Hi yes i had it few weeks ago ithought i was having heart attack then discovered it was another delight og fibro BUT you should always get checked out by your GP anyway just because we all have it does not mean yours is that i asked mty GP and she told me it was all part of it so please so your doctoer to check you out love diddle x

[suejayjay]

I too get this, thought I was having a heart attack last year. But Dr. said heart fine, it was acid reflux, a common side affect with FM and another sure pointer in diognoses apparently. Also high doses of pain killers don't help it!! I take Omeprazole (prescribed by GP) when I can feel an 'attack' coming on and it settles it like magic! Hope you get some relief with medication. My worst experience was when I was in supermarket with full trolly. I thought I was going to pass out. I would have died of embarassment!

Best wishes Sue.

[Hidden]

Hi Pennell I have had the same experience but not as bad as yours, I have woken in the night lately feeling like theres an elephant sitting on my chest its very worrying I am having tests in a few weeks time as BP and Pulse were high last time I saw doc, to be honest I think it was because I was stressed and had a post op wound infection I guess ts another thing for us Fibro sufferers to worry about! I am so glad you were reassured at the hospital and everything was fine Fibro has a lot to answer too take care Sparkie x

[rafiki]

yes me too! have known it was the fibro tho but have beenscared by it too. IT HURTS! mine started after i had pnuemonia.....thought it would go away but it seems fibro likes to add to the list rather than go....now thats just greedy! lol

[Lima6MCT in reply to rafiki]

Snap! Six years ago I managed to spend the last few days of my Turkish holiday in the local clinic with acute double pneumonia, didn't think I'd make it home at one point! After being pumped full with antibiotics it eased off enough to travel home. Within a few hours of being home it was a blues and twos job as the chest pains were horrendous & scary but my ECG was ok. Still got taken to A&E as I'd been so ill in Turkey. They reckoned I'd needed stronger antibiotics & the pains were probably costochondrosis. I've had the pains quite a lot since.

[saluki25]

me too, I have been so bad that I laid on the floor trying to ease the pain as breathing was agony. I was also rushed to hospital, loads of tests and nothing came up, Hvae just read the link mdaisy and found i very useful. I am on naproxin and omeprazole which does help settle it. We have so much to put up, so many parts to this FMS I now can't go out walking without getting chest pains and feeling breathless. hugs and love to all x

[Lidia]

Hi there,

So sorry to hear this, i can relate as i know it can be quite extreme which makes it scary and then being scared makes it even worse. I just lie dowm, do a simple breath awareness practise usin g the out breath to eliminate the pain and then wait......It does go eventually but I do really empathise. It's horrible. Take care and thanks for sharing.

[buddycat]

Hi I am full of empathy for you. It is such a dreadful frightening pain to have. I experienced it several times about five years ago and ended up in hosptial. I was discharged being told it was a muscle near my heart that was in spasm. The following week I had to have an endoscopy and it was horrendous as they didnt offer an sedation and my esophagus went into spasm as the tube/camera was being taken out. The doctor who was doing the endscopy didnt know what was happening and he left the nurses to calm me down. The spasm lasted about 20 minutes with typical heart attack symptoms - crushing pain in centre of chest rising up into the jaw and then down my arm, So the muscle near my heart was in fact the esophagus. I vowed to never have that done again unless they knock me out. I have now developed a swallowing problem and my doctor has asked me to have an endoscopy and assured me they would sedate me heavily. The hospital has refused that level of sedation and so I am having a barium swallow test instead. The whole digestive process involves muscles and I was discussing this with a fellow fibro mate last night. She had seen a mystery diagnosis programme recently on Achalasia which I googled. Sorry I do not have the website link but there are some interesting articles on web. However It is always wise to check out chest pains with the doctor even though we the patient usually have more knowledge than the regular GP. Gentle hugs to all fibromites xxx

[Huggybear16]

Yeah hunny I get it too it's called chostochondritis and it's quite frightening but a related condition to fibro x

[pennells]

thanks all for your reply's, it sounds as if this is a common thing with fibro, i was so scared, i have read some of your reply's and some have said they get tingling in there arms and hands , this is something that i have been getting recently, its new, and i thought it might have been circulation problems. i would like to ask if you all feel so down , i do my life has been turned upside down for the last four years and i see no end to it, i was always full of life but now i am in pain , getting swollen ankles and feeling like crap most of the time, i have no get up and go anymore,yet my mind wants to do so much, thanks again everyone , thinking of you all out there , suexxxx

[Waterlily]

@ Pennels: On several occasions I have also been carted off to hospital suffering severe chest pains, unable even to breathe without experiencing excruciating pain with each inhalation, and accompanied by a number of the classic heart attack symptoms - clamminess, pain in jaw, down arms, and nausea. On one occasion, I was in a shopping centre and the pain made me pass out so quickly, that I literally landed flat on my face, causing a massive bruise on my forehead and eye.- and another trip to hospital.

