Should I be concerned...?

[Abbanabba]

OK - now I've been labelled as a hypochondriac, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm turning into one.... which is where you guys come in. I need a bit of objective advice.

For about the last 3 hours I've been getting chest pain - nothing bad - but mildly uncomfortable. It's been toward the upper/centre part of my chest (on the left-hand side) and is a sort of dull stabbing pain (..kinda like having been hit with something like a screwdriver handle..) with intermittent sharper twinges.

It's something I would never have even worried about before, but after reading different stories and knowing the state of my heart, I can't help but err on the side of caution now.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you might have.... hopefully those telling me that - "yes, you have nothing to worry about".

Cheers guys,
Anna : )

 

[Harpoon]

How long has it been going on? How severe? Is the pain just in that part of your chest or does it spread out at all? What were you doing before it started? Is there anything that might have happened to cause it such as a big stretch or strain in lifting something?

Rule of thumb, for heart attacks anyways, is that if it's a pain that starts to radiate down one arm (usually left) or your jaw starts to hurt or you get short of breath or feel faint, you should be calling for help right away. Sit comfortably and try to relax until they show up.

They'll also recommend taking some aspirin (if you can do that) which seems to help matters if it is a heart attack.


Sometimes I'll get little pains like that because I often "hunch over" when sitting and reading or working on something at a table or desk. It usually goes away after I've stretched and moved around some.

 

[Abbanabba]

It started around 10am this morning (I hadn't really been doing too much, just chilling out with some tea and toast), it's now 1:15pm. The pain isn't overly bad and is fairly contained to the one area, but it seems to get more "twingey" when I'm up wandering around doing things. I'm not having any of the other symptoms you mentioned which is why I'm thinking it's probably nothing to get too worried about.

I'm used to getting strange aches and pains occassionaly and a lot of the time it's around the lower left-hand side of my rib-cage - but because I've not experienced this sort of thing in this area before I thought I'd put it to the jury


A : )

 

[Harpoon]

Maybe you stretched/strained something in your sleep...

That can happen.

Keep an eye on it, if things get worse or you begin noticing other things, call your doctor at least.

 

[Karlynn]

Anna,
Do you feel it is deeper inside your chest, or more towards the surface. Sometimes I will get pain that I associate with nerve issues.

No disrespect to Harp intended here, but women's heart attack symptoms can be quite different from the "norm", which tends to be the symptoms that men get. This is not to say you are having a heart attack.

Could it be acid reflux pain?

Are you getting sweaty or nauseous? Are you experiencing SOB?

Peace of mind is a good thing. If you're worried, get it checked out. And let us know!

 

[Abbanabba]

Maybe you stretched/strained something in your sleep...

That's what I'm hoping. Still - I'm now making a point of journalling all these "wierd" incidences to see if there's any sort of pattern. There's been a few things in the last couple of months that on their own have been pretty innocuous, but it might mean something to the cardios...(?).

A : )

 

[Abbanabba]

Karlynn - the dull ache seems deeper than the twinges.... but I figure if it was a heart attack I'd probably be feeling a lot worse for wear by now (..I hope!..).

I don't think it's reflux - doesn't seem the right kind of feeling, it's just with all the regurg, irregular beats, cardiomyopathy, etc.... I felt I should put it out there just in case, or to see if someone else had experienced something similar and had any explanations.

Now that I've been sitting still for a while it seems to have let up a little, but if it does get worse I'll definitely call the docs - see what they can offer.

Cheers
A : )