shooting/burning pains related to costochondritis?

[shany561]

Hello, about a year and a half ago (when i was 17) my heart rate shot through the roof one day(late october 2007). I had not been feeling well that day so I was taking it easy when this happened-- about 121 beats per minute for 2 hours with some difficulty breathing. After that incident, I began experiencing chest pains. Last July I was diagnosed with costochondritis after a trip to the ER from it.

HOWEVER, NSAIDS didnt work, either did physcal therapy. And besides the chest pains (not far after they originally started) I also experienced shooting pains all over my body, varying in intensity. I have had EKGs, MRI of brain and cervical spine, blood tests, EMG...and have been pretty thoroughly checked out. I even tried some cymbalta to see if it was anxiety or depression related, but it did nothing. All i got was a ton of side effects. Some days the pain episodes happen 30 plus times a day, other times only once or twice a day.

I often experience dizziness and vertigo sensations (and occasionally blurred vision) as well.

Has anyone heard of or experienced anything like this? I'm only 18 and I just have no clue why this is happening!
The pains happen totally at random with no discrimination of where. It is interfering with my daily activities and distracting in class. It even wakes me up from sleeping.
I have had every test that my doctor and neurologist can think of for these symptoms...
please help!

~Samantha

[Jeffrey T Junig, MD PhD]

Costochondritis is a diagnosis of 'exclusion';  it is a diagnosis given to a person who 'rules out' for a heart attack.  A similar diagnosis is 'esophageal spasm'.

I might be on a psychiatric theme tonight, but... your symptoms are rich with things that 'sound psychiatric'.  The general theory would be that you were frightened during the episode of rapid heartbeat and trouble breathing, and you feared you were going to die from a heart attack;  the repressed fear of death that we all have was brought to the surface, triggering the chest pain and the other pains...  the other part of the puzzle would be if you had lost a close family member or friend to heart disease at a young age or even recently, but instead of mourning it you pushed it aside in your mind.

In such cases, I would get the patient to talk about their fears, and about the fear they felt at the time the person died who was close to them.  Over time, the pain might go away.

The other things that 'sound psychiatric':  you used the phrase, about your heart rate, that it was 'about 121 beats per minute for 2 hours';  the fact that nothing worked for the pain in the medical area;  the fact that you had 'blurred vision' at the same time....  I can't explain the reasoning for all of these as it would take 20 pages, and besides that, some of it is just a 'gut feeling' that one gets from seeing patient after patient and hearing their stories.  As an aside, you cannot draw negative conclusions about anxiety based on a negative experience with cymbalta.  I don't know if you gave it a good trial or not--  I would have picked citalopram myself, as it has fewer side effects, and for all the medications you really need to take them at least a couple months at a good dose before giving them up.  The chemical changes in the brain caused by SSRIs and SNRIs are NOT what eases depression and anxiety;  the important thing is the changes in neuronal growth that occurs weeks after the meds were started.  The medications CANNOT WORK AT ALL for at least 3-4 weeks-- and in some people it takes a couple months for them to START working.

If by some chance you had a family member die of heart disease, I am probably on the right track... otherwise, maybe someone else will chip in?

[shany561]

The only person who died of anything heart related I know of was when I was around one year old. the other pains are less frequent (so i'm pretty sure its anxiety)...but the costo pains still flare up.

[silverkey131]

Oh, thank God someone else has the same problem I do. I am only 14 and have had chest pains for years. I also get the annoying sharp pains that you do. Sometimes they are really severe and they can be in from my neck down to my arms, around my back; basically anywhere in the upper part of my body.

I went to the Doc because of the chest pains about a month ago. They did tests like pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygen, lung capacity, and also general health like BMI, and they all checked out fine. The Doc said it could be costochondritis which can press on the nervesin that area and cause pains like this. Anxiety can worsen these.

The thing that gets me is that last year, they almost completely disappeared. They have only recently come back so it makes me think it is psychological and if you convinced yourself it's in the mind, they go away.

