Werid Gurgling/Bubbling In Chest When Getting Up After Laying Down?

[johnnyky]

Not sure where to post this question, but I'm totally at the end of my rope & clueless as to what's wrong with me! For about a month, I've been having these dull sensations from my left rear chest, like towards the bottom of ribcage. First they felt like a vague bubbling sensation if I moved a certain way, and when I'd wake up especially after sleeping on my back or on my left side I'd feel sore on that side. I went to the ER they did a chest x-ray and said it was normal and EKG was normal and said it was Costochondritis (muscular). But about two weeks ago, I had a singing lesson where I got into it, and after that I noticed definate shortness of breath and some pain on my left side if I breathed deeply. A couple days after that I felt heaviness on my left side, along my collar bone, and felt like I couldn't quite get a deep breath on that side. And I started waking up in the morning for a couple of days feeling like a brick on my left upper chest, very unpleasant. I went to my regular doctor, he did another chest x-ray at my request, said it was normal to my surprise. The extreme heaviness has gone away mostly now but in the past few days I have been waking up with this gurgling/bubbling sensation in my left middle back after I have been laying on my back. I take a couple of breaths and it goes away.

I went to the ER again yesterday and they did a chest CT scan and said it was normal. Not even a slight pneumothorax, which I was worried about. The ER doc said he thought my symptoms are caused by lung secretions or allergies which pool at night when I'm at rest. he didn't give me any medicine or anything, just advised I take allergy meds if needed. My mind was eased somewhat by the CT results, because don't they show anything wrong in the chest? I do have allergies but they've always been in my nasal and throat areas not my chest unless I had a bad cold which I don't.

My other thought was a heart issue like mitral valve prolapse or regurgitation, but wouldn't the  recent x-rays and ct-scan have shown that too? So what is it, just drainage? And if so is there no treatment for it? I'm just tired of waking up with this gurgling and the doctors all say nothing is wrong. The ER doc yesterday did tell me to see a pulmonologist. I will, but what is causing this?  I used to smoke, but I quit three years ago. Also, along with the gurgling symptoms in my middle back when I wake up, during the day, I feel this weird pressure sensation in my lower left back area if I move a certain way. I am only 31, 5'11, and 170. I'm fairly fit, I do have a bit of a belly but I have a tall slim frame. I did have a pneumothroax on my left side many years ago but the x-rays and ct-scan all said I had none. I have had heart tests, echocardiograms, but the last one was like 2 years ago because I had a routine screening due to some family history of heart problems. But wouldn't the CT pick up anything heart or lung related? Should I request another echocardiogram? My gut is that this is a lung issue. But all the tests came back clear.

So basically wouldn't the CT-scan yesterday have shown any lung fluid/heart problems? Why am I having the gurgling when I breathe in when I wake up and get out of bed in the morning? I hate to go yet again to the ER, but if it doesn't go away I don't know what else to do. Maybe it is just drainage in the lung. But does it just have to go away itself? I do have a window air conditioner in my window that blows constantly, I'm sure the inside has mold in it, maybe that could be it? I just don't know.

[ThonySG]

Hello! I believe we have the same problem. I've got the same feeling of bubbling on my chest for a week already. It comes and goes, but its coming everyday. Like you, I was worried that maybe there is something wrong with my heart, or lungs, or stomach but I'm very fine except for this irritating bubbling thing on my chest. I googled to see if there's any people of the same experience as I do and to know what is the remedy, but to my dismay, I did not found any solid solution.

Until one day, I resorted to natural herbal way of dealing with it. I remember when I was little, my grandmother would put a crushed ginger on my stomach whenever I got a gas problem. So without any doubt, I tried it to myself this time having this bubbling problem. What I did...I minced and crushed a medium amount of GINGER (just enough to give me a strong taste of it) in a bowl so that it will give out its juices (I use a bowl so that I can keep the juices of ginger). After crushing, I add a small amount of water on a bowl to collect all its juices and the crushed gingers and put them on a saucepan. After that, I add some more amount of water to make me good enough for one mug cap of hot ginger juice, then boil it. After boiling for about 5 minutes, I put it on my mug cap, add a bag of tea (like lemon tea) and honey to give it a taste. And YES! That bubbling thing is GONE! After drinking it I feel good and it stopped. The following day it did not come back...until now. I believe it worked. So I did not stop there, instead I continued drinking that ginger juice every other day for 5 times then I stop. Until now, by God's grace, that bubbling thing never came back again. So why don't you try it also, friend. It worked for me so I believe, it will work for you also.  

