Stabbing pain

trigeek · 02-17-2007, 07:23 PM

This is by no means an emergency...I've had this chest pain since elementary school. I just have never had an explaination for the pain. Most doctors just shrug when I ask, so I stopped asking.

Randomly I get a stabbing pain in my chest. When I get the pain it increases with any small amounts of breathing, so I tend to hold my breath when I get it (10-20 secs of pain tops). I also used to be able to induce the pain by taking deep breaths, I have since stopped being stupid. This makes me believe it is breathing related, maybe a diapghram (sp?) cramp.

I also believe it is stress related, since I tend to get it when very stressed out. It was continous problem during school, and I have either stopped being stressed or have partially outgrown the problem. It happens once a month now, instead of daily.

Thanks!

Dana · 02-18-2007, 12:30 PM

Hummm. Of course without an exam it is hard to tell. Is the pain in the center of your chest ie breast bone, or is it to one side or the other? Is it high, low or middle of your chest?

When you say that you can induce the pain it makes me think it is muscle related. Sometimes people can get what we call costochrondritis which is just inflamation of the cartlidge between the ribs. Hurts when you take in a deep breath or push on the area.

Anxiety often will present as chest pain and/or some shortness of breath. I can't tell you how many patients we see in the ER with this and they think they are having a heart attack. That is something to think about too, especially when you tell me the discomfort is worse when you are stressed.

Gastric Reflux is something else to think about. That is usually worse with stress and anxiety also. Not usually made worse with breathing though. Again, just hard to tell without an exam.
d

Kristie · 02-18-2007, 12:50 PM

I used to get the same type of thing when i was in my 20's.. at times, i thought it was heart related (heart attack more than once) but the more i fiddled with it, the more i realized it had to be muscle related. maybe you stretched the muscle or did something in your sleep to cause it to cramp up (like you can your lower back)...sometimes i get the feeling just from heartburn alone! but it's not nearly as bad as it was in my 20's.. alchohol might have been a contributor to the occasions.

02-17-2007, 07:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
trigeek Jetgirls Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 165 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Stabbing pain This is by no means an emergency...I've had this chest pain since elementary school. I just have never had an explaination for the pain. Most doctors just shrug when I ask, so I stopped asking. Randomly I get a stabbing pain in my chest. When I get the pain it increases with any small amounts of breathing, so I tend to hold my breath when I get it (10-20 secs of pain tops). I also used to be able to induce the pain by taking deep breaths, I have since stopped being stupid. This makes me believe it is breathing related, maybe a diapghram (sp?) cramp. I also believe it is stress related, since I tend to get it when very stressed out. It was continous problem during school, and I have either stopped being stressed or have partially outgrown the problem. It happens once a month now, instead of daily. Thanks! __________________ Lauren claims no truth, sanity, or fact checking in this post. It was probably posted late in the evening under conditions of heavy drinking or heavy eyelids while DH was away.

02-18-2007, 12:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
Dana Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Phoenix Posts: 553 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Stabbing pain Hummm. Of course without an exam it is hard to tell. Is the pain in the center of your chest ie breast bone, or is it to one side or the other? Is it high, low or middle of your chest? When you say that you can induce the pain it makes me think it is muscle related. Sometimes people can get what we call costochrondritis which is just inflamation of the cartlidge between the ribs. Hurts when you take in a deep breath or push on the area. Anxiety often will present as chest pain and/or some shortness of breath. I can't tell you how many patients we see in the ER with this and they think they are having a heart attack. That is something to think about too, especially when you tell me the discomfort is worse when you are stressed. Gastric Reflux is something else to think about. That is usually worse with stress and anxiety also. Not usually made worse with breathing though. Again, just hard to tell without an exam. d

02-18-2007, 12:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
Kristie Admin/Owner Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 6,484 Recipes: Thanks: 7 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Stabbing pain I used to get the same type of thing when i was in my 20's.. at times, i thought it was heart related (heart attack more than once) but the more i fiddled with it, the more i realized it had to be muscle related. maybe you stretched the muscle or did something in your sleep to cause it to cramp up (like you can your lower back)...sometimes i get the feeling just from heartburn alone! but it's not nearly as bad as it was in my 20's.. alchohol might have been a contributor to the occasions. __________________ www.jetcareers.com

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