# Chest Pains...



## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Jul 22, 2009)

So I have been having pretty painful chest pains. (as opposed to not painful pain). I went to the after hours dr last time and he checked my bp, temp, and heart rate and listened to my heart and everything was fine he said. 

But here I am tonight with loads of chest pain. It's on my left side and it goes really hurty and then achy and then hurty. It hurts much worse after I eat or get up to do anything. If I sit here carefully, it doesn't hurt. I do not think this is muscular...as I have had that before and that was more in the middle. This is on/under the left boob...and it hurts like I am being punched in the chest.

Any ideas?


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## Risible (Jul 22, 2009)

Honey, check out the links in this thread ...

From what I understand, heart attacks in women present differently. Paging our resident cardiac nurse specialist ... SocialbFly. Seriously, maybe you should PM her.


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## SocialbFly (Jul 22, 2009)

BigBellySSBBW said:


> So I have been having pretty painful chest pains. (as opposed to not painful pain). I went to the after hours dr last time and he checked my bp, temp, and heart rate and listened to my heart and everything was fine he said.
> 
> But here I am tonight with loads of chest pain. It's on my left side and it goes really hurty and then achy and then hurty. It hurts much worse after I eat or get up to do anything. If I sit here carefully, it doesn't hurt. I do not think this is muscular...as I have had that before and that was more in the middle. This is on/under the left boob...and it hurts like I am being punched in the chest.
> 
> Any ideas?



there are three things, well, four, if you count anxiety attacks that mimic cardiac pain...sliding hiatal hernias, gall bladder pain, and costochondritis, which is an inflammation at the joint btween your ribs and your breast bone...

but rarely, if you have had a viral illness recently, it could be somethingelse...

have you lifted anything recently?? could it be costochondritis?? 
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/costochondritis/article_em.htm

as big people, we are always at risk for a hiatal hernia...
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hiatal_hernia/article_em.htm

chest pain in women...
http://www.doctorslounge.com/cardiology/articles/ischemic_heart/women_chest_pain/

anxiety attacks...
http://ezinearticles.com/?Anxiety-Attack-and-Chest-Pain&id=638670

gall bladder attacks...
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/gallbladder/a/gallbladder101.htm

i hope this helps Donni, and if you think it is your heart, go see the ER have them run an EKG...that is the start of checking things out...


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## auntiemoo (Jul 23, 2009)

Sorry to be so late in responding but I just saw your post now. As someone who had a heart attack I can tell you that the pain I had was definitely in the center of my chest, in the cleavage, not on the left side. I also was ridiculously short of breath, panting like I had run a mile. 

Your description, to me, sounds more like you pulled a muscle in your chest. However you should get that confirmed by your doctor. Best wishes!!!


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## Laura2008 (Jul 25, 2009)

If you have gallstones this could be causing your pain. It occurs about an hour after you eat. The pain is pretty intense and can last for hours. Have your doctor do an ultrasound of your chest region. I have gallstones and they were found right away with an ultrasound.


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## auntiemoo (Jul 27, 2009)

Hello - any update on your chest pains? Did you go to the doctor? Are you feeling better? Hope so!!!


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## Cors (Jul 27, 2009)

Oh yeah, did you get your blood electrolytes checked? 

I experienced similar chest pains when I had hypokalemia (low potassium levels). It hurt a lot more when I try to eat, get up, move around in bed or if I get stressed. I still experienced palpitations and dull ache (compared to feeling like I am being repeatedly stabbed in the chest) at rest.


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## SocialbFly (Jul 27, 2009)

Cors said:


> Oh yeah, did you get your blood electrolytes checked?
> 
> I experienced similar chest pains when I had hypokalemia (low potassium levels). It hurt a lot more when I try to eat, get up, move around in bed or if I get stressed. I still experienced palpitations and dull ache (compared to feeling like I am being repeatedly stabbed in the chest) at rest.



Could you have a low magnesium as well?? it is hard to correct potassium if the mag is still low, also if you have a low calcium.

Cors, my lovely friend, maybe you should talk to your doc about checking into the palpitations you have been having, sounds like a holter monitor is in order.


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Jul 28, 2009)

auntiemoo said:


> Hello - any update on your chest pains? Did you go to the doctor? Are you feeling better? Hope so!!!



I didn't go to the dr. I took some pain killers and went to sleep.

