Re: Sharp Chest Pains

Posted By Renee on April 28, 1999 at 17:21:05
I hope you can point me in the right direction. Infrequently, I have sharp chest pain that worsens when taking a deep breath. The pain(s) is located in the middle of my chest, and also located on/under the ribs, far left side. The first time was 2 years ago in the middle of the night. Lasted only a few minutes, went to ER to be sure it was nothing serious. They hooked me up to a machine (EKG?) to check my heart and all came out normal. A few weeks later I wore a 24-hr Holter monitor, which showed normal and had an echo (no treadmill) that was normal too. At that point, I chalked it up to stress. The next time it happened was this past February. I was sitting down, got up, turned around and there they were. It's almost like something catches inside and I must wait (and do shallow breathing) until it passes. That time lasted approx. 1 minute. Went to doctor, had chest x-ray, came out normal, EKG - normal, Stress Echo (treadmill) showed (as the technician put it) my heart was perfect before and after the treadmill. Cardiologist was present and said blood was flowing just fine to and from the heart so and there was nothing pointing to blocked arteries. Again, I chalked it up to stress, although I truly have very little stress. Last week as I was loading the dishwasher, it happened again but this time the pain (when breathing deep) lasted 30 minutes rather than subsiding quickly. So I just did shallow breathing until is subsided. Got me scared again, I called my doctor and she seems to think it's stress and said that if there was anything wrong with my lungs it would've shown up on the chest x-ray and if there was something wrong with the valves, the echo would have showed it. Could this be some sort of temporary pleurisy, a quick sort that comes for no reason or some sort of muscular-skeletal problem? The pains are sharp, unlike the pains for angina or heart attack.  I have no history of pneumonia or bronchitis and smoked for a few years but quit about 4 years ago.  Are there any tests you can suggest? Thanks so much.

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on April 30, 1999 at 09:39:19
Dear Renee
There is really no such thing as temporary pleurisy. Alternative explanations for your symptoms include acid reflux ('heartburn') and gas pains. It certainly could also be chest wall muscle or joint pain.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. 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.

[Bev__0]

Posted By Bev on April 30, 1999 at 12:57:19
Twenty some years ago I had a spontaneous pneumothorax.  I was hospitalized for 11 days until it resolved.  Since then, I've had many instances of pain like Renee described.  I've always assumed it was a small bleb bursting.  It's lasted from several minutes to several hours.  I always think I'll go to ER if it gets bad, but it always resolves on its own.  I've found breathing deeply makes it pass more quickly, even though it's quite painful at first.  Could Renee's pain possibly be a similar occurance?
Bev

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on May 03, 1999 at 16:33:28
Dear Bev
Spontaneous pneumothorax is a good thought. However, Renee said she had a normal x-ray, which should have picked this up.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. 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.

[Aaron__0]

Posted By Aaron on May 05, 1999 at 13:47:09
I just wanted to let you know that I often have the same symptoms.  The deeper the breath, the worse the pain.  The pain also gets much worse if I try and sit up or turn.  It tends to start in the left side of my chest and goes through my upper back into my shoulder.  It usually lasts from a couple of minutes up to an hour.  I have seen a couple cardiologist and have had 2 work-ups to determine it's source.  I am currently seeing my internal medicine doctor to see if the pain may be from another source, rather than my heart (muscular skeletor). I'm a 30 year old male in excellent health.  I'll let you know what the outcome is.  

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on May 20, 1999 at 15:36:10
Dear Aaron
Often a general check-up by an internist is a good way to figure out what is causing unusual symptoms.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. 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.











Follow Ups: