Continued Jaw and arm pain w/ other symptoms

[Eddie 14]

Background - 33y male, slightly high BP before Altace.  Choleterol 240, ldl 140, hdl 68.  15 lbs overweight. (bad family history) can't take statins.

Current meds- 2.5mg altace, baby asprin, tagamet. (after trying a ton of others)

ER trip for chest pain late last yr - High BP, but otherwise normal including thallium stress.

Treated on max GERD meds for 3 months - no help
Xanax for 3 months - no change.

64 slice CT negative.

So, thallium stress was clean 6 months ago, 64 slice CT was clear, but was done in a new center.  Calcium score was zero.

For the past 3 weeks my jaw pain has gotten worse and more consistent.  Along lower jaw, sometimes radiates up jaw.  Bi-lateral, and the muscle between my jaw bones in my neck also tightens up.  This many times comes with shooting pains in my arms, more left than right but both.  Mainly shooting, sometimes an ache and on rare occasion the whole left arm aches for a while.  I've woken up with tingling in my fingers also.  I "feel" like I'm having heart palps or spasms down the center of my chest to my stomach a lot.  But, my HR is consistent.  Pulse feels normal, and heart reat monitor confirms.  I also get "spasms" that feel like quick cramps in my lats, and lower chest a lot.  They feel like a "catch". Some cramps in upper and lower legs similar to arm pain.  Veins in hands and forearm will swell and go away quickly with pain.

Concerned that with the arm, jaw, and chest pain is that it is still heart related.  No pattern, no change with exercise.  

Q's

1.  Heart Related?

2.  Other suggestions?  

[calico1]

Very similar to my experience 1 year ago - shooting pains in jaws, necks, arms, legs. Some discomfort and pounding in my chest.  I had the bloodwork (lipids, CRP, homocysteine), EKG, echo, stress thallium test. All came back normal. I noticed I lasted only up to stage 2 in the stress test using the Bruce protocol as my heartrate went up almost immediately.  No signs of discomfort and images showed no blockages. . My cardio said everything is good except my heart's pumping too hard.  I had been on Toprol XL 25mg/day since then to control my PALPITATIONS. I also have mild HBP.  I felt so much better 3-4 weeks after starting beta-blocker. I guess it took a while before the med actually kicked in.

Good luck. I hope you'll find the answers to your questions.

[upbeat63]

It could be a muscular issue, there are more things that can irriate a nerve than bone and discs from the spine, so your MRI could be "normal" but the nerve is irriated (impinged) from overly tight muscles in many of several different places as it travels down the length of your arms.

This situation can be overlooked as the more serious issues are ruled out.

I'd consult a physical medicine specialist, orthopedist, osteopath or chiropractor and I'd ask them to check a couple of muscles: sternocleidomastoid (abbrev SCM--the muscle on each side of your neck that you can see when you turn from side to side), scalene muscles, your supraspinatus muscle that lie above your shoulder blades and your pectoralis muscles.

Spasm in SCM muscles can refer a lot of pain to face and jaw and the other muscles can give you the arm/hand numbness tingling or sense of fatigue. So you may have one area of discomfort, or more. I know it would be nice if just one thing were causing everything because that would be the simple answer.

One more thing to check is "thoracic outlet syndrome". Again, just an irriation of nerve or blood vessels in your lower neck/shoulder area. These are all just thoughts....but if I were you, I'd have them checked.

[line]

Hi Eddie,

Sounds to me like you are having some cervical issues. I am basically dealing with the same thing for over three months. Started with tingling in my face, neck and shoulder than went to a severe tightness in all these areas. I had a MRI done which showed a lot of arthritis and and nerve inpigment. I went into therapy for a month and it was no help. My symtons are getting better, seems like body position causes the symtons to increase, like leaning on my elbow and being on the pc too long.

You may also have TMJ, that causes svere jaw pain that can radiate into the neck, shoulder and arm.

Go to your DR. and get checked out. Does your jaw make noise when you open your mouth, I have TMj and mine cracks like crazy when I open my mouth all the way.

Linda

[Eddie 14]

mri of c-spine checked out OK (doc was suprised).

other weird thing is I have a feeling of general weakness at times in my arms, like I've worked out, without working out.

[Momto3]

Any chance it is a neurological problem?  My mom had very similar symptoms (arm pain, mostly shooting, neck pain, numbness, tingling, all intermittant).  She went for a heart cath and was given a thumbs up.  Went to a neuro and they diagnosed a problem in her neck.  She was given medication and went for PT, but ultimately she had surgery (sometimes the PT works).  Pain and other symptoms are all but gone.  Every once in awhile, she gets a twinge.

Just a thought...

good luck

[Paule]

Sounds like it could possibly be a condition called globus hystericus, a sensation or lump in the throat.

Given your keen sense of awareness of your health, symptoms etc. sounds like you could possibly be anxious about your health and this may be leading to a anxiety condition.

[jan]

I thought of c-spine problems, too.  I was actually admitted to the hosp by my cardio, because of the symptoms caused by mine.  My ekg just happened to be abnormal, too and they had my normal one on file.

Anyway, that is me.  Maybe you should look into getting an MRI in the newer stand up models.  They say it can really change the findings.  Also, if they read it wet, find out if things looked differently after.  Mine did, at 1st they said it wasn't the problem and then they said it was obviously the problem.

Also, as mentioned it could be from muscles.  Since your jaw is involved it can be from TMJ.  You wouldn't believe the muscles that can effect!

Good luck.

[Flycaster305]

When I was about your age I went to the ER with similar symptoms.  I was eventually diagnosed with Anklyosing Spondelitis, a type of arthritis that freezes the spine and/or the sternum area, and when it is attacking the chest it mimics a heart attack.    I would suspect you you have more back than chest pain with it, however.  AS sends many people to the ER with chest pains, I'm told.  As one gets older AS pain gets less.  However, I did miss a heart attack thinking it was AS some years ago.

[Cleveland Clinic]

eddie,

Youve been through a lot of testing that says your chance of having significant atherosclerotic disease is near zero. This is in addition to the low risk given your age, and the level of atypical character of your symptoms.

With these results I probably wouldn't pursue more invasive testing. There are a lot of causes of chest pain. Its hard to know what to do next without a thorough history and physical.

I would express your concerns with your physician. If you have a bad family history, it is very important ot get back on the right path as you remian overweight.

good luck