Chronic chest pain

[0Freaked0]

Hi, I'm 21, female, normal weight. My whole life when I run I've suffered from pain in my lower teeth, chest, sometimes neck and a weird taste in my mouth like Mars bars (best way I can describe it). Get puffed out easily. Have had echos, ekgs, stress ekgs years ago. Recent repeats and chest x-rays, chest ct and cardiac ct angiogram. Many blood tests (rasied pancreas and liver enzymes; have extreme unexplained stomach probs, structurally normal from endoscopy).

Came down with POTS five months ago and have had spasms and a heaviness mostly in the left side of my chest/back when I lie down every time I exhale. My chest wall/upper back in general is very sore and sometimes it seems to send a pain up to my chin region when I breathe in deep. I experience bad shortness of breath (which I'm guessing contributes to pain) though my oxygen levels seemed fine when I was checked during, and my pulmonary function test person thought I had air left in my lungs that I wasn't exhaling even though I was blowing as hard as I could (can't get hold of my doc for proper results).

I have a mild hunch and I wonder could this be decreasing my lung power and making me more prone to pain? I also had bad pneumonia when I was 4/5 and was briefly diagnosed with asthma afterwards; can't remember if I had these symptoms beforehand. Have you heard of the sort of exertional pains I get (which do seem to come on more quickly the more hunched over my posture) or do you have any explanation for the weird taste? Thanks.

[0Freaked0]

Thanks very much for your reply and the info about the Mayo. A specialist in orthostatic hypotension did suggest I might have always had a degree of my condition. Unfortunately I haven't yet found a doctor in my country who deals with POTS, but I've heard of a cardiologist who does so I'll do my best to see him.

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

Greetings,
I am sorry to learn of your travails.  Yours is an extremely complex problem, one that to be carefully analyzed requires the expertise of physicians well versed in the various clinical manifestations of POTS and the myriad of related disorders.  While you were diagnosed with POTS but five months ago, the symptoms you described having experienced your “whole life” including chronic pain, weird taste in your mouth,  cardio-respiratory symptoms of various types and “unexplained stomach problems” are not infrequently encompassed in the diagnosis of POTS.  Its being a multisystem disorder might also encompass your gastrointestinal symptoms.
The best advice I can provide is that you and your doctors seek consultation with a specialist in such disorders.  One such is Dr. Eduardo Benarroch of the Department of Neurology, the Mayo Clinic who can be contacted at, The Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic   200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905
I wish that I could be of more direct assistance to you but the entirety of what you continue to experience is beyond the level of my expertise.

Good luck