Has anyone experience the following?

[TraceyDee]

I have been to 3 different doctors and a hospital due to problems I've been having for about a year and a half now. They started out of no where and are becoming more frequent as days pass so I know that the situation is worsening. However, they say there is nothing wrong with me. I have had 2 EKGs and had my blood tested for "everything" (though I don't know what they meant by that.) My blood tests came back normal. "Healthy as anyone could hope to be," is what my last doctor said. I am just wondering if anyone has experienced the following and what it was or could be. I am going to go to yet another doctor and would like to know what different types of things to talk to her.

One doctor tried telling me it was panic attacks and prescribed me Zoloft for daily use and Xanax to use whenever it got really bad. These didn't help and I hated the idea of being another person shoved into the mind-altering drug world so I stopped taking them after a few months. That was a year ago.

My symptoms are as follows:
Random, painful heart palpitations.
Sharp pains in both breasts (sometimes separately, sometimes together) that make me cry out in pain and often send shooting paints down to my finger tips.
Sharp pains in stomach / abdominal area occasionally
Tingly arms; also sharp pains in arms
Sharp headaches at the temple that Ibuprofen and Tylenol do not help with
Body suddenly feels flushed, hot, and tingly. Starts at feet (they get very cold though, while the rest of me gets very hot) and moves up to my head.
Strange headaches, hard to explain but they feel like someone squeezing my head.
Sudden spurts of fatigue daily.
Dizziness (not as frequent as other symptoms.)
I often feel like I am about to get sick (when your body starts to get achy, head is hot, headache coming on) but it goes away after a few hours. (This happens weekly.)

I don't know if all of these things are related or not but I wanted to make a list of it all just in case. I am a 22 year old female who eats healthy and exercises regularly. When I am exercising is actually the only time that none of the above things occur. That is when I feel the best.

Can anyone give me any suggestions of things I may want to discuss with this new doctor?

Thanks so much!

[tropicalsoul]

I have a suggestion.  Try eliminating all bread, pasta, grains, wheat...anything that may contain a substance called "gluten."  Do a search on gluten and I think you may find some help there.  Gluten is a protein found in wheat and I think you may find that many of your symptoms may suggest a simple food allergy.  It worked for me quite well.

[Tuckamore]

Mesick, You are correct. Some physician over use the anxiety or stress diagnosis to explain away difficult medical symptoms. However stress can cause a multitude of physical symptoms and magnify physical symptoms. One of the key sentences in her post is that she was on medications for anxiety and stress and saw no relief. She should have felt at least a bit better even if the they were not the drugs of choice.

TraceyDee, I am no physician. I do not know what is causing your pain. GERD should have more symptoms than occasional "sharp stomach and abdominal pain."  Initially there is usually a lot of burping or burping up of foods at night along with nausea, especially after eating certain foods. It is not impossible that you have GERD but based on the symptoms you describe it is not probable in my opinion.  

Many of your symptoms in my opinion can be the result of feeling some anxiety when your medical symptoms begin. Anxiety is a normal factor when you have undiagnosised pain and symptoms.

Red may be talking about Fibrocystic Breasts. I have them as do many other women. They can be very painful but not life threatening as long as you are followed closely by a physician so a change in breast mass is not missed. Ppl with this condition should avoid caffeine and fats. When I stopped all caffeine I was 99% better but I missed my coffee and chocolates. Now I consume both in moderation and deal with some discomfort.

How are you doing? Have you seen another physician as of yet? We will be looking forward to your updates.
Peace, Tuck

[Mollyrae]

Stress and anxiety can and absolutely will produce physical trauma to ones body. It can be the culprit for many illnesses. I have no doubt that you may be experiencing symptoms of other illnesses like that of GERD and possible Migraine type headaches and you should have them checked out asap. Now all Doctors are on the ball these days and they may have missed something. I do feel that part of it is the anxiety and stress which should be addressed.

With the doubt that lingers with you feeling that the Doctor is missing something should make you get a second and even a third opinion. You are your own advocate and nobody can make you well other than yourself and the strive to find the answers.

I do think you should address the anxiety with a qualified Physician. Please take care and I really hope you find your answers.

