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Chest pain, arm numbness and upper back pain

I have been to the hospital 3 times for chest pain, mostly on the left side, left arm pain (sometimes numb, sometimes achey), and sharp pain in my upper back.  They ran an EKG, CT scan (they thought i had a blood clot in my lungs), and a chest x-ray.  Their results where all basically the same, that it was anxiety or indigestion.    Now, I have been on Zoloft for a long time now for anxiety, but when I started having chest pains and numbness in my arm, I began having panic attacks. (Mainly because nobody can figure out what the problem is)  So, I am now on meds for anxiety attacks, which isn't helping because nobody can tell me what is wrong with me. Now I still have numbness/sharp pains in my left arm, which varies in strength.  I have a pain directly to the right of my left shoulder blade and another about 2 inches below my collar bone.  Pain medication temperarily helps. The other thing that really helps is drinking beer, which is very costly.  Sometimes it hurts when I breathe in, but it may just be the expansion of my chest that hurts.  Does anyone know of anyone who has the same sort of thing. This has been going on for 4 months and I just cannot take it anymore. I am basically afraid its my heart since my arm keeps getting numb and my chest hurts.  Help!!! Please! (Oh yeah, Im 26 years old, I smoke, but I am pretty healthy. I am 5'5'' and weigh 124 lbs)
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Avatar universal
I been having really bad bad pain that stretch trom my neck down to my arms and to my back for many years. Now it is getting so bad I cant put up with it any more. My doctor dianose me with fybromayalgia. I been taking pain medication for it but now its getting to a point that I can't take it no longer that I just want to die and end it. I dont know what to do. Pain medication just temperarly take it away. I need real help but no one understand how to treat my condition.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have been investigating same pain issues at my end...after reading and realizing some of my own circumstances - finaly suspect it's down to that damned Obusforme massager that was piercing in my upper shoulder back area from time to time when driving my car - thought nothing of it...later on the pain went to my chest area and i thought i weas having heart attacks it was so severe....

i am now able to diagnose and isoltae it (pain) better and report it better to my Doc and will ask her for an MRI to better determine the damaged area as a result of that massger and the prognosis since Home rest is not helping at all...

i gotta say, it was baffling to all docs taking tests everywhere from blood tests to stress test in thinking it was cardiac related ...anyhow, docs are at a loss since we sometimes can't really describe exactly where it (pain) originated from...anyways, this is how we learn, by sharing online...thank goodness
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Avatar universal
ive been haveing the same problems and been to the er about 6 times they keep telling me am ok but they get bad like yester my arm my back chest stomach all hurt and a headace felt real week if theres anyone whoo knows what this could be plz email me at ***@****  thank u very much
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Avatar universal
You described everything I am going through,, since my mom has been in and out of the hospital, (tonight she is in for a pacemaker) I have been a little worried about this pain on the left side of my chest.  I had a major panic attack 1 year ago,, and I think it's easing a little, but not the chest pains on the left side,, Do you know why it is the left side???? I asked my therapist/counselor today and he said he did not know.  And I've been light headed off and on, my blood pressure sometimes is pretty low, once I had it taken at the grocery store it was 87 over 68.  I've started taking vitamin, fish oil pills, drinking more water, trying to excercize 30 min a day, eating a little better, trying to relax, it's been hard with my mom in and out of the hospital.. I need to get back to dealing with life again,  any advice for me,, oh, and I sometimes before it starts to hit me hard, I try to get busy really fast, like I'll start cleaning, and fighting to avoid the attack!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am going through tremendous pain. I took a fall a week ago and landed very hard against the steps on my back. I can barely walk, work ot do anything. I thought it would go away but nope. My chest kills me. Legs are numb one sec. Then aching the next. I can't raise my left arm higher than shoulder length. I'm in misery. Should I go to the hospital?
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Avatar universal
Dear Brother,

One simple nd straight fact. Every one has to Die, One day or other, but still every day we wake up and work for the bread and butter.
Be brave as you just yourself can overcome this thing. i also went through this but i managed to overcome it by thinking positive.

