What can cause chest pain that’s come and gone for months?

Posted by emily @emilystewart30, Jan 25 4:13pm

Since around maybe September or October last year, I started having chest pain or pain somewhere below my chest. A few months before that during the summer, I felt a feeling of fullness right under my chest. The chest pain would come and go, but it’s still been coming and going four months later. Sometimes the pain radiates to my back, or it feels like the pain is in the same place on my front side as my back side, almost like if there was a line going through me, it’d connect the pain on my frontside and back. It seems like there’s days when I feel the pain and eventually I kind of get my mind of it, but when I feel the pain it worries me and I feel like something is really wrong.

Maybe around noon or so today, I felt the pain in my chest. Maybe half hour or an hour after feeling the pain, I started feeling a fullness right under my chest or kind of near my ribs. At times it’s felt like there’s pain or pressure near my sternum. I’ve also been constipated and I wonder if that has anything to do with this.

Do I need to go to the hospital for this though or go somewhere urgently? I’m feeling somewhat better now, but it scared me having the chest pain. This has happened before in the past and eventually has gotten better, but it hasn’t completely gone away. I have a doctors appointment this Thursday, but I don’t know if I need to do something sooner.

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jeepgrl | @jeepgrl | Jan 26 7:05pm

In reply to @windyshores "So was costochondritis ruled out? How? When I have that, pressing my ribs causes pain." + (show)

Some time ago I was suffering with chest pain that did send me to the ER. They said it was acid reflux. Acid reflux can present as a heart attack. Now when I get those chest pains I take 3 tums and it goes away. I've since been suffering with low stomach acid which may be partly due to taking the tums. However, the chest pains felt so tight like my chest was inside of a vice and the tums would absolutely stop the pain immediately. However, chest pains are nothing to full around with. At least if you go to the hospital they can help to find out exactly what it is that's causing it and you won't be left wondering which can be highly stressful. I do think that what is causing yours is different than what caused mine from the way that you describe it. Good luck Emily. Please let us know what happens.

marlao | @marlao | Jan 27 6:47am

Exact feeling (pain under sternum,ribs on left side, swiveling around to the small of my back) I went to ER with acute pancreatitis!! Seems my pancreas was having trouble breaking down fat,,which kept a hard knot in my stomach,extreme constipation. Mine was caught early thankfully so I'm dealing with it at home. By all means get checked out!!

emily | @emilystewart30 | Jan 27 8:19am

In reply to @windyshores "So was costochondritis ruled out? How? When I have that, pressing my ribs causes pain." + (show)

No, I haven’t had anything ruled out. I haven’t talked to a doctor about it yet but I have an appointment this week

emily | @emilystewart30 | Jan 27 8:20am

In reply to @marlao "Exact feeling (pain under sternum,ribs on left side, swiveling around to the small of my back)..." + (show)

I’m sorry to hear that. Did the pain come and go?

windyshores | @windyshores | Jan 27 8:51am

If you put a patch on the place that hurts when you apply pressure- lidocaine, or capcaisin, is there improvement? I also use Ben Gay or BioFreeze.

Hope you talk to a doctor soon!

emily | @emilystewart30 | Jan 27 9:27am

In reply to @windyshores "If you put a patch on the place that hurts when you apply pressure- lidocaine, or..." + (show)

I’d need to try that and see if it helps. It seems like most of the time though it doesn’t really hurt when I press it

marlao | @marlao | Jan 27 9:35am

In reply to @emilystewart30 "I’m sorry to hear that. Did the pain come and go?" + (show)

Yes I've gone low fat, try for under 4 g per meal, eat several little meals,, breakfast today ,3 oz of smoothie, nonfat Greek yogurt, applesauce,banana almond milk...then divided onto 3 portions.. My pancreas ,stomach just let me know I've put something in it with twinges on my upper left quadrant!!