Chest Pain, near Synapse

  I am seeking a name for a condition that I seem to be suffering from. I have sharp stabbing pain in my chest. Especially when I lie on my left side. Sometimes the pain is stronger or more intense than others and I feel as if I am going to faint. I am only 32 years old, with no prior heart problems. I just finished a 6 day dosage of steroids, that my doctor thought would help the muscle around my heart, but the pain and weakness are still very  apparent. I have had an Echocardiogram but it proved nothing more than my valves operated properly. I hope you can help me, the pain is so strong at times, it takes my breath and is hard to deep breathe without pain afterward. The attacks come on without any warning, exercise or stressfull situation. ThanK You for your time.
  Amy Stanfield

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

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Dear Amy,
All I can say is that it is obviously some sort of chest pain syndrome that although easy to diagnose (normal echo, young otherwise healthy patient), is difficult to treat.  There are so many manifestations of chest wall syndromes that they are actually lumped together as just that "chest wall syndromes".
Some get better with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, others with steroids, and many simply get better just with time.  If you smoke or are around cigarette smoke, STOP and or get away.  If not considered already, seek an opinion from a rheumatologist who is well trained in autoimmune disease and treatment (usually only found at major university hosptials.)
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.