I thought maybe it could be my gallbladder, but I have eaten really high fat stuff with no pain what so ever.

I thought it could be a pulled muscle, but it only lasted a few hours.

I have no idea what it was. I don't think it was a panic attack as my pulse felt normal.

Mystery chest pains remain a mystery!


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## SparkGirl (Jul 28, 2009)

*A lot of your symptoms sound like my past tango with gallbladder issues. I would have horrible pain on my left side (my right) that would last until I vomited, then the pain would subside. It was horrible pain that there was no comfortable position. It was an odd range of foods that would trigger attacks, with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes if you go to the doctor after an attack, the stones might not show up on an ultrasound because they passed during the attack, so they might mis-diagnose. I had mine removed a few years ago and have been happy ever since. Just my 2 cents.*



BigBellySSBBW said:


> I didn't go to the dr. I took some pain killers and went to sleep.
> 
> I thought maybe it could be my gallbladder, but I have eaten really high fat stuff with no pain what so ever.
> 
> ...


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## Laura2008 (Jul 28, 2009)

SparkGirl said:


> *A lot of your symptoms sound like my past tango with gallbladder issues. I would have horrible pain on my left side (my right) that would last until I vomited, then the pain would subside. It was horrible pain that there was no comfortable position. It was an odd range of foods that would trigger attacks, with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes if you go to the doctor after an attack, the stones might not show up on an ultrasound because they passed during the attack, so they might mis-diagnose. I had mine removed a few years ago and have been happy ever since. Just my 2 cents.*



Exactly! It's such an uncomfortable pain that I have to sit up and not take deep breaths. Sometimes it can come even if you're eating healthy. I had an attack so bad after eating a poached egg on dry toast. It doesn't always have to be high fat but generally it is. I decided not to have my gallbladder removed right now but I do have pain pills if I get an attack.


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## Cors (Jul 28, 2009)

SocialbFly said:


> Could you have a low magnesium as well?? it is hard to correct potassium if the mag is still low, also if you have a low calcium.
> 
> Cors, my lovely friend, maybe you should talk to your doc about checking into the palpitations you have been having, sounds like a holter monitor is in order.



Recent ECGs are normal, thankfully. The palpitations are rare now but generally come if I get up too fast, exercise too much, eat too much, didn't eat or if I forget my supplements. I also have asthma (Donni could that be the cause of your pain too?) which sometimes hurts as well, but it feels like a different kind of pain.


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## Rowan (Jul 28, 2009)

Laura2008 said:


> Exactly! It's such an uncomfortable pain that I have to sit up and not take deep breaths. Sometimes it can come even if you're eating healthy. I had an attack so bad after eating a poached egg on dry toast. It doesn't always have to be high fat but generally it is. I decided not to have my gallbladder removed right now but I do have pain pills if I get an attack.



I got gallstones when i was 17 years old which is unheard of. I would have major pain and shortness of breath. It was a few years before they were finally found, and im lucky they were then or i could have died due to complications with my pancreas. So definitely try to have the doctor check into the possibility of gallstones!

I hope you feel better!


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## truebebeblue (May 14, 2010)

Gall bladder is no joke my friends!
Do not ignore it!
I suffered with gallstones for about 5 years before it was removed at the same time I had WLS. The local Doctors pretty much refused to remove it even though I had two potentially deadly bouts of pancreatitis about a month apart. They claimed they had no surgical suite that could accommodate my size in that city...so my mother found a surgeon who DID have experience with large patients... 
pancreatitis in my case was caused from the stones becoming stuck and loads of bile building up behind it and filling your intestines.....
It's a very very painful thing.Makes gall bladder attack feel like a stubbed toe. The treatment is laying in the hospital bed on painkillers for a week with NOTHING by mouth... no water,ice,nothing.
Gallstones are a very common thing in women 17-27 and if you are fat it increases the likelihood. My attacks were never caused by fatty food... more commonly for me it was spice. The worst pancreatitis was spurred by Chai actually,still can't drink it! Anyway,nothing to let go... can kill ya.



True


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## moore2me (May 14, 2010)

Dear BeautifulPoeticDisaster,

There is also the possibility of chest pain being a cyst or a lump in breast tissue. This can also be aggravated by wearing bras or certain restrictive clothes. Have you had yearly mammograms? And do you perform monthly breast self exams?

And other possibilities I can think of are hiatial hernias, acid reflux, or esophageal ulcers.


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