[garsfunk]

you are for sure not alone. so baffling how its such a mystery. been researching this a lot online and no one truly knows what the cause is. i just recently stopped smoking weed a week ago and cigarettes 3 days ago (only smoked about 1 cig a day). stopping was unrelated to these symptoms. i noticed the bubbling noises ever so slightly while i was smoking, id take a few deep breathes and then it'd go away for the night. now that i've stopped smoking though i've noticed this bubbling much more. i take a few deep breathes and it only goes away for about a half hour, then comes back again. i'm not in any pain or having trouble breathing, just pretty annoying and I'm afraid it could be/get serious.  i'm also a pretty tall slender dude who's very active. I try to eat as healthy as possible for the most part too. thinking it could be my lungs clearing out the **** i've been inhaling for years but a lot of the other people that have these symptoms don't smoke and never have. its a mystery to me and I'd love more insight on the issue!

[ed34]

Sounds like this is impacting on your life, especially mentally, so they need to get to the bottom of it. My recommendation would be to have a camera exploration of your digestive system. There is no better method than getting inside and looking around.
Just as an insight, I can't see it being your valves. Gurgling sounds require air to be present, and believe me, if you had air in your heart you would not be around.

[johnnyky]

Dr, I told the doctors who evaluated me that I had no cough, just the feeling of gurgles & soreness on my left side when getting up in the morning. They listened to my heart & EKG and x-rays & Ct scan were all normal. They said it could be pooling due to allergies in the lungs. But why do I not feel the need to cough & why is it just my left side? I will try & do the things you suggested. Do you think based on all of this that it's probably not heart-related? Like I mentioned I had an echocardiogram done about a year and a half ago, & it was normal. The doctors in the ER said nothing would change that quickly, and that the CT would have showed something. I just want to rule out mitral valve regurgitation or something bad. I think it may be allergies, but going to follow up with my doc to be sure.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, lung secretions are usually due to an infection. They can also be due to an allergic manifestation like asthma. But when there are secretions, you should have cough as this is a protective mechanism to remove them, in the absence of cough it’s unlikely that there are any secretions. Besides the secretions can be heard during a physical examination of the lungs and they are termed as ‘crepitation’. So, check with your doctor regarding this.

In the meantime you try life style measures to help with GERD.  Take frequent small meals. Eat dinner about two hours before sleeping. Elevate the head end of the bed. Keep a food diary and note down what aggravates your symptoms and avoid them. Ensure to maintain optimum weight by regular exercise. Avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications NSAID's, quit smoking, eliminate alcohol and reduce stress levels. These measures need to be practiced long term for results. Hope this helps!!

[johnnyky]

Thanks for the reply doctor, my doctors assured me the CT scan and chest x-rays all being clear should make me not pay this issue much attention. They told me even a small pneumothorax would show up on a CT scan. And I asked if a small leak in the lung would only manifest at night when laying down causing the gurgling sensation, the doctors said it would not.

I never thought about this being a gastro problem, maybe I will talk to my doctor about it! I did have an ECHO done about two years ago, but since the recent CT showed nothing wrong, there would be little point to having another ECHO, because nothing major would change in just two years? Doctors said there's no indication of the bubbling sensation being anything heart related.

They told me it may be lung secretions which pool at night, but is there a remedy for this? Will it go away, if it is lung secretions?  Thanks for the very helpful response. I'll follow up with my doctor.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, a CT scan would have picked up any structural abnormalities. An ECHO can help to study the heart valves more clearly. Your symptoms of gurgling could be due to GERD, (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease), where the acid contents of the stomach came up into the esophagus.  There are other entities like a pharyngeal pouch, which  is a bulging pocket occurring at the top of the oesophagus, which can cause the gurgling noise. I suggest you consult a gastroenterologist, who will help evaluate these conditions. Regards.