Stressed over stomach and chest

[awallburg]

Hello There,

I have read many posts on here before and got some good info, but I need some more specific help PLEASE!!!

I am a 29 yr old male, 6 ft 2 191 lbs, pack a day smoker but otherwise EXTREMELY healthy. I used to be very overweight (close to 300) and have changed my habits and lifestyle completly, I run 4-5 miles every other day and the days that I dont I do high intensity cardio in a Spin class.

About 10 months ago I was doing my weekly AB workout and about 15 reps into a set of 200 crunches felt an extreme pain in my stomach that I could not continue and finish, it hurt quite a bit.  Around the same time I found that my grandfather was dying of pancreatic cancer, and I was very close to him. Shortly thereafter I began to have A TON of anxiety and had a panic attack or 2 that ended with a trip to urgent care. I was told at first that It was probably just anxiety and was given a small perscription and low dose of Xanax to help, which DID but albeit breifly. My Grandpa has since passed and I have dealt with it and went thru my mourning phase and thought I was getting back to normal.

I have now gone thru this 3 times, a month or 2 of issues that go away for a month or so and then suddenly come back.

The biggest concern is my sternum/chest pain.... Its VERY difficult to describe, it almost feels like an all day off an on ache in and around my sternum on the left side and every so often the right side of my sternum, it can sometimes be a sharp pain, but for the most part it is constant. Sometimes it can almost feel like a muscle spasm in the center of my chest.  It goes straight thru to my back at times and it is MUCH worse and noticeable when sitting. My Excercise does not make it worse or better. In addition to this I have had non stop stomach soreness, feels like the day after an AB workout without the workout, if my belt is pulled too tight it is worse, ocassionally a burp or passing gass will relieve SOME of the pressure as well as going to the bathroom,  It almost feel like I am walking around all day sucking my stomach in..... Another BIG concern for me is how I feel my heart beat thru my belly button area so much, laying on my stomach is hard because I can notice it so much to the point that its almost uncomfortable.

Here is what I have had done at the DR so far.  All of these tests were done from Jan-April

Blood Test For.

-h Pylori
-Amalyse
-Lipase
-CBC
-CRP

3 EKG's
Cardiac Stress Test
Chest X-Ray

I have seen a cardiologist and a Gastro doc. The Cardiologist was confident that it was not related to my heart, she said nothing in any of my tests or blood work would indicate otherwise, the Gasto Doc didnt really say ANYTHING to me when I mentioned my symptoms, just said uh-huh alot to me and scheduled an upper endoscopy, HOWEVER the endo was scheduled a month and half from my actual appt and the week of the appt I was feeling back to normal again and had been so I canceled the procedure due to cost and how I was feeling, and well about 2 weeks ago it came storming back.......

Every DR I have seen just wants to keep telling me that its just Anxiety or Gerd Or Gastritis and that I should just keep funneling the Zantac or Prilosec into my body until it goes away. Granted I did cancel the Endo myself But it just doesnt feel like a stomach acid issue, It doesnt feel like heartburn which I have had in the past after a night of greasy mexican.

My Chiropractor is convinced that its just an issue with my ribs and that he can fix the issue, but at this point I dont know what to think. I will be the first to admit that I absolutely have some anxiety over all this, but to say that anxiety is the cause I would disagree, I have no reason to have anxiety right now. I get so focused on this and it makes it worse.

[CalGal]

There are many people who have non-typical symptoms that can include chest pain and the problem can be related to reflux of acid. The only way to know is to have that endoscopy and find out the state of your stomach and esophagus.

In addition to the medication, those who do have reflux should also make lifestyle and dietary changes since the medication may not actually fix the problem. Great way to tamp it down, but it's not a quick fix even when it does work. It can take months to find the right medication since they don't all work the same for everyone.

The chest pain you're describing can be related to esophageal spasms and they, in turn, can be due to either acid reflux or gallbladder issues. The symptoms of both condition can be very similar in many people. It's not always clear-cut.

[lucinda1675]

gallstones