chest tight ... small sharp pains

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bit of a chicken

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
85
Location
u k
Hello all ... I breeze in and out ... I have coarctation , repaired age six,and bicuspid valve , not yet severe enough for surgery ... with beginnings of aotic small anerysm. Can't spell either...Have had quite an enormously stressful couple of years ( divorce,no need to say more !)

Anyway , I have had the all clear from cardio recently , about six months ago , but my chest feels wierdly tight across the top . I have experienced fainting spells ( usually when lifting heavy objects, that I try to avoid ) and on intense exercise , sometimes see dots , I find my gp completely useless .. I wonder if chest tight sensations and feeling like I need to take deeper breathes is due to stress or something more ? I practice yoga , exercise regualrly and have a sensible diet , am now wondering if I ought to consult with gp , or take up further deep breathing exercise , I have experienced a sharp stabbing pain in my left chest when I breathe in, and sometimes , can't take a deeper breathe because it hurts too much , am sure this may be stress ? , any one have any thoughts on this . Sounds alarming but has been going on for a while and I am still here !! hmm ...:) I do not want to waste gp time , they make u feel like hypo anyway ! I don't think we can underestimate stress on the human body , am sure that is what it is , but must admit , the breathing in and sharp pain when i try to breathe even more deeply has alarmed me and I am pretty alarm proof !
 
Im a person that is asymtomatic, for me what you are saying would be the triger for me to call my cardiologist those need to be looked at!!!!!
 
Hello:)

Perhaps better to admitting to being a chicken than an ostrich with head in sand, as I was one of the latter for the longest time. :biggrin2:

If you feel foolish or silly , or you are made to feel a bother by ANY medical professional....I would suggest actively finding someone who does not. Again, I speak from experience.

I think we know ourselves better than anyone, and I would rather be checked out even if only to get some peace of mind that something may not be a serious issue, or if it is, that it be dealt with properly.

Regardless of whether an issue is physical or exacerbated by stress and anxiety etc ,truly best not to ignore it. We humans are body ,mind and spirit and that complexity should not be discounted when dealing with health issues.

Hope you get the answers you need and a sense of reassurance, all far better than dealing with possible consequences of "...If only I had it checked out etc etc"

Take care!

~ Blue
 
Bit of C,
When my Mom passed away in 2003 stress showed up as chest tightness, and I was unable to take deep breaths so I went to the ER at the local hospital. They determined that my stress level was high but I was not too far off from needing my stenotic BAV replaced (which I already knew about). The next year in 2004 additional symptoms were dizzy spells, sternum pressure, shallow breathing, etc. but i refused surgery. By summer of 2005 there was no more denial for me and doctors forbade me from driving my car until I had AVR. Don't let things get that far. It really sounds like you need a good checkup with echo, etc.
( I was a HUGE chicken in denial) :)
 
Hi there,

I recommend 2 thing to do urgently! These symptoms are not to be taken lightly. They are either your heart telling you it needs to be fixed, or the stress causing physical symptoms which stress you even more!

First, contact your cardio. If the symptoms are your heart - get it sorted...follow their advice...they might refer you to another specialist!

Second...destress! If a spa is your thing, go there, but at least get a good massage. Physio or chiropractor are both useful in this. Also seeing a,counsellor/psychologist is not a bad idea...deal with that stress!

Many people recognize that stress makes their muscles hurt, but don't remember that the heart is a big muscle! A great deal of stress can affect your heart health!

All the best! I'll be praying for you!

David
 
Please try to see an experienced cardiologist, soon. The combination of having a bicuspid valve and passing out or fainting is NOT a good thing.

Many of us here have found that keeping and eye on, and a file of, our test reports is a good thing also, such as echo reports.

Years ago I had one cardiologist who seemed to treat me like I was a problematic hypochondriac when the real problem ended up being that he was a complete nincompoop :eek2:

Coarctations and bicuspid valves are nothing to sneeze at.

Please let us know what you find out and how you are. Take care :)
 
Thanks for thoughts ... off to get a check over ! Am confident cannot be heart related , am moving house , it is so very cold and stress and singlehandedly looking after three children have, I am certain combined to leave me feeling like this .Trouble is, and here is to justify doctor's assumption we are all hypochondriachs (!) when u have a medical history it does make you nervous becuase there is additional potential for concern ? thanks anyway ... off to do the sensible thing and if i am reassured I am non other than a hypochondriach... frankly I will be relieved !
 
Let us know what the doctor says.

This past May I started feeling a slight tightness in my chest when I took my noon walk, on top of my general fatigue and less exercise tolerance. Since my cardio visit was coming up in 2 weeks, I didn't rush to the doctor.
But guess what the cardio said when I got in??? Yup, time to replace that leaking aortic valve.
 
Hello all on here and thank you for all the comments on my original post . Alot has happened in that time , my mother , was rushed to hospital with fluid on her heart , that was drained off , then she was shocked eleven times, resusitated twice , a temp defib pacemaker was fitted then a permanent one ... then she developed fliud on her lung , she had septiciamia and on new years eve underwent a four hour op to drain it off ... it is a miracle she is still with us , she is very petite anyway , but she is tough , docs amazed , so thanks for all comments I did go to gp for a check and guess what ... they put it down to stress !! No ... never !! ha ... turns out my mum has long qt syndrome , apparently rare , so now we all, myself and the kids have to be checked over once mum is home and well ... all i can say is what a xmas and new year !! here is to everyone's health , and ability to be tough !! long qt causes sudden cardiac death syndrome as I understand ... now my mother's nightmare is behind us , I hope ... I now hope that none of my children have this ... anyone clued up or familiar , honestly !! we sem to have interseting heart healthy in this family ! but thanks to all for all sensible encourgagement , I did follow the advice .. happy new haelthy year to all . Jill x
 
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