ice pick pains...

[tschock]

I know I have an arrhythmia...the doctor told me that last year...although he didn't tell me what it meant.
He said that I had an arrhythmia, and that he wouldn't worry about it.
Fine for him to say...freaks the daylights out of me when it acts up.

Anyway, the past few days I've been getting these nasty pains on the left side of my chest. ( Just left of the breast bone.)
It feels like someone is stabbing me with an ice pick. Sometimes, if I hold my breath, the pain seems to ease a bit.
Last night I barely slept a wink...I had been asleep for about 2 hours when the pain hit. After that it was impossible to go back to sleep. I kept thinking " what if this is it?" and of course hubby is a deep sleeper...so I opted to stay awake...at least until the pain dissipated.
Is this a possible symptom of an arrhythmia?  I doubt it's anything serious, as I should think that I would be dead by now.
I have had pains ( not this one though ) in the past and been put on treadmills to see if the pains could be caused by stress or whatever...nothing EVER happens in front of the doctors...and the pain always seems to happen at rest.
My doctor won't listen to me...and the waiting time at the hospital emergency room is generally 17 hours...yes...17 hours. That's how long I waited the last time my heart did " weird things " and they discovered the arrhythmia.
Of course the pains were gone by the time they hooked me up to their fancy machines.

Anyway...any thoughts from anyone? Could it be serious gas pains or something?
I also have a lung issue going on...coughing is minimal but does bring up thick sputum. This started about 2 1/2 weeks before the ice pick pain began...so not too sure they are related.
The arrhythmia causes a really hard, solid pound before the ice pick feeling happens...and it seems to pound in time to the heart...but maybe I'm just so freaked out that it seems that way?

[ireneo]

I don't read anything startling but you may want to make an appt. with your regular doctor to have your lungs checked. It's not normal to cough up thick stuff for over 2 weeks. It wasn't clear how long the pain lasts when it occurs.  

The doctor figured out your arrhythmia and thought it wasn't life threatening. However, a good doctor would have explained exactly what your heart was doing and why it wasn't dangerous rather than leave you wondering.

I agree with Flycaster (of course) in that heart related pain is usually more of a heavy pressure. On the occasions I've had chest pain it felt like someone grabbed my heart and just squeezed or was trying to pull it out through my back. Kind of icky.

[Flycaster305]

I've got a history of cardiac issues, including heart attacks, angina, and strange heart beats, and can tell you that never did I experience sharp, stabbing pain.  Heart attacks/angina issues are generally a long lasting feeling of intense pressure, think on having a cement sack on your chest, and/or being extremely breathless.
Most arrhythmia issues are benign and given the fact you have had them checked out, I'd suggest you are experiencing stress issues.  Almost everyone has some arrhythmia, sometimes people are symptomatic.  If you faint, I'd take them seriously.  It sounds like anxiety is an issue.  Keep us informed.