Sharp pain in centre of chest. Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME sufferer.

Chest and lungs
1

Hi All

I'm getting a bit concerned about a chest pain I get that started at some point yesterday, that I was hoping someone might be able to help me out with.

The pain is a sharp, electric shock, needle prick type pain that occurs right in the centre of my chest level with my nipples. The pain is extremely brief, lasting only a second or even less, and seems to be happening anywhere between every 30 minutes to an hour. It's not excruciating pain, just enough to make me start to worry a bit about it. There are no other symptoms I'm experiencing, only the one's associated with the conditions I been diagnosed with below, which can easily be confused with other reasons for various symptoms.

I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, Gastritis and Anxiety. On top of that I was diagnosed with IBS due to bouts of inconsistent bowel movements, nausea, burping, bloating and associated pains, however this is now under investigation again as 2 faecal calprotectin results from stool samples have revealed results >300 each time, with the first test being >1400, indicating signs of inflammation. I've had a colonoscopy with biopsies taken and all of that came back normal which rules out Ulcerative Colitis, I'm now waiting for my small bowel MRI on the 16th January to look for signs of Crohn's Disease.

Any thoughts, views and/or advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

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 hi paul75665,  Seems like a lot of people complain about prick like pain including me.  I can only tell you that I was injured in my right arm (rotor cuff area)  and I immediately felt piercing pain in my elbow, bicep area and shoulder pain that led into my neck and into my jaw as well as in the bone behind my ear and I'd describe that pain as a prickling like pain which I never had before.  All those areas also experience numbness.  I now feel better knowing all this strange pain is a result of injury.  I have also experienced this prickling in my clavicle bone, but that basically is gone and probably happened during the injury too...My doctor told me that most chest pain even pain in the middle of the chest can be muscle related injury/inflammation as well as I had ekg's done in hospital and a chest xray.  I too thought I developed fibromyalgia because of all the pain and sensitivity I experience, but I wasn't diagnosed with that.  I believe much of my pain is associated with injury and also side effects of medications and definitely the anxiety or panic associated with thinking the worst .   A lot of chest pain is from heartburn, gas, acid reflux or medications.  Doctors sometimes prescribe a new medication when it is a side effect or allergic reaction to an existing medication being taken so try and deduce if a medication may be causing your pain or any kind of allergy even allergies you wouldn't think of...I was almost sure I was having a metal allergy so I took out my 14k gold earrings and stopped using deodorant with aluminum in it and honestly, using a deodorant without aluminum has seemed to help me feel better...Slowly but slowly many symptoms went away and I hope the same for you...I'm guessing you are a male, but I realized that if I wear a bra to bed this middle of the chest pain seemed not to happen so perhaps a compression shirt may help with this pain you're having. You may want to see a cardiologist to rule every heart related thing out...in any case you seem to have doctor relations trying to help you out so much luck to you...anxiety along with fibromyalgia can be the worst I would imagine...have you asked for something to help with panic and anxiety because those 2 things can drive a person nuts...

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Thank you for taking the time to reply Mary Beth, I do appreciate it. And sorry to hear that your arm injury has caused you a whole host of other symptoms. Nice that you have managed to find a remedy that has improved your symptoms, that must feel quite a relief.

You a correct in assuming I am a 43 year old male, and yes anxiety mixed with the Fibromyalgia, CFS/ME and all the other problems I have makes things especially worse. I'm supposed to live as stress free a life as possible, but with the symptoms I have, being pretty much housebound, outside influences, etc, that is almost impossible. My doctor has prescribed various medications to help with the anxiety, but no matter which I've tried they've all reacted badly with me. I'm pretty sure the chest pains I get are linked to my digestive problems as you mentioned, but I can't help but wonder what if it isn't??!! My doctor also suggested 'referred pain' as a reason for the chest pains, meaning a problem in one area of the body may cause pain in a totally different, unrelated area. I've had extensive tests done on me, 3 ECG's, chest x-ray, head MRI, colonoscopies with biopsies, endoscopy, upper abdominal ultrasound, numerous blood, stool and urine tests and the only things found were high faecal calprotectin results (the reason for the small bowel MRI I'm having soon), raised white blood cells once (which could have been anything), rectal polyps (removed a found to be benign), low Vitamin D levels (a result of being housebound) and a small patch of inflammation on my colon during my first colonoscopy (which could well have been a result of the bowel prep and has not been seen in the following colonoscopies). My doctor says that my ECG results have been fine, my lungs sound nice and clear, my heart sounds good, blood pressure ok, to be honest I'm the picture of health, which makes all my problems even harder to deal with as I don't understand why I feel the way I do. Three years ago I was able to work, go anywhere, do anything, eat and drink anything, but since developing a back pain at work one day, everything has changed.

I live in hope that one day a reason for my problems are discovered, I'm not bothered if there is no cure or fix for my symptoms, just a definite reason why my health has deteriorated so much would be the best news I could wish for.

Thank you again for your reply and reassuring words, I feel like my reply has just been a load of moaning and groaning, I haven't meant it to sound like that, I've always been a happy, go lucky type of person, it's just that 3 years of feeling groggy everyday, and not knowing why, takes the life out of you.

