Chest Pain Attacks at Night

[radfish]

I'm 17 years old, female.
I smoke under 15 cigarettes a day. I'm sexually active, on birth control and use extra protection otherwise. I drink only on occasion and not excessively. If there is any other information I can give, I will give it. I just need help.

Right before I'm about to lay down to go to sleep, I will have these random attacks of chest pains. Not every night, it's only on occasion.

I will be laying down and I'll feel slight pain under my ribcage on one side. Then, the pain starts spreading. It constricts me. I can breathe, but not with deep breaths. I feel the pain under my breasts, around my ribs, and on my chest. My pain is so bad no over the counter pain killer will even soothe it. It prevents me from getting sleep, and I would rate it amongst the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.

I get anxious when I get them too, sometimes I feel like I would do absolutely anything to make them stop. I've even thought they were so bad that I would try to knock myself unconscious.

I try to relax and lay down and fall asleep, but they also wake me up from my sleep.
Somebody please help me. My parents say it's "muscle pain" but there's no way. It's so awful I cringe just thinking about it.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
It is more likely to be a gastric problem especially since it occurs in the night and on lying down.
This could be gas or a gastro esophageal reflux disease which can cause very severe pain.
I would suggest you to eat your dinner at least 2 hrs before bedtime. Avoid junk food, take OTC antacids and if possible try and cut down on your smoking and alcohol consumption.
If the symptoms do not improve please consult your physician. Take care!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Causes of chest pain are many. It can be due to hypertension,Gastroesophageal reflux disease(do you have heart burn and difficulty in  swallowing), disorders involving the lung like Pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, Mediastinal emphysema etc;cardiac diseases, lung cancer, thoracic outlet syndrome,pancreatitis,gall bladder disease and muscle pain.

Please elaborate on what side of the body is the chest pain, is it accompanied by any other feature like cough, blood in the sputum,palpitations,weight loss. What kind of pain is it-sharp/shooting? Dull/constant? Does it increase or decrease with any posture? Does it radiate somewhere else?

In your case, it can be due to cigarette smoking also. it can produce heart disease and cancer is now common knowledge. Many are not aware that smoking also may produce chest pain. Smoking increases the heart rate, blood pressure and work load upon the heart. If there is pre-existing coronary artery disease, but with adequate blood flow at rest, the increased work produced by smoking, as well as the increase in concentration of carbon monoxide carried by the blood in place of oxygen, may be enough to produce chest pain.

Pls take an appointment from a physician and get yourself thoroughly examined so that a confirmatory diagnosis can be made. Treatment will depend on the diagnosis.

Please abstain from cigarette smoking as it is injurious to health.

Take care and do keep us posted.