esophogeal spasms

[Karen44]

I am a 44 year old woman who has a history of PVC's and a hiatal hernia. When I first started having problems it started with a severe pain in my jaw, throat, chest, back and arms. I was in emergency 3 times for this and was admitted to the hospital on two of those occasions. What they found was that I was having PVC's, and told me that they were not something to worry about becuase after a stress test, a thalium stress test and testing to see if anything was going on with my heart, they decided that this was just a common arrythmia. The only answer I got to the pain I was experiencing was that I might be having arterial spasms. I did some research and found that with a hiatal hernia a person can experience the same symptoms I experience, which is called esophogeal spasms. My doctor tried a couple of different medications for the arrythmia, but nothing changed. I decided that I was just going to stop worrying about these problems and started doing deep breathing exercises often to relax myself. I soon stopped noticing the arrythmia and it wasn't detectable with a stethoscope. The spasm  that caused the pain still comes and goes, but I found that if I drink a large glass of very cold water at the onset, the pain immediately goes away. If I can't drink right at the moment it happens, my arms are painful and weak afterward and I feel drained, but the pain still goes away when I drink water. I would be very grateful if you could give me any advice or ideas as this a very bothersome problem. Are these problems associated with each other?  Thank you, Karen

[Mayreau]

Karen,  I experience the exact same symptoms including the PVCs.  It is annoying but apparently not dangerous.  I have one additional irritation that may or may not apply to you.  I have pain when I lay flat of my back that starts in my chest and radiates upward in my throat.  I can turn a few degress to the left or right and it immediately goes away.  Do you experience these symptoms as well?  Thanks for the idea on the cold water.  I will try it next time I have a spasm.
Myron

[Karen44]

Myron,  I have never experienced the pain radiating from my chest to my throat, but sympathize with you.  My doctor put me on prevacid when he determined that I had a hiatal hernia, which after 4 days from the time I started taking it, helped immensely, and now he gives me prevacid that I do not take on a constant basis, but whenever I need it and it still works great.  I used to have terrible pain when I was laying down, and after trying every single position known to man and raising the head of my bed, sitting in a chair to sleep and just not sleeping because I was in such pain, I started taking the prevacid and eating very bland foods.  I tried not eating much at all, but that only made things worse I think, almost felt like my stomach was eating itself.  Would you mind telling me a little about the PVC's you experience?  Do you have pain in your arms?  Are the PVC's constant?  Do you feel like you have an air bubble in your throat when you feel them and can you feel them in your throat?  These are things I experience when I feel them.  I used to have them all the time, 24 hours a day for months, but now only occassionally.  Thanks again for responding.  I feel the cardiologist was very vague with me, so left his office with no peace of mind.  Karen

[dks]

I was so happy to read all of your symptoms that you are having with your esphogus spams.  I had a hitial hernia and had surgery for it on June 25 and have had trouble every since then.I was  in the emergency room three times and was admitted once .
Not knowing what else to do my Dr. took out my gall bladder thinking and hoping that maybe this was where the pain was coming from but needless  to say it did not work .  One week later I started in with pains again.
My pains are in my throat and jaws and middle of chest and back.  As all of you know they are terrible.
Thanks for the suggestion of a glass of cold water.  I am sure going to try it.
My doctor now has put me on elavil hoping that it will keep everything relaxed enough that I don't have pain.  I have been on this only one week and have just had one attack with it. Good luck to us all.

[Mayreau]

Karen,  My PVC's started about 2 years ago sitting on my backporch early in the morning.  So mine was definitely not stress related.  Mine are very intermittent.  I never know when they will occur however there are certain things which I know predispose me to having the attacks. Number one, I never had them until the pain started in my chest. If I eat a large meal and then squat to do some work or pick something up then I will have them.  If I bend forward I will be more likely to have them.  I believe mine have nothing to do with reflux per se because I have pain only when lying flat of my back and not on my stomach. Therefore I have concluded that the PVC's and the pain are connected.  I believe that I have injured myself or possibly have a hiatal hernia and this is causing the pain(not reflux).  I believe that by squatting or bending over I am putting pressure on a portion of the heart that is unaccustomed to having pressure (due to a hernia or muscle tear) and goes into PVCs. I can only tell you that I do have occasional reflux but I do not believe the reflux can cause a electro-mechanical anomally like a PVC. I think I am going to try and convince my GI doc to do a MRI of my chest area and see if he can spot any hernias or injury.
Hope all of this helps.

