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piercing pain in chest

Hi i am 30 i have smoked since i was 9 yrs old about 20 a day now used to have 40 a day when i worked in the building trade for 6 yrs,i have had a problem with my chest before back around 21 yrs old i developed pleuracy and ever since my lungs feel susceptible to cold weather,but apart from that i have been having this piercing pain in the left side around by my heart it is like a thin needle is piercing my heart which comes and goes from time to time sometimes i have it multiple times a day sometimes short sometimes longer say 30 seconds to 5 minutes it enduces a panic like i may be having a heart attack i tend to think the next one i have my heart could stop,it also appears as of last night unknowst till then to subside if i lay on my back and relax my breathing but if i turn on my left side it reappears and increases if i inhale it increaseswhen happening but occassionaly if i take a huge breath in and out pretty fast and heavy it subsides although now it is getting to a point that no longer works,i have had a chest xray earlier in the year and nothing as a result of it but i feel a dull pain around my sternum alot after and occassionaly i get a tyight feeling in my wrist veins it seems like and sometimes intwermitent pulsing pain in my arm when i have this attack or following it or prior,also my breathing is very short when breathing in and it sounds like crap like i have plueracy again although i certainly do not have it as i'd be in agoy continously if i did,i just can't help but think it's a heart attack or some kind of nicotine induced angina or something to that degree ,i also have had back pain like plueracy at times but goes away uickly usuauly very infrequent thing that not like this frequent chest issue i don't know if it's connected though,i do have omeprazole for my acid indegestion though if that means anything,i do not have acid after/before or during the chest issue occuring..Any ideas might help put my mind at ease about it as it's concerning me to much to just overlook it now,normaly i don't care till it bites me bad with anything but this is getting over the top now.
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello and hope you are doing well.

You may be having a nerve compression at the cervical (neck) level. The nerve compression could be due to an osteophyte, growth or a disc. This could be causing the back pain. The treatment is to remove the compression. You have to discuss the best treatment option with a neurologist, which can range from medication to physiotherapy to traction, cervical collars or even surgery.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
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Avatar universal
it's funny yiu say neck problem as of late i have been having very little issues with my chest but i have been smoking lesd frequently and used filter tips.But on the subject of my neck being a potential issue causing a problem,i have a continual problem j have had since i came off a motorbike or so it seems,basicaly i have smashed my back 3 times on motorbikes 1 80mph dismount and also i jarred my spine a second dismount i held on when i lost control to save my bike only slow a third time i forward rolled on a pavement,also as a kid i rope swing snapped under me decending from average oak tree height,also i came off a park swing over the bars height in a sitting position and wss paralized temporarily for around 10minutes and it took weeks to walk straight after but one of the worst me and i smashed my head in a swimming pool trying to pull the gutsiest pencil dive you ever saw my mum a nurse e grade believes i may have fractured my skull as the lumps there 16 yrs on,getting kn subject i feel sensitive on my back to minor knocks and if jolted hard enough its like electric shock sensation and i'll circle the flaw in agony.But of late my neck gets stiff easy and my lower back feels like its affectef as in kidney stretching sebsations at times and i can't sit for long periods of time it feels achy and tight my shoulders also hurt sometimes.I often wonder if i did something diving in that pool or coming off the bike or other times.I dislocated my foot and fractured my wrist so seems possible?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello and sorry for the late reply.

Understand your predicament. You should have yourself evaluated for the chest pain. It becomes all the more significant because of your associated symptoms of shortness of breath. Cardiac pain or chest pain can be felt as a tightness and worsens with activity or exercise. This could be more relevant if you are a smoker, are overweight, have a positive family history, are a diabetic and have hypertension. The other causes to consider would be cervical spondylosis (neck problem) or disorders of the nerves, muscle or shoulder joint. But when in doubt always best to have it checked. So please consult your primary care physician who may ask for an EKG or a treadmill test to rule out a cardiac cause for the pain

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
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