First off, I will give some history...I am a 42 yr old female, 3 children (cesarean), have hypothyroidism (well controlled on 100 mmg levoxothyrine), anxiety, depression and PTSD (controlled by 100mmg sertraline and .50 mg alprazolam) and subject to periodic sleeplessness that I take benedryl to remedy. I have a history of migrane headaches. I have been in three minor car accidents, kicked in the head by a horse, pinned in a trailer and run down on separate occasions. These have all resulted in mild/moderate concussion/contusion, bruised ribs, moderate concussion/contusion, respectively. I have had pneumonia. I have anemia for which I take a daily vitamin. The cause of the anemia has not been identified, and there was signs of an enlarging spleen. At one point in time, it became so severe I could not find position of comfort except to lean almost backwards over the sidearm of the couch. Blood pressure runs on the low side (usually 115/70). I did have gestational diabetes with my last child and gained excessive weight (in my opinion, though my doctor would never tell me this)...from an athletic 123 to 172 lbs!! It took more than 4 years to get this weight down to 129 but never regained my stamina or strength to the point I had before. Both parents were heavy smokers and always smoked around us as kids. Father had high blood pressure and died in 2007 of lung/colon/rectal cancer.
Now...on to today's complaint...This is very hard to explain in terms of symptoms. I feel like there are no words to describe it. It is NOT pain. I can only describe it as a feeling of fullness, maybe pressure, or a little flutter. There does not seem to be any apparent trigger. I work very hard sometimes and that doesn't seem to be the cause. It just starts up and after a few minutes fades away. It concerns me because my 72 year old mother just had a two stents put in her coronary arteries...one was obstructed 80% and the other 90%. She is also a brittle diabetic. Of course I am suspicious of heart problems, but also respiratory ones. My parents smoking, I feel, put me at risk to a life of lung issues (that, and I was born 6 weeks early). I have had bronchitis more times than I can count and always get upper respiratory infections. I also work around horses, so I inhale alot of "barn dust" and whatever else is blowing in on the wind. What on earth could this strange, irritated, full, slight pressure, fluttery feeling? It is concerning because of the location, but I don't want to blow it off either. Any ideas?