Hello,
I've been suffering from chest pain and pressure for six years. When it started it would come and go with long gaps in between. Now it is constant. The pain is in the center of the chest midway down the sternum. The area is about the size of a half dollar. When the pressure gets bad I feel it on the other side of in between my shoulder blades. The pressure radiates up into my ears, throat, and sinuses. This causes my ears to block up and I have to pop them over and over. I also feel the pressure behind my eyes. The pressure area feels like a bubble in my chest. Sitting down and leaning forward feels like putting pressure on both the top and the bottom of this area. Standing is the most comfortable position. Lying down feels like it is pushing this pressure area up into my throat. Also, the pressure sometimes makes breathing feel strained in one lung, but not the other (although which lung can alternate). Sometimes, this feeling abruptly goes away with a sudden popping sensation. Hard cardiovascular exercise can sometimes cause this to happen. The pain can get severe, up to a 7, but usually is a constant 3 or 4. I've been to a neuro, gastro, cardio, psych, pulmo, and physiatrist docs. I've had a chest CT, stress test, methylcoline challenge, upper endoscpy, etc. Slight gastritis. That's it. Tried Gas X, Prevacid, Xanax, Klonopin, Naproxen, Neurontin. Nothing. Currently, I take hydrocodone when it gets really bad. Kills the pain, but I still feel the pressure in that one spot. It feel like something stuck in my chest about the size of a golf ball. I've been to so many docs. They just run some test, shrug, and say they don't know. There is no working theory either. Any ideas?