Please, if you find an answer to this problem, post it on here. I am pretty desperate because the pains can be really depressing sometimes.

Good luck to both of us!

[shany561]

yeah mine does the same thing with the whole disappearing and reappearing. a cause of costochondritis can be stress, but I think the pains all over are also a result of this and anxiety. best of luck to you...

[silverkey131]

Yea, have you found any ways to calm yourself effectively, to relieve anxiety, so that these pains disappear or are lessened? Because nothing I try works.

Thanks.

[shany561]

i just try and take relaxing breaths and try and figure out whats stressing me out so i can calm myself about it. like if im stressed about school i try and think about how it'll be summer soon! lol but mostly, u just have to wait it out....unfortunately. for the costo part of it, you just gotta take it easy. no heavy lifting and be careful when u put on your backpack cuz that can really make it hurt later. oh and swimming hurts too (if it is costochondritis)

[silverkey131]

Ok I'll try those, thanks. I was just wondering if you have noticed a shortness of breath along with the other symptoms? Sort of like a smothering feeling?

[silverkey131]

Also, do you ever get palpitations? Like little flutters in your chest?

[shany561]

oh my gosh yes!!! sometimes i feel the little palpitations and even more often i feel the shortness of breath. sort of like it's hard to actually take a deep a breath. my doctor said he didn't know why that happened except maybe my body was freaking out from the chest pains and what not. i dont know it's really annoying that they can't seem to tie all the symptoms together other than anxiety. and when this all started...i was having the most fun i'd ever had lol senior yr in high school. i can see maybe more anxiety now...but this has been going on farrrr too long. im looking in to maybe seeing a rheumatologist

[silverkey131]

Yea the rheumatologist might be a good idea. You're right; this has been going on far too long and is getting really annoying.

It's nice to know someone else out there is going through the same things and we can solve this together!

Let me know what the rheumatologist says and best of luck to you!

[shany561]

hey...today i had such a bad episode i had to leave work. i started having long bouts of severe pain last night. and more episodes today. i dont know what to do. this *****. painkillers dont work. NSAIDS dont last that long either. i dont know how to make this stupid pain stop! how is it anxiety when i was watching a comic on comedy central last night when i had an episode....comics dont stress me out! lol....gosh i dont know what to do. somebody fix thisss. how have you been?

[silverkey131]

I know; this completely *****.

I don't think anxiety is the cause, like you say, but I think it is a great benefactor or the pain; the more pain, the more you worry, the more pain. It's a viscious circle.

For the past few weeks I've had less pain but today they've been making a come back; sharp pains down the arm and in the chest.

I was wondering if you have a lot of caffeine? Because I looked it up and caffeine can cause chest pains, palpitations, shortness of breath and can increase anxiety dramatically.

I used to drink a lot of Coca Cola but over the past week or so, I have stopped. The palpitations have all but disappeared and the pain seems to have lessened or become less frequent.

Good luck to you!

[shany561]

i drink soda and stuff but nothing excessive. However, i haven't done anything new or different lately to cause this onset. literally NOTHING. i'm even playing catch less lol. i have no clue whats happening or if its related to diet or what. but it's pissing me off. im just taking aleve twice a day..

[silverkey131]

Hi again, how are things going on your end?

I've been surfing the internet again and I came across something called GERD. Don't know if you've heard of it?

It's something to do with the stomach, not the heart, and can cause the "bubble/flutter" like feeling we get that feel like palpiations.

It can also cause shortness of breath and occasional nausea. Do you get that?

Take a look around the internet for it and let me know what you think.

Good luck.

[silverkey131]

Hi, I haven't heard from you in a while. Are things Ok?

[shany561]

yeah, it's manageable again. still daily, but not as severe or lasting as long. how about you?

lol i really don't think it's stress related. because its finals week for me, and i'm super stressed, but the pains are better haha...
anxiety...i don't think so..

