Hyperchrondriac

[tx1980]

Im not sure if this were I post this but I woul like some help.I have had right side lower chest pains for 7 month I have been to several different Drs,Had all kinds of tests all clear.I was wondering if this could be in my head.The Drs Have found nothing I had been a sandblaster for 3 yrs and I went on line to check on right rib pain and found Silicosis then went from there but Pulmonary Drs say my lunggs are clear do you have pain with Hyperchrondria.Thanks For Your Time

[tx1980]

I went to see my councler I didnt find undignosed forum on this site

[Jaquta]

Could it be muscular?  Another question to ask yourself is what were you doing differently, if anything, seven months ago?  Could be a clue.

[Peter Forster]

I don't know that much about the possible causes of lower chest pain. I agree that you might want to use the undiagnosed symptoms forum, as Jaquta suggests. If you do that I would give a little bit more information about the kinds of tests that have been done, and the nature of the pain. If you google pain description worksheet you will find a PDF document that will help you to describe the pain in a way that will make it easier for doctors to consider the possibilities.

In the post that got lost (made a week ago) I commented that pain, especially chronic pain, is ALWAYS in your head. The physical sensations that lead to pain may arise in the body (or may not - there are folks with chronic pain in a leg or arm... who lost their leg or arm in an accident - this is called phantom limb pain), but what makes these sensations into pain is signal processing that takes place in the brain. And yes, these circuits can sometimes go wrong and categorize something as pain that shouldn't be categorized as pain.

So, the question is what to do.

I would encourage you to consider three options (the more you do the better) -

1. Get strong and healthy - if you do the things that will make you stronger and healthier in other ways you will find that you will be less worried about this pain. Good diet. Exercise. Not drinking too much.
2. Mindfulness practice. There are many ways of doing this but they all involve practice being present with your experiences (including of pain) without being trapped by those experiences (locked in a struggle with them, or with some other overwhelming emotional response to them). Yoga. Mindfulness meditation (your local hospital may offer courses based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, or you can google him and find more information about his approach).
3. See a psychiatrist. If you are feeling depressed or anxious, even if it is obviously due to these experiences of pain, your mood can contribute to the problems. In that case getting help with your mood can make a big difference.

[Jaquta]

I expect you have pain and other aches, etc.

My feeling is that it is perhaps physical, despite all the tests, and not something in your head.

Anxiety can make us stress about stuff though.  You could always see a psychiatrist.

I would also post your question on the undiagnosed symptoms community forum.  Doctors respond to posts there and they may be able to throw additional light on your problem.

Hope that helps.