Bad chest pains for over a year...who to see? what to do?

L

linkinparkltd

New member
I've only recently gotten together enough money to see a doctor for an ongoing and annoying health issue that I think I've diagnosed as costochronditis on my own (thanks, Dr. Google).

Description: deep, aching and wrenching chest pains that hit in waves of 30 seconds each for a morning or evening, relieved only by laying flat on my stomach, taking and holding in a deep breath and only sometimes by taking anti-inflammatories (specifically, Motrin). They radiate out to my back (a good, firm hand on my back usually feels good) and up in my jaw. They're not precipitated by physical activity. They've been happening typically an evening or two every two weeks for a year. It almost seems related to my cycle.

It's not acid, as antacid products have no effect. I don't believe it's heart related. It's also not gallbladder-related, as I was able to have an ultrasound done, which showed no problems. I am a healthy, albeit overweight twentysomething female.

For the ultrasound, I saw my GP, who was completely useless and basically threw up his arms and referred me to another GP (at which point I gave up seeking help for this). But it's bothering me lately and I don't think I should deal with such overbearing pain for no reason. So what kind of doctor do I make an appointment with--one who deals with stomachs (as it could be an esophageal problem)? Muscles? Backs? Do I try another GP? I don't have a lot of money to waste on wading through fifty doctors to find one who might know what's going on with me.

In the meantime, how do I alleviate this pain? It's so deep inside my chest that there's not much I can do, and every so often (yesterday and today included) when they hit at work there's not much I can do except grit my teeth and bear it. Does anyone else have this problem and can you provide any insight? I'd really appreciate some commiseration.
 
Wow...after reading your post, I think I may have found my answer to the intermittent chest pains that I've been suffering from for over 6 years! I honestly had never heard of costochronditis before, but after doing some online searching...and comparing symptoms and such, it seems like this could possibly be what my problem is.

The chest pain episodes that I've experienced all generally last between 6-10 minutes long. They occur at random times...in the car, sitting at my desk at work, riding my motorcycle, while shopping, at the gym but not during extreme exertion, etc. There seems to be no real pattern as to when the pain occurs. My last episode happened roughly a month ago, while I was at the gym. I had just finished running on the treadmill, and had gotten on a stationary bike to just pedal a bit as a cooldown. I'd like to clarify that I'm in decent shape, exercise daily, and participate in triathlon events...so it's not like I'm a couch potato or anything like that. The run was a "normal" run for me, I did not feel any discomfort, pain, or out of breath during my run. I started pedaling on the bike, while reading a magazine when suddenly...BAM!...out of nowhere this incredible chest pain hits me. Felt like I was being squeezed in a giant vice. The pain literally took my breath away. No matter what I did, it did not lessen the pain. All I could do was to just sit there on the bike, as still as possible, trying to keep my body relaxed until the pain stopped. Every episode I've ever had basically is the same as I've just described. Feels like a heart attack. But then I'm guessing that if it was, the pain would not have stopped...which it always does. I read that there is some kind of test that can be taken to show inflammatory markers, which might be an indication of a condition such as this. I think I'll mention this to my doctor at my next visit.
 
I have had this issue since I was in high school, I just recently learned that it had a name. When I was in the ER for it, my doc just said to take Aleve. It used to help so I recommend it, but now I need something a bit stronger. For me it the pain needs to flair the most when I eat too much salt (salty foods, junk foods, processed foods) too many greasy foods (fast foods), or when I am under stress. Recently the stress is a big factor in my flairs, because I am in college and under stress. Not too many people understand what is going on, or that there are not treatments for it. The classic response I get is "can't your see a chiropractor for that?", honestly I don't know if seeing a chiropractor would help. It doesn't seem like many docs know what this is or what to do about it. When I went to the ER back in high school with this, they ran an EKG on me to make sure my heart was good (it was and still is), asked me about anxiety (to see if I was having panic attacks), and did an
X-Ray to see if I had any kind of bone damage ( I didn't), so I sat in the ER, went through all those tests, and all they said was to take Aleve (if you are looking for the generic, its called Naproxen Sodium). I actually found the term for this via WebMd ( I appreciate it too), and did some googling. Basically the only help out there is taking OTC pain relievers, Antidepressants, Steroids, or Muscle Relaxers. Supposedly there is some kind of injection you can get too into the muscle of the ribcage, I don't know much about that, couldn't find much via google. As for me, to get anything better that the OTC pain relievers, I would have to go to the doc's and have all new tests run, but that won't happen for a long time, I'm uninsured. So if you have insurance, or really good insurance, it might be best to go to the Doc's..Otherwise, try Aleve.
 
So you said that you found out what this problem is called...but you never mentioned it in your post. Can you share that info? I'd love to have a "name" to go with some of my ailments...lol
 
I had similar pains for years, even went to the ER a few times thinking it was my heart. A friend told me to try making myself burp and sure enough that relieved the pressure in my chest (which went through to my back). This pain usually wakes me at night and I have to sit up and try to burp (sometimes 4 or 5 times) but it always works. I hope your problem is this simple.
 
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