without insurance and needing answers please

A little over 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy.  They told me that I had quite a lot of nerve damage but that because I was active in sports my whole life that kept the disease from progressing at a more aggressive rate.  Over the past two years almost every menstrual cycle I've had has been accompanied by chest and back pains.  The pain is centralized around where my bra strap would be located when I have a bra on (but pain continues even with bra off).  The best way I can describe it is it somewhat feels like someone has a belt wrapped around me and is squeezing my back and chest very tight.  It wakes me up in the middle of the night and I can barely function because the pain is so intense.  I am hoping to receive some insight into what may be causing me so much pain.  thank you! Happy New Year!

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

First off, have you been informed about the possible cause of your peripheral neuropathy ? Is it that the neuropathy which was not progressing, now has started to do so ?

You must discuss the possible causes of the "tightness around the chest" sensation with your neurologist. This is due to the neuropathy, but you need to get the root cause.

Apart from the symptoms of neuropathy, do you have any other symptoms which you would like to mention ?

Regards

[tbaby22]

Thank you for responding to my question.  When I was getting tests done they told me that they couldn't come up with the exact cause of my diagnosis.  My dad told me that it is possible that my grandfather may have had peripheral neuropathy.  When I was diagnosed they told me that there was a substancial amount of nerve damage but they also told me that my being involved in athletics and staying active had slowed the progression of the neuropathy quite a bit.

Do you have any ideas of what the root cause may be for the tightness around the chest and in my back?  I don't currently have a doctor to discuss this issue with because I do not have insurance and can't afford to pay out of pocket.  I would appreciate any help you have to offer.  

As far as other symptoms go, I have noticed that my blood circulation must be poor.  My legs fall asleep within 2-5 minutes of sitting with them indian style.  I've recently woken up in the middle of the night with a charlie horse (always in the left leg).  I've never had a charlie horse before.  However, in the past 6 months I've probably had nearly 10 instances.  Please get back to me when you get a chance. Thank you!

[ggreg]

Dear Baby,
I used to have pain in my back at that time of the month, but I broke three thoracic vertebrae in a car wreck, which is coincidentally where your pain is.  For the first couple months in the hospital, because my back deformity wrenched the muscles and nerves out of their normal position, the related nerves felt like a vise since they wrap around the chest from the vertebral column.  After I healed, every month that injury revisited myself.  However, the aching related to female issues was always centered, not radiating.  My thoughts eventually settled on swelling setting off pain at the old injury site, but I don't really know.
GG

[tbaby22]

Thank you for responding to my first post.  I was hoping to get more of a response than just you and one other person but that's ok.  I also have another question for you.  

Breast Cancer runs in my family.  My grandmother had it 3 times and ended up having both breasts removed.  Her mother had it as well.  For the time being my mother and her two sisters are all cancer free but it scares me that it may skip a generation (i've heard it has a tendency to do that) and I may get it.  I have rather large breasts (38DD) and I've never had them checked.  I'm only in my early 20's but do you think I should have a mammogram done because of the family history and how large my breasts are?  I sometimes get sharp pains in my breasts but I don't think much of them I just tell myself that it's normal that every woman probably gets sharp pains in her breasts from time to time.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

A mammogram may not be conclusive, since at this age, the breast tissue is dense. Also the size should not have any implication on the chances of a cancer. It is probably due to the weight that the breast tissue gets stretched causing the pain.

But you may continue Breast self -examination just to ensure everything is ok.

Regards