[silverkey131]

Yea I don't think it's caused by stress. Maybe made worse by stress but not caused by it. I think we know our own bodies well enough to know when it's not stress! :)

I've been OK recently. Still frustrated that I don't really know what it is. I started taking multi-vitamin tablets and it seems to work although I don't know if I just imagined it. It might just be caused by a vitamin deficiency or something; I dunno, I'm willing to try anything really.

I live in England so I don't really know what finals are. We don't have them here. :) Are they kind of like end of year exams or something? If so, good luck!

:D

[shany561]

hahaha yeah they are the end of the year exams. and it's not caused by vitamin anything...too much or too little. i have had endless blood tests testing all levels of everything. at least for me, that's not it. i dont know what it is though. lol we have something new

[silverkey131]

Lol, well at least we're trying new ideas, I guess.

I also discovered a new symptom. Whenever I stand up for too long, my legs start to itch and I can see that they're kind of red. I can notice it after a shower cos I have been standing up for a while.

Just wondering if you had a similar symptom or if it's completely unrelated. :S

:)

[shany561]

no to the itching/red legs, sorry. but do have any vertigo? i get extremely dizzy if i move my head too quickly, as well as standing fast. doctors said it was from getting sinus infections...but it has never gone away for a few months and i haven't been sick or anything lol

don't you just love how doctors seem to find random reasons for everything....

[silverkey131]

Yea, I get the vertigo as well. Sometimes it just happens without cause and i just feel dizzy for a few moments.

This kind of *****. And, you're right, the doctors just explain it away with something because they don't know what's really causing it.

:)

[shany561]

exactly! it's soooo annoying. im nervous that i'll like develop a new symptom and they'll be like "ohhh! that means you have _____" and it'll be something awful.

but is there anything you do the helps the vertigo? cuz mine is pretty severe

[silverkey131]

I can't really do much about the vertigo which is really annoying. I've got pretty important exams coming up and I feel I can't concentrate on anything! It *****!

I just try to relax, maybe try and say to myself, "The more I think about it, the worse it gets, so just think of something else". Sometimes it works. Other than that I don't know. :S

:)

[shany561]

yes i try and do that as well, especially when there's pain. it hasn't been too significant lately, which is great because i can relax. however i have become extremely tired lately, no matter how much i sleep. i am anemic, but this is just ridiculous! do you ever feel tired?

good luck with exams!

[silverkey131]

Yuh I feel tried a lot of the time. Almost like droopy, like you just want to go to bed and collapse. Not sure if you get that exactly.

And thanks, I'll try my best. :D

[silverkey131]

The thing that's annoying me most at the minute is the palpitations. I get those little "flutters" fairly frequently which get kind of worrying.

I was searching around the internet again to see what could fit our symptoms. I came across something called Mitral Valve Prolapse. Not sure if you've heard of it.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

:)

[shany561]

yeah i feel the same way, in regards to the fatigue.

and the mitral valve thing, yes i have come across it, but i have had so many tests done that i think my heart is okay. i think its neurological but my neurologist couldn't find anything really. who knowssss what it is. honestly, i feel like i just have to wait for the other shoe to drop-- for something major to happen-- before i'll get any answers.

[silverkey131]

Yea I guess you're right. Although I don't see why anything major would happen. As you say, you've had LOADS of tests, so you can be pretty much certain there isn't actually anything physically wrong with you. I've never heard of anyone having anything serious happen to them just from anxiety (anxiety attacks aside), if that is what this is :).

[shany561]

i know! if it were the anxiety, it should have flaired up during all the tests...because i was highly stressed. i actually tend to get stressed very easily, and no anxiety attacks...so who knows. oh well. i'll just keep reading online haha

[silverkey131]

Yup, there's not a lot we can do about it except for something major to happen, if it does. If not, I just hope it will fade away eventually. Who knows? :)