I also suffer with IBS and on each of these blue light trips, I have tried to tell the docs at the time that I believed it was my IBS that was the problem, not my heart, but of course you go through the embarrassing process of having negative results before they scratch their heads and discharge you a few hours later saying see your gp if it comes back! The last occasion this occurred, I really was in a lot of trouble, unable to get a breath, and an ECG showed my heart spiking with each pain. This time however, the A&E doc paid attention to what I was saying and what I felt was the problem. I was given IV Buscopan (fairly new on the market at the time) and within an hour the pain was going and after 2 hours I felt fine. Unfortunately, I was also alone, as everyone else had left the room! It was a little disconcerting to be seen arriving back home fine having had the neighbourhood watch the ambulance drama earlier.

Trapped gas can cause all the symptoms of heart attack, Pennels, and your story sounds so similar to mine, I wonder if that may be worth pursuing. I now keep a pack of Buscopan tablets on hand just in case, and I have never again been carted off to hospital now for the problem since 2006. Buscopan is available from your doc and over the counter, but you must be sure when taking it that IBS is the problem. I can usually quickly identify when I need to take it nowadays - it can have mildly unpleasant side effects if you overestimate your symptoms and dont really need it, but you learn quickly!

I hope you get to 'the bottom' of you symptoms soon. Best wishes.

[anneoflincs]

go and see your gp and ask him to investigate - I was also rushed to hospital with the same symptoms and after being kept in overnight I was diagnosed with angina and sent home with a gtn spray. My gp was not convinced as my heart , ecg etc were all normal after the attack. He sent me for ultrasound on my chest and stomach and was told I had gall stones. I have now had my gall bladder removed (keyhole) and after years of problems with IBS, indigestion, frequent attacks of pain as you initially describe I am now free from the 'heart attack' symptoms. Gallstones mimmick heart attacks.

[pennells]

thank youso much for taking the time to reply, this surtanly sounds a problem with fibro, i must say that i think i have ibs andd had it for years , i have always had problems, i will mention to my doc about it when i next see her, i have noticed that i get it in the evenings mostly and after i take my meds, so you may be right , thank you again , sue xx

[Hidden]

Hi even tho it seems a lot of us get chest pain I would always say to get checked out at dr & hospital to rule out anything serious. I used to have Lidnocaine infusions & was lying on bed in hospital having already mention to consultant I had been having chest pains on & off for about 2 years he didn't even examine me just said its the Fibro. During the 8 hour drip of Lidnocaine the pains started getting worse n my blood pressure kept rising during hourly check ups the nurse said you don't look very well & I said no don't feel great do she said lets turn drip off for an hour n see how u feel then. I hadnt told her my chest pains were really bad at this point but when she returned n heart rate n BP were all over the place & she said you don't look good at all I told her she was a bit angry with me for not saying, but think we all have do many pains n symptoms we just put it down to fibro. At this point all hell let loose nurses Dr's taking ECG I was given Morphine which I wasn't on at that time & other drugs & was really scared, it was the 1 day I had said to my mom

Not to visit too as it was a 3 hour journey for her to get go hospital on bus & she had plans to go out on night that I didn't want her to cancel. After endless tests it was discovered I had a massive Angina attack was put on Statin, strong Blood Pressure tabs also put on Beta Blockers & had GTN spray. After a course if years without similar attacks houghton still pain which I put down to fibro I was discharged. Over the last few months I have been suffering a lot if stress as my boyfriends sister & very good friend if mine comitted suicide taking her 1 yr old son with her, 6 months after having to give birth to s gorgeous 7 month old still born

Little girl. So along with the grief of my own I am tryi g to help my bf who now has not one relative at all living, he also his 4 yr d son on Xmas day in a terrible accident at home & he now feels everyone he lives he loses & part of him

Wants to b with them. My depression is really bad & I'm waiting got appointment with councillor & chest pains have been bad for weeks but keep putting it down to fibro again but know I need to get it checked out sorry for waffling on its just sometimes easier with people you don't know .

Anyways plz if in any doubt see your dr they would rather u went & it was the fibro than didn't & it b something more serious they could b treating

Sorry if there are any words that don't make sense in this oat I type fast but sometimes my iPhone drops In rogue words best if luck & hope you get dome relief from

TNE psi s soon karen xxx

[Hanni]

Is there anything that can help/stop this? My boyfriend is going throught the same thing.

[Dianejack]

Hi I suffer the same with my Fibro and chest pain I was wondering did they give u any meds to ease the pain