Chest pain at 34yrs

I am 34yrs old about 7yrs ago I was diagnosed with Vasovagal syncope . It took them 2yrs to figure out what was wrong. My BP is very very low and so I have to take medication to keep it up. I was on Midodrine and beta blocker but my bp was still up and down. About a yr ago my Cardiologist put me on Florinef. It works so much better.

In Sept 2009 I started having chest pains(only on the left side) off and on for about three weeks they would only last a few seconds and not everyday.  Helped when I would stop taking a breath, felt like something was sticking in my chest. Then one morning I started having the chest pains but they came and went and lasted longer for about 5 hrs. I went to the ER after calling my dr the next day. When I went they said my Potassium was so low that it was only two points away from being in the hospital.  Plus I had another positive ANA.  Well now it is May and about two weeks ago the chest pains started again (Only left side) but they feel different. Sharp pain but different like stabbing pain. So I went to the dr they tested blood for EVERYTHING. Insulin, hormones, ANA, potassium, I don’t even know what all. Everything checked out fine. I saw my Cardiologist today, she doesn't think it is cardio because of my age and health.  She said she would run a blood test for blood clots and a stress test. If all check out ok then sounds like she will stop looking for anything. Could this be the Syncope? I feel like most Dr's do not know much about the syncope and it is trial and error. I have a lot of different symptoms and I keep telling them some day they will find they were all caused by one thing.

Symptoms: Chronic hacking cough-worse at night, last 5 yrs get upper respiratory infections VERY easy and often, Extreme fatigue, Off and on I will have a lot of hair loss and Cold all the time.

Is all this normal and related to the syncope?

I just need some answers I feel like a guinea pig as far as trying to find out what is causing all my symptoms. They tried acid reflux, tried allergy meds, narcolepsy meds, diet pills to help with fatigue (Made me EXTREMELY tried could not even walk up 5 steps), tried 400mg No Doze for fatigue (made me more tired).

HELP!!

[twopack]

Generally, I don't believe the internet is a great place to get medical advice BUT I do understand that the medical community these days often seems to lack the time, curiosity, and/or interest to get us the answers we need.  Your request sparked something in me, so I'm passing along my good wishes and a few shot-in-the-dark ideas.

"Chronic hacking cough-worse at night, last 5 yrs get upper respiratory infections VERY easy and often, Extreme fatigue" -- This does sound like it could be GERD.  Even if you don't feel heartburn, stomach contents can reflux during sleep and cause cough or even choking.  It's also not uncommon to then breathe small amounts of that fluid into the respiratory tract where it can trigger irritation or infection.  This would also cause frequent awakening that you may not even be aware of, leading to poor sleep followed by fatigue.

Test it by sleeping with the head of your bed elevated on blocks or in a recliner.  More pillow is not enough.  You need to get the whole torso and head at an elevated angle.  Have you had an actual sleep study or did they just throw meds at your symptoms?  Neurologists are the ones who specialize in sleep studies.  You could be sleep deprived without GERD and even if you think you are sleeping well.

Hair loss, poor temperature regulation and fatigue can also be caused by thyroid problems - usually too low.  That can also cause irregular heart beats.  I assume thyroid tests were included in your blood work but there are panels for more complete testing.  There are some claims that thyroid problems are way under-diagnosed in women.

Is it possible the pain you have could be muscle spasm?  The muscles between the ribs are very small but very powerful.  If they start to even have small spasms it can be very painful.  Potassium levels (and calcium and magnesium) that are off influence muscle action.  A muscle relaxant or heat application might help if this is what the pain is.  Medication would increase drowsiness if not fatigue.

Try to keep your anxiety and stress relieved.  It does make everything worse and doctors love to state it as the root cause of everything and anything these days.

You might try seeing a specialist in rheumatoid diseases.  The history of elevated ANA would be of interest there and these docs sometimes have more investigative grit.  The other option might be an endocrinologist who would be looking at body system interactions and balances rather than just one area.  The cardiologist tends to center only on heart and circulation issues.  Find someone who can look at you as a whole.  Very often a good GP can pull everything together the best and refer you out from there.

Again, I hope you are able to find the answers to put this behind you and resume an active, pain free life.

[joanincarolina]

Check out this site's recent comments and posts on coronary artery spasms. Sounds like you may have them. Read other people's descriptions and see if it is something you can relate to and discuss with your doctor. You are not too young to have these. Joan.

[ckspringer]

They tested for acid reflux issue not sure if that would go along with GERD?? That was not the issue and it did nothing for the cough at all. Thyroid was tested and have been to a specialist on that everything was fine.

THe pain is more of a sharp stabbing pain only lasting for a few seconds at a time. But I never have indigestion or hearburn ever. Last week I have indigestion so bad it was horrible. Not sure what all this means just know I am tired of all the pills they try to give because it might be something the it ends up to not be. I just need a direction to look into SOMETHING.

Joan I will look.


Thank you both I will keep all of this info in mind and start looking into it.