Chest pain

[zudabeachbum]

I'm a 24yr old female that has been experiencing chest pain for the past few months.  The pain seems to happen at random whether I'm running, standing up, or laying down.  The pain is almost always on the left side, and is usually a sharp stabbing pain that goes away in a couple minutes.  Sometimes I get the pain a few more times followed by a feeling of general discomfort, and sometimes that's it and it just goes away.  I'm not sure if it's related or not, but I've also noticed that I have been getting lightheaded on occasion, and though I have never passed out before, I think I may have come close a couple times last month. I've also been pretty tired and irritable lately.  I mentioned the chest pain and fatigue to my doctor a few months ago when I went in for a pesky cough, but she basically brushed me off like I was an inconvience.  She told me that I was tired and had pain because of the cough, but I persisted that I had these things way before the cough and felt that they were unrelated.  She sent me to get labs to check TSH level and make sure I wasn't anemic and that was the end of that.  I'm just not sure what these symptoms mean if anything and if they warrant another trip to the doctor or not, as I hate going.

[mells]

If you're still there, did you ever get an answer to your query? I'm having the same thing only I've also got pain in my neck and left shoulder which is spreading across to my right at times and sometimes towards my left elbow. Also, it's getting harder to breathe deeply. I'm 41. I have a thyroid condition but it's being treated.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Causes of chest pain are many. It can be due to hypertension,Gastroesophageal reflux disease(do you have heart burn and difficulty in  swallowing) and hiatal hernia, disorders involving the lung like Pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, Mediastinal emphysema etc;cardiac diseases, lung cancer, thoracic outlet syndrome,pancreatitis,gall bladder disease,panic disorder and muscle pain.

Does your chest ache along the edges of your breastbone, and does your pain get worse when you cough or take a deep breath? It can be COSTOCHONDRITIS, an inflammation of the joints in your chest. Costochondritis usually goes away on its own. Try an anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve the pain. Heat compresses may also help.

Sometimes, a cervical disk may irritate the nerve roots going to the chest wall and produce chronic chest pain that is aggravated by walking and certain body positions.Anemia and thyroid diseases(hyperthyroidism)can also cause chest pain.

It is very difficult to pinpoint a diagnosis unless physical examination is done.You need to undergo various investigations like ECG,stress echo,X-Rays chest,complete blood count,thyroid function tests and nerve conduction tests.

Pls consult a physician and get yourself properly evaluated as treatment is diagnosis specific.
Take care and regards.