Chest Pain

[KeeliaAnn]

I have been experiencing chest and back pains since August. They started out relatively mild and quite infrequent, just enough that when attacks occurred I would think, "Here we go again." Now for the past four days I have had an attack a day.

Attacks are isolated, do not last more then a few minutes, and mainly spawn from my mid and lower back and my upper chest, around the heart. Attacks consist always of either pain in my chest or pain in my back.

It is occasionally severe and some attacks have caused me to spasm and/or collapse. Attacks are not necessarily due to stress; in fact, in the ones I have recorded [all attacks beginning with November 1st], I can find no pattern at all. It seems completely random.

I have never experienced back trauma. There is no history of heart disease in my family. I am not sick right now. It does not take away my breath. I experience no numbness, no spreading of pain or numbness beyond my back and chest. I have never felt any squeezing as a source of pain, nor pain in my arms. The pain has not made me sweat or nauseas. I have no rashes, and only minimal and short term minimal pains after initial stabs.

After talking to a "Health Partner Cares" nurse for fifteen minutes [so I could get an appointment] he told me that my condition was "just weird" and that he had "no idea" what it was. Which was not at all comforting.


Here is a diary I have been keeping recording the attacks:

Date: 1 November 2007
Time: 9:07 am [In class]
Intensity: Startlingly painful, it made me spasm and collapse
Where: Lower middle back
How long: About a minute and a half

Date: 9 November 2007
Time: 4:35 pm [While shopping with Mom]
Intensity: Minor, just a quick stab
Where: Heart area/left chest
How long: Less then a minute

Date: 13 November 2007
Time: 5:46 pm [While rock climbing-belaying]
Intensity: It was bad. I'm really glad Bob was down before it started hurting, I might have dropped him.
Where: The center of my chest.
How long: Three mintues
NOTE: The pain increased up until the final thirty seconds

Date: 14 November 2007
Time: 8:50 pm [Talking to a youth director at my boyfriend's church]
Intensity: First stab made me collapse, then it eased to an ache but spread.
Where: The middle of my back to the right of my spine, it spread to the left of my spine
How long: Three minutes

Date: 17 November 2007
Time 11:38 pm [I had been sleeping for an hour-not in REM yet]
Intensity: Not too bad, but it woke me up
Where: The middle of my back on the right side, it felt like someone cut me-I felt the pain slide down before it disappeared
How long: Less then a minute. I woke up and it was gone

Date: 18 November 2007
Time: 7:20 am [While watching the movie Surfs Up]
Intensity: It was very painful, though not quite enough to make me collapse
Where: My heart (the left side of my chest)
How long: Very brief, only a few seconds-there wasn't even an after ache

Date: 19 November 2007
Time 8:48 pm [While hanging out with my boyfriend]
Intensity: It was less painful then surprising, and it made me spasm
Where: The right side of my chest
How long: A minute or so, not too long
NOTE: They are more frequent now, but less painful. Is that good or bad?

Date: 20 November 2007
Time: 1:05 pm [After seeing a friend and briefly talking to him]
Intensity: Quite bad, made me collapse against a wall, it was a pinpoint of pain
Where: The right side of my chest, opposite my heart
How long: Initial pain lasted a minute and a half with an after stab at two minutes
NOTE: This was not less painful.


If you have any ideas I would truly appreciate it.

[lhinkle]

I have been experiencing chest and back pains since August. They started out relatively mild and quite infrequent, just enough that when attacks occurred I would think, "Here we go again." Now for the past four days I have had an attack a day.

Attacks are isolated, do not last more then a few minutes, and mainly spawn from my mid and lower back and my upper chest, around the heart. Attacks consist always of either pain in my chest or pain in my back.

It is occasionally severe and some attacks have caused me to spasm and/or collapse. Attacks are not necessarily due to stress; in fact, in the ones I have recorded [all attacks beginning with November 1st], I can find no pattern at all. It seems completely random.

I have never experienced back trauma. There is no history of heart disease in my family. I am not sick right now. It does not take away my breath. I experience no numbness, no spreading of pain or numbness beyond my back and chest. I have never felt any squeezing as a source of pain, nor pain in my arms. The pain has not made me sweat or nauseas. I have no rashes, and only minimal and short term minimal pains after initial stabs.

After talking to a "Health Partner Cares" nurse for fifteen minutes [so I could get an appointment] he told me that my condition was "just weird" and that he had "no idea" what it was. Which was not at all comforting.


Here is a diary I have been keeping recording the attacks:

Date: 1 November 2007
Time: 9:07 am [In class]
Intensity: Startlingly painful, it made me spasm and collapse
Where: Lower middle back
How long: About a minute and a half

Date: 9 November 2007
Time: 4:35 pm [While shopping with Mom]
Intensity: Minor, just a quick stab
Where: Heart area/left chest
How long: Less then a minute

Date: 13 November 2007
Time: 5:46 pm [While rock climbing-belaying]
Intensity: It was bad. I'm really glad Bob was down before it started hurting, I might have dropped him.
Where: The center of my chest.
How long: Three mintues
NOTE: The pain increased up until the final thirty seconds

Date: 14 November 2007
Time: 8:50 pm [Talking to a youth director at my boyfriend's church]
Intensity: First stab made me collapse, then it eased to an ache but spread.
Where: The middle of my back to the right of my spine, it spread to the left of my spine
How long: Three minutes

Date: 17 November 2007
Time 11:38 pm [I had been sleeping for an hour-not in REM yet]
Intensity: Not too bad, but it woke me up
Where: The middle of my back on the right side, it felt like someone cut me-I felt the pain slide down before it disappeared
How long: Less then a minute. I woke up and it was gone

Date: 18 November 2007
Time: 7:20 am [While watching the movie Surfs Up]
Intensity: It was very painful, though not quite enough to make me collapse
Where: My heart (the left side of my chest)
How long: Very brief, only a few seconds-there wasn't even an after ache

Date: 19 November 2007
Time 8:48 pm [While hanging out with my boyfriend]
Intensity: It was less painful then surprising, and it made me spasm
Where: The right side of my chest
How long: A minute or so, not too long
NOTE: They are more frequent now, but less painful. Is that good or bad?

Date: 20 November 2007
Time: 1:05 pm [After seeing a friend and briefly talking to him]
Intensity: Quite bad, made me collapse against a wall, it was a pinpoint of pain
Where: The right side of my chest, opposite my heart
How long: Initial pain lasted a minute and a half with an after stab at two minutes
NOTE: This was not less painful.


If you have any ideas I would truly appreciate it.

I've been having the same symptons but the pain in my upper back that is located near my heart wont stop hurting. And now I'm having neck pain as well ( left side ). I want to contact a doctor but I'm affraid they'll turn me away.
Have you heard anything from anyone yet? Please let me know?
lorhnkl@aol.com