Molly

[Red931]

Have you had a mamogram? My wife has a condition that causes this type of pain in her breasts due to cysts that form there. They are NOT cancerous but they are painful and do cause pain down her arms on occasion.

You may want to see a specialist to see if you have this condition. I think they are called fibroid cysts that develop. They can be aggravated by your diet if you have them, especially by caffeine and alcohol among other things. My wife's doctor aspirates them when too many form in a cluster.

I still am of the opinion that you have anxiety related to the pains you are having in your chest but I will admit I missed that you said the pain in your breasts can be in one or  the other or both at times.That is what made me think of this condition. Even when on medication you will still have symtoms. You said you are not taking the anxiety medications daily, so if you took the Xanax after the onset of your symptoms it would take some time to relieve your symptoms.

Do you notice that you are having the other symptoms after the chest pain sets in?

[TraceyDee]

In the past week, the thing that has become the worst is the pain in my breasts. In the past couple of years that I've had it, it has always been a very quick, sharp pain that shoots down to my arms. However, in the past week, it has been something much more steady. A horrible pain that lingers for hours on end, every day. I hate breathing in too hard because the more I breathe, the more it hurts. I hate moving too much because the more I do, the more it hurts. I don't know what this means. I do know that breast pain is not a symptom of breast cancer but what else could it be? Could it be connected to everything else? Would you suggest I see a gynecologist before a family MD first?

Thanks,
Tracey

[mesick]

hi I have to disagree and say that this can very well be physical and not mental. I have found that as soon as a dr finds out that you have been treated for a mental problem they assume its all in your head. have you had your potassium checked. that caused a lot of my pain because it was too low.  I nearly had a heart attack to find it out , and they had to give me large doses of liguid potassium to get it level again . I now have to take prescription strength potassium . so if you dont feel comfortable with the diagnosis then keep trying till you find out what it is . but also stress can cause your body to go way out of whack .   too much stress can damage the nerve endings in your body.  that may be the shap pains. I get them too and I take nuerontin. it helps with the pain and the stinging sensations.

[Mollyrae]

Hello TracyDee and welcome.

I agree with Red when he mentioned the anxiety issue and in my opinion, it sounds like you may be experiencing some GERD (Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease). With the stomach and abdominal issues you have mentioned, GERD falls into that category with the symptoms.

Believe it or not,  anxiety can cause many health problems and many of the symptoms you describe make me believe that it is anxiety along with stress.

Have you discussed with your Doctor the possibility of getting on some medication to reduce the amount of anxiety and stress you're experiencing? In my opinion, that would be a very good idea. It may reduce the symptoms your having. I would definitely make an appt. to see your Doctor for a re-evaluation.

I wish I had better advise for you. Please take care and keep in touch. We are a great group of ppl who care and listen.

My best,
Mollyrae

[Tuckamore]

Hi TraceyDee,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am sorry to hear about your symptoms and pain. We all know how frustrating it can be without a diagnosis. You are so young to be having this much disruption in your life.

I can't say if your symptoms are due to anxiety or not. I do know that any pain can be made worse when you do not know the source of the pain or symptoms. If it were strictly anxiety I would have thought that at the least some of your symptoms would have eased when you were taking the prescribed medications for anxiety.

Unfortunately the routine "tests" do not always reveal an underlying condition. There are so many that can be difficult to diagnosis. Busy physicians tend to blame anxiety onto symptoms and pain that they cannot easily diagnosis. This is not to say your physicians have been wrong but if are not comfortable with the diagnosis you are doing the right thing., searching for answers. Vitamins deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and other similar problems can produce some of the symptoms that you describe. You may be dealing with more than one medical problem.

When you see you new physician just be honest and forthcoming. Explain that you do not accept the anxiety diagnosis and the reasons behind your belief. I took me years before someone diagnosised me. I was told the same thing at one time. Don't give up.

Hang in there and please let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to your updates. Take care and please keep in touch.
Tuck    

[Red931]

These are all symptoms of anxiety. I believe your doctor gave you a correct diagnosis. I have requested that your question me moved over to the Anxiety Forum as the members there are very familiar with you symptoms and you will get more feedback there.

I am also a member of that forum.