Love you
Saqib
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i feeling pain in my right side chest .its begain from uper back and goes to chest some time it goest to arms,hands,shoulders
help me in this sitivation,the doctore says that your massals pain full.this is the main problem.i have also l4 l5 problem before 5 year ago
any body help me in this sitivation
muhammad javed

***@****
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm experiencing the same issue. I had it for two months now. My blood pressure has been skyrocketing. I have two kids and feel the same way. Did you ever get the issue resolved.
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Avatar universal
i have had all of these chest pains sharp pain in my arms all of it i also thought it was a heart attack everyone i have seen told me its panick attack it has been going on now for about 3 months i also smoke but am also healthy thing is i am 16 years old witch is scary but thank u to everyone i thought i was just me
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I can't believe I found this. Just sitting here bored and decided to google my symptoms. I have been having these exact same things happen for OVER A YEAR!!!!!!! It actually started very slowly over two years ago and progresed badly. I go to the hospital, have very high blood pressure, see a doctor. Xrays, blood work, ect. Nothing! the attacks seem to get worse and wors that it feels like I should die but dont. One important thing you should know about me. I dont have panic attacks. I'm such a calm person and thats what is scariest! I abused meth and smoked as a younger person. Not proud of this, but now clean but chew, 28 years old. I see that these post are from 2007 thru 2009. It is now 2012 as I write this. Please, if anybody has found anything out, email, please! Every day is more suffering when u dont know what is wrong with you. Thank you. Jesse........ ***@****
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Omg I have the same thing kinda . I'm 15 6'0  ft 260 pounds use to smoke and I get tightness in my left side of my chest and back and get pains in my left shoulder , arm , and hand it also gets numb I went to the doctors and they said I has acid reflux and gave me zantrex but it didn't help and it's been over a month I think it's my heart cause it hurts all around it please help !
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Read this one,,,,,, this is crazy, problem area, left side of my body,with pain and numbness,and inflammation , my foot pain is the worst, it feels like I need to crack my big toe, squeeze my foot and it relieves all the pain for a brief moment while the blood begins to flow threw the left side of my body,, but that's just the beginning..I feel it all from my foot, to the leg, my thigh, hip, side and my arm,under arm, shoulder, chest and breast, my face, head,  ear, eye, tongue, nose, and shortness of breath, also my hand and pointing finger that feels the same as my big toe,,,,,,my Hands even turn blue on both my left and right sides,, that's lack of oxygen right? Other than that, it's all on the left side,, the right side of my body is just fine,,,,I even have
problems with memory loss,,,,,I don't except it but I do feel it.... What is this
crazy thing,,,,, is it a blood flow problem, cancer, muscular problem, stroke,
heart problem, collapsed lung,
breast cancer, arthritis, pinched nerves????? Is it a combination of things, What is it? I'm tired all the time, have to sit down and take my time on some days,,, it's not always that
bad but the pain and numbness is constant...I've been to a foot doctor,
general doc., with no real answer of what's wrong with me.. Heart test and
a number of other general test,,, all came back fine. Does anybody have a clue... I'm a female, 31, and about 215 lbs
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
have you ever been tested for h.pylori bacterium? if not have a read up also sounds like there could be a sign of fibromyalgia? all these things can cause your symptoms, not being a doctor but a normal person who has experienced the same symptoms you had and discovered that especially fibromyalgia has many symptoms and i mean many!! dont forget to tell the doctor you see everything every niggle every pain every feeling because illness isnt just physical its also psychosymatic..probly spelt that wrong bet you know what i mean :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've had pretty much the same kinda pains for a few months now. Sometimes my arm gets really cold and other times it is not but,the pain is steady. The weird thing about my pain is that it jumps from my back to my arm to my shoulder then my chest and then my hand and never do they all hurt at the same time.A couple of hours here then a couple hours there, jumping from one spot to the other and it's freaking me out. I've got a feeling that it's poor circulation because it hurts more when my arm gets cold and a hot bath fixes me right up (but only as long as I'm in the hot water). Maybe I have a collapsed vein because I forgot to mention that I shoot dope periodically.
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Avatar universal