Myron

[dks]

I wrote a note yesterday but did not see it posted on the site so I am doing it again.
I had hitial hernia surgery last June and three days after I started having terrible spasms.  The pain were in my chest, back jaws and throat.  I went to the emergeny room three times and was admitted once for these.  I even had a Dr. in the E.R. tell me that I need something done with my heart immediately as that ws the only was I would have those pains.  I knew this was wrong as it all started with my surgery.
As a last resort in Jan. the Dr. took out my gall bladder thinking that was where my pain was coming from.  A week later they started again.  
This time the Dr. has put me on elavil.  I have only been on it one week but in that time I have only had one spell.  So hopefully it is going to work.  
I am going to keep a diary  and show the Dr. when I go back to him in two months.  I am to take one 25 mg. pill a day for two weeks and then two for two and work up to 3 per day.
This might be something for all of you to talk to your Dr. about.  As I said before hopefully this is going to help as I (like all of you) really need something that is going to work.

[Karen44]

Myron,  I never would have thought of my hiatal hernia possibly pressing against my heart causing me any pain, but that may be possible.  I recently started going to a new doc because I have a new insurance plan and my old doc doesn't take it.  This new doc is an internist and wants to check things out thoroughly.  I am going to let her do that as she may find something the other doc didn't.  It's like I'm being forced to get a second opinion, pretty nice eh?  My arrythmia was back with a vengence, but has not been bothering me for a couple of days.  I'm pretty sure I have this problem because of stress in my life.  I have a job that I am not happy with and I am in the process of looking into buying a home, and those two things will stress anyone out I think.  I am still concerned about the pains I have in my arms when I have the esophogeal spasms or feel the arrythmia, but this doctors seems to want to get to the bottom of it, thank God. I hope if you have an MRI your doctor can get some answers for you.
Karen

dks,  since having these esophogeal spasms I have been checked for gall bladder problems and nothing was found.  The doctors don't seem to think my hiatal hernia requires surgery. I agree with you that we all need some answers as this pain can be very debilitating.  When I am having these spasms, I'm constantly thinking about it and know that that is very stressful, and know that stress only makes this problem worse for me.  I hope your doctor can help you to get some answers.  Also, I read recently that drinking cold water can cause these spasms, which is so weird to me because it helps me immediately.  All I know is that every single time I have one, I reach for a tall glass of very cold water, and will always do that since it helps me so much.  I hope it does the same for you
Karen

[dawnms]

I was just reading everyones notes here. Maybe someone here could help me. I have been having these chest pains on and off since I was around 12 yrs. old. I am now 28. I get these sudden intense pains in my chest.They feel kind of like a cramp/ spasm. It is right under my sternum. The pains last 5-10 seconds and then they are gone. Sometimes I go weeks without them, sometimes I get them daily. I instantly think its my heart hen I get them. I have had several ekg's, stress test,echo and tomorrow I am getting a cat scan on my chest.I get pain in my arms, neck and jaws, and sometimes in my back. Never that radiating feeling though. Usually just my arms will ache,or maybe my jaws. Never everyhting at once.I have had endoscopy also, but all of these tests were done when I wasn't having any pain. Does anyone experience theses symptoms and does this sound like esophegeal spasms? Every test I have had has been neg.Any ideas?

[Karen44]

I am not a doctor and do not claim to know medicine.  I think you should ask your doctor to recommend a gastroenterologist to see if they can give you any answers.  Your symptoms are like mine, but everyone is different, and the only one who can give you answers is someone who is trained in medicine.  I don't believe it's a good thing to ask just anyone for medical advice and go with that.  A professional is what you need.  Good luck.
My next step is a gastroenterologist at the advice of my physician.  Karen

[domino]

10 years ago, when i firstt experienced spasms, I thought with the type of severe pains (chest, jaw, arm, etc.) I was experiencing had to be something asscoiated with my heart.  After all the tests were done and found to be negative, my doc suggested stress counseling.  It was not a quick fix by any means but the frequency of attacks did evenutally subside to only several a year.  Still just as severe, normally lasting for 3 days from start to finish.  At that time, among the day to day stresses of life, my dad was suffering and dying from cancer.  Interesting to me at least, I am again starting to experience these attacks again more frequently.  Have had two 3day bouts in the last two weeks.  Interesting because my mom is now suffering from the last stages of alzheimers.  I am wondering if my stress-barrel is overflowing and this is the result of that.  Any comments from any chronic stress worriers?

[bv850]

WOW, I was so suprised to find out that other people suffer from the same thing.I'm a 39 yesr old male and I have had pvc's for about three years. I also have had the intense pain of esophogeal spasm. The pain starts at my upper chest and moves into my jaw. The pain is intense and NOTHING would help. My Dr put me on nytroglycerin for the esophogeal spasm pain and IT WORKS. He told me that people would go to the hospital thinking that they where having a heart atack and they where given nytro which worked. They later made the connection after seeing a normal ekg. I hope this helps someone because It sure works for me and I don't want anyone to suffer needlessly.

Bill