Severe Chest pain relieved by cold water

[DeBug]

I hope I got the right Forum for this...

I'm a 51 year old male and for the past 16 months I have had a strange pain happen to me at random times.  I call it a "severe flash pain" for lack of a better description. It is located in my chest behind the sternum and slightly to the right (not the heart side).  The pain area radiates about the size of a softball and happens very fast with no or little warning.  I have even been raised from sleep with this pain.  I get it at work, at home, pretty much any time of day.  I can’t seem to nail down what triggers the pain like meal time, too much stress, fatty foods, etc. The weird part is this: I get myself to cold water as fast as I can and drink it quickly.  Almost as fast as the pain arrived…it goes away.  The pain is severe and the rush to find cold water is in panic mode to be sure.  I even had to get a cup out of the trash once since there were none around during an attack!  I don’t think it’s a heart issue but I just don’t know.  I do drink coffee in the mornings, don’t exercise much as I should, but I don’t know if that’s it.

DeBug

[aoah0920]

Hi, so glad to read I am not alone. I am a 24 year old female and I have been having these symptoms since I was about 17. I found out about the water trick early on. For me, the temperature of the water does not matter. I have the pains a little less than once a week, though they were less frequent for the first few years. They happen most often at night while I am sleeping and the pain wakes me up, but they have happened during the day as well. For me, the pain is localized in my chest/lower throat, and is never in my head or ears as some experience. I never thought about it being on the right side until I read some of these posts: it's pretty central, but with just the lingering memory of my most recent attack 20 minutes ago, I would agree that it's slightly located to the right.
Out of fear that one day the water trick will no longer work, I had discussed this with doctors as well. I had a Barium Swallow and an Upper Endoscopy with a Biopsy, and neither one provided any insight, except that the Barium Swallow revealed that the lower part of my throat/esophagus is narrower than normal.
I have long since thought that a few other issues of mine may be linked to the issue: first, when I eat dry food too fast or in an uncomfortable position, it gets stuck in my throat in a pretty scary way until I drink some water. The feeling is a much less and different pain than the attacks, just uncomfortable, and water, with the food-clogged throat, though necessary, is by no means as fast a relief as it is for the sharp pain attacks. Second, when I sit still and quiet after eating a meal or snack, my throat makes lots of rumbly noises occasionally for quite a while, in ways that no one else's does. No pain, just lots of silly gurgling.
I haven't tried super hard, but I haven't found a link to any types of foods. I will try to think about that more, and also any link between dehydration, stress, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol as people have mentioned, though none of those seem probable for me.
I've never thought it relevant, but since people were discussing a possible link to anxiety or panic attacks: I've never had it formally diagnosed (though my parents looked into it when I was younger) but: I have self diagnosed as having a mild form of depersonalization disorder, which I've had symptoms for since I was about 11, though in this case it's gotten slightly better over the years. No other medical conditions for me at this point in my life or in the past.
So glad this forum exits; all my best to all of you, and hopefully we will get some answers soon. -CRA

[Bamahaven]

Interesting to read this thread. I had my 'first attack' of this 25 years ago.  Seriously, thought I was having a heart attck, because the pain was so severe.  It's happened off and on over the years, and I was basically lucky and smart enough to figure out it's relieved by drinking.  Thankfully, didn't have to endure al of the tests.  I do have reflux and although don't have a confirmed diagnosis of hiatal hernia, I'm pretty sure I have one.  Would be interested to know what other thing might correlate, like physique?

[Tuckamore]

Hello and Welcome to this very old but very interesting thread.

I don't believe that Nettietop is still active in our community. Don't let that stop you from adding information or posting questions, As you can see this thread has a life of it's own.

It's interesting that Gas-X  provides some relief. That fact may indicate that it is GI related. It'll be interesting to hear about your results.

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Regards,
~Tuck

[Sstephe2]

Hi NettieTop,

The first time I had this pain I also had urticaria. My allergist thought it was part of whatever was causing my hives, but I have had the pain since with no hives, so I'm not sure. I do think it could be stress related because, as you probably know, having hives is very stressful. I have also noticed that when I have these episodes now my stress level is higher than normal. Water does help but it does not go away immediately. I have also taken Gas-X and this usually relieves it pretty quick. I am planning to go to the Dr.and have this evaluated because it is happening more frequently. I will post here if I get any new information.

[DeBug]

Hi Tuck! Thanks for keeping this thread going. I was confused when I saw BeDug in your post as that seems like a play on my nick of DeBug. I was without insurance since 2009 but finally was in a position to join a plan in January of this year. I'm getting caught up on the testing and such. This has been a strange one for me but I'm glad my doc thinks he has found the problem. There is another test coming to measure the pressure during swallowing. As an aside, I had an attack this morning before the test. Of course there was the No food or water before the procedure so that left me in a bind. I always carry water so I took the smallest sips I could and everything went back to normal.

Best regards,

DeBug  

[Tuckamore]

Hello DeBug,

I can't thank you enough for returning and sharing your DX (diagnosis) with us. I'm delighted to see you and more delighted that after all these years you have a DX. Awesome!

BeBug must have been a typo - sorry DeBug! I haven't kept your thread alive - you owe me no thanks - our many members have done so. ;o)  Your SXs are apparently not so rare!

For our members that don't know:  The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is a valve that closes off the esophagus from the stomach. If you have Achalasia, your LES fails to open up during swallowing, which it’s supposed to do. This leads to a backup of food within your esophagus. This is what has been causing your pain and SX (symptoms).  You're right, it is rare.

Your "story" is a sad, but excellent example of the time it can take to find a DX. Sadly it's not a rare occurrence. Many times ppl have pain - or SX that are not easily explained by the usual and customary testings. Indeed sometimes a testy will  falsely "read" negative when it isn't. Why this occurs is anyone's guess but it does happen. When the one time false negative is found, practitioners move on - dismissing the SX and believing the false test results 100%.

So how do they test for your condition?  Esophageal Manometry is often utilized to diagnose Achalasia - or a Barium Swallow and sometimes Practitioners prefer to perform an Endoscopy. It all depends on the Physician.

I wish you the best with your treatment. A dilation procedure is often used to treat this condition. Whatever treatment your Practitioner determines is right for you I hope your SX will be alleviated.  

Again, thank you so very much for returning and sharing your update. It's taken much to long for you to find answers. I hope you'll continue to keep us updated. As you can see your thread is often active with ppl that have the same or very similar SXs to yours. It has taken on a life of it's own. We'll all be interested in hearing the rest of your story! Your perseverance is admirable!

Warm Regards and Thanks,
~Tuck

[DeBug]

Achalasia of the esophagus. I finally found the reason. It's rare, but explains what has been going on since my first post here all those years ago. Just wanted to pass it along.

DeBug

[Sillymom58]

Debug, thank you, thank you, thank you. I have the exact same thing and docs have written it off as it only happens rarely. Wow, so relieved.