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Hello paul75665; how r you today and Happy New Year to you.  Hope everything turns around for you in your life for the better with this new year...make it a New Years resolution; hoping for only good things and good health.  I have low vitamin D too; many do,  and so I tried to increase outside sun which I love and also eat more Vitamin d foods and drink as well as take over the counter vitamin d supplement and my vitamin d level went up by 7 points which I thought was good for only taking 200 IU's of vitamin d...I can't tolerate prescription D; gave me horrid headache...ask your doc about vitamin D supplements if you're sensitive to prescriptions as I am...Listen, my doctor once wrote I had  COPD and I gasped and said why did you write that down and he took it off my record. He made a mistake.   It weighed heavy though on my mind and made me physically ill thinking he knew something I didn't know but he was mistaken.  I don't want to question the diagnosis' given to you, but that is my nature with everyone including myself.  I am very skeptical of doctors and medications although I do take small dose of Blood pressure med.  Vitamin D deficiency can make you very sluggish, tired, sleepy and also create bone and muscle weakness and pain and I noticed improvement in my overall general health just by getting my vitamin D level up 5 points or ng's I think they call them...I think you should definitely talk to your doctor about taking over the counter or prescription vitamin D and perhaps B12 complex for stress...I guess I get the feeling paul that maybe you can be completely symptom free by supplementing and getting rid of all the stress and anxiety you're experiencing..." A Diagnosis can put people in bed."   if your doctor took away all those diagnosis would your symptoms go away or would one just be there...I have to ask myself this question too and I basically know that a diagnosis given to me years ago made my mother cry, made my family think I was going to die and me also...I became bed bound from worry and overwhelming depression and after months of that I decided not to go to the doctors anymore and slowly my health improved and also I went for a second opinion from a surgeon who told me: yes, I can operate on that and he did operate on it and the first doctor told me No, we don't operate on that...the 2nd doctor put hope in my life and change my life and now i'm on that quest again; for a new doctor who is up to date on things and who will be proactive with me so I can get the gorilla off of my chest and back...when we believe we are going to die any minute because of a diagnosis we will become very sick so please think about things and perhaps try new approaches or new doctors...I know fibromyalgia can wreak havoc with our bodies and minds so use all available pain relief natural therapies such as ice and heat and exercising...the exercising helped me a lot...makes us feel stronger mentally and makes us stronger physically too...don't give up on yourself and try new things; I know people get tired of pain and stress from the pain but don't give up and use distraction therapy too and don't forget music and dance; seriously; watch it if you can't dance...talk to you soon and hope you get better every day...sincerely Mary Beth...

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Hi paul75665.  I just want to apologize if I made it seem like you did not have real or legitimate medical conditions. I realize what I wrote and I am very sorry for wording it that way.  We as people though are very vulnerable to so many medical problems and I think we need to step back and take a look at that.  Like I said I am skeptical of doctors and medications and I ask a zillion questions, but I find it works in my favor usually...I will also Pray for you and everyone here for the healing we all need...I hope I didn't offend you and please work toward feeling and getting better when you can...take care...

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Hi Mary Beth

Sorry I didn't reply sooner but I've been feeling especially groggy for the last couple of days. Constant nausea, constant hot, gassy feeling in back of my throat, random abdominal, chest and between shoulder pains and generally not with it.

No need to apologise, no offence taken, your words didn't make me think you were implying that I didn't have a legitimate medical condition. I actually thought your comments were helpful and encouraging as like you, I am very skeptical about doctors too, I swear I've been misdiagnosed from the very start, and their actions have led me to being this way. I won't bore you with the details, its quite longwinded, but the turning point for me was being prescribed Naproxen for back pain, when I believe I showed symptoms of stomach ulcer(s), which the doctors were aware of. NSAIDs like Naproxen and stomach ulcers are a recipe for disaster as one locum doctor told me.

I used to worry a lot about what people thought as on the outside I look fine, now I've given up caring, I know there is something not quite right with me inside, I have to feel it everyday, if people can't accept that then thats their problem, there are more important things to worry about in life.

I do appreciate your words of help and encouragement Mary Beth, thank you. It seems like you have a huge sense of what I'm going through, and I do agree with a lot of what you say. I swear if my digestive issues could be brought under control, I'm sure a lot of the other ymptoms and diagnosis' would be easier to deal with and possibly not even there. My digestive problems are the driving force for my overall health I'm sure of it.

I would say a lot more but I am really feeling pretty awful this morning, I need to curl up in a corner with my hot water bottle and convalesce for a bit.

Take care Mary Beth, thank you for taking the time to write to me with your thoughts and views, and please don't worry, I'm not offended in the slightest, it takes a lot more than that to offend me! 

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Hi paul75665..don't worry about anything, but somehow, someway get yourself to another GI doctor or whoever handles all your symptoms...will a doctor or nurse come and see you if that's possible; may help get things done sooner because you're in so much distress...sorry for your pain; so unnecessary one would think..sometimes the naturopath doctors can help or a doctor who uses more natural things to help heal may help you.  Sounds really wretched and all stomach related...do you take ant-acids or acid reflux meds; no need to answer because I know you don't feel good..I hope someone can help you...maybe call an ambulance for yourself seeing you're so sick...I'll Pray for you and all of us...hate to hear about people in pain..take care and try and contact someone...