hi im 22yrs old and even im suffering from similar problem. i often get chest pain towards my rigth side and numbness of arms first which spreads on to my both leg and finally to right side of my head. from last friday im suffering from this and yesterday was really sick. was having short of breath and was not able to have any food and also was feeling giddy and having nausea. i really need help atleast to know whether this problem is due to anxiety or i should consult some doctor. i can always tell that im not a person who gets anxious very often.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hii i think it may be panic attacks..same thing is currently happening to me, and i am 21 years old..i get a sudden numbness in my chest and arm, and i often feel my heart cramping or being stabbed/a tingly painful feeling. but apparently based on a few doctors diagnosis, its just panic attacks. u dont need to have any major stressful event to provoke panic attacks- they just occur at anytime. i believe its a built up of stress and anxiety over time + an increased awareness of one's physiological states. when i start noticing any slight numbness i instantly become worried and anxious -> which consequently leads to a panic attack and my heart palpitating, leading to a vicious cycle. always remind yourself that youve had all these scans- if its anything physiological it would have most likely been spotted, and panic attacks lead to such symptoms in the chest anyways. so just calm yourself down and deep breath whenever u feel any pain or numbness. goodluck!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
have you thought of Sciatica
Helpful - 0
1987593 tn?1326675862
check chostrocondridis, chest wall pain and it does feel like a heart attack, can last for months and everyone thinks your crazy i had this and its kinda a pheonomenia because its not really distinct in a specific reason or answer for it but its real and its a real disease
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dear Friends, I, too, have your symptoms, so I truly sympathize with you all.
Please consult with an ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIST, a person trained beyond regular  cardiology to operate on the electrical circuitry of the heart. This is a specialty about which I'd never heard. I was merely seeking a second opinion and picked the right doctor--he operated immediately in October, and said without the procedure, I would have not lived to Thanksgiving. I had chest pain, pain and numbness in my RIGHT arm and hand, a swollen right leg and foot, stabbing pain in my upper back, extreme shortness of breath, and wide variations in my heart rate that a heart monitor finally caught, ranging from 27 beats per minute up to 255 (not a typo) beats per minute. Nobody sent me to the electrophysiologist; it was sheer luck that I picked him out of the phone book. Later, I met SIX other people in my town who had started out with the same cardiologist as I, and
who decided to seek a second opinion at the last minute and consulted with an electrophysiologist. Each person ended up having the same surgery that I had, a cardiac ablation, in which tubes are inserted in the groin and the doctor and his trained staff sit and monitor each heart beat, trying to identify the areas where irregularities are occurring before they cauterize
every other electrical cell to make the heart work properly. It can be a slow and tedious procedure, but it is well worth it. Good luck to everyone!
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Avatar universal
Ask your doctor if  Gabapentin capsules will help you manage the pain.
Best of LUCK to you. May you get better soon.
Mark
Helpful - 0
1985177 tn?1326531573
hI THIS IS RAZA,
I have pinching and stebbing pain right bottom of my left chest. When I wake up from sleep i feel heavy pain at the back of my shoulders. I went to the doctor they did xray and blood test. All were fine and doctor discharge me saying it is muscles pain or stress.  I do not have any idea what it is. pain in my chest is some time so pinching that even i cannot sneez.
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Avatar universal
I have the same thing. My doc just says its anxiety but now im pregnant and cant take the meds but its hurting worse. Its miserable. Im 20  years old and overweight but have been told its not my heart at all.
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Avatar universal
my husband 29 has the same problem as most on this page, he has back pain sore ribs numbness to his arm hand  and face. Finds it hard to breath thinks hes having a heart attack. cant sleep and is very worried. He went to the doctors on friday and they said that they thought it might have been a colasped lung, blood clot in the lung or lung infection. But after he looked at him he just said everything seems good take imbrofpen for the pain if it still doesnt get any better come back and see him. My husband is in still alot of discomfort am not sure what to do, as i see most of you that has the same problem arent getting no answers. I will keep you all posted i am making him another appointment on monday to see what they say
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Avatar universal
I'm 18 and I have been having severe chest pains for 2 years now. Panic attacks are consistent throughout the day. always nervous and uncomfortable. I've been to many doctors and specialists, they say I may have a severed nerve in my chest. I can't deal with it any more its driving me insane! I've been on so many different meds and all they do is make me feel even worse then I have to come off them because they don't help.. is there anyway of relieving the pain I used to be a heavy drug user and I know the anxiety has a lot to do with that. but I can't sit in a meeting or go to work without feeling like I'm going to freak out or have a heart attack.. everyone tells me I'm lazy because I don't want to go for a 5 hour bike ride or leave the house when I'm feeling really ******. No one gets it at all I'm hoping it goes away in the next year or so. theres no one I'll be able to deal with this the rest of my life
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