Upper left chest / back pain

[forlegion]

Hello. I am running out of ideas on how to attack these issues. This is starting to affect my everyday-life, and I am open to any and all suggestions. Please help.


I currently work in the middle east and am subjected to months away from family & friends, long hours / days without sleep, and high stress.

I am actively looking for stateside work, but with the job market in it the state it's in, I may be stuck in the middle east for some time.


I have had issues with self-diagnosed pinched nerve / muscle strain for several months. 3 months ago, I reported this issue to doctors and they ran a separate stress test without dye or imaging (only treadmill + ekg). This stress test showed no issues with my heart.


Doctors have x-rayed my shoulder, neck, and upper spine area. They have not been able to determine the cause of the pinched nerve / muscle strain issues that I have been reporting. Regular stretching of the left shoulder area seems to diminish, but not eliminate, this issue. Rolling my shoulder forward (as in holding the steering wheel while driving, trying to fit into a cramped seat, etc) seem to aggravate this issue.

This pain / cramping primarily affects my upper left chest / back. It spans from the center of my rib cage to the left, under my armpit, and around my back to my left shoulder blade. This cramping sometimes seems to travel into my shoulder and into my neck.


Until recently, the worst symptoms I experienced kept me up for several hours at night, trying to stretch the pain away or walk it off.


Recently, I visited the E.R. experiencing what I felt was a heart attack.

I have experienced similar issues in the past, but this is the worst that I have had yet.

I experienced chest pains, numbness traveling down my left arm, and numb lips.

The doctors found no issues with my EKG, my blood pressure was elevated, the doctors held me overnight for observation, and ran a stress test with radioactive dye imaging afterward. The imaging found no issues with my heart.


The ER doctors stated that the only additional test they could run would be a heart cath, but they didn't feel this would be necessary after 2 negative stress tests in 3 months.


I believe the trigger of this panic attack was some sort of pinched nerve in my left shoulder or muscle strain in my left chest / shoulder that led to cramps.


After this week's episode, my doctor prescribed me with 20 .50mg Alprazolam to take "as needed every 8 hours"




I am assuming that I can trust that I am not experiencing a heart issue at this point. Would you agree?

Does this sound like anxiety or a panic attack?

Can anyone suggest methods of coping with this? I would prefer to avoid medication if possible, if not, so be it.

Should I approach my general doctor regarding an anxiety specialist?




Can anyone suggest how to address / approach my general doctor about the pinched nerve / muscle strain issues that I am experiencing?

IcyHot & BenGay have proven to temporarily relieve most / all of the cramping / pinched nerve pain, but I'm eager to find a permanent solution.

Any additional suggestions?

[angryt]

It might not actually be back or chest related! Just a thought because I have the same problem, the pain starts under my left ribcage and spreads up to my upper back, I have had it now for a year and a half  and doctors have been unable to explain to me what it could be, I don't think it's muscle related at all. But have you had your spleen checked? Also gallbladder can be a good one to check, Does it hurt to breathe?

Vicky

[forlegion]

Thanks for your response.

No, it does not hurt to breathe.

It's becoming an every-day problem. While I don't know the source, doing various left-arm / shoulder stretches seem to mitigate some of the discomfort.

I also notice that it tends to be uncomfortable if I use my arm when I'm standing up / using my left arm to get out of the driver's seat, etc.


I have not had my spleen or gallbladder specifically checked. What sort of tests would be suggested?

I have had doctors press into my abdomen, but there is no unexpected discomfort during these tests.

[forlegion]

It seems that the discomfort is highly-linked to how I am sitting / laying. If I am forced to roll my shoulder forward or roll my upper spine forward for extended periods of time, the muscles in my upper-left chest / back seem to knot / cramp up. The longer the duration, the worse the symptoms.