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Chest Pain and SOB
Hi, hoping to see if anyone has had similar symptoms or can offer a possible explanation.
20year old Asian female, 157cm 38kg. I dont remember when these symptoms started, but has been going on for a while. No medical diagnoses but I also havent been to the doctor for anything other than vaccines. No medications, just daily vitamin gummy, daily 500mg vit c, 1/wk 150mcg vit d, 1/wk 5000mcg b12. Started the vit d/b12 recently when symptoms already happening.
- Weight: Summer 2024, lost ~5kg (44kg -> 39kg) without any changes to diet or lifestyle. Eat at least 2-3 normal/big meals and night snacking.
- SOB: Recurring chest pain/tightness with shortness of breath. SOB maybe constant, occurs independently too. Even when breathing normally, need to take several deep breath/big sighs.
- Chest tightness common reoccurrence, even at rest; feels tight and like cant open chest/ribs to breathe, usually non-debilitating but lasts a while.
- Chest pain not that often; same SOB, deep breaths, deep pain in center of chest between breasts, sometimes sharp shooting pain but mostly just deep deep pain like its my actual heart. Occurs independently but usually with other symptoms: stomach/back pain, SOB, etc
- Heart Beat: Visible in chest and abdomen but also underweight. Sometimes very strong palpitations. Average bpm high 70s to mid 80s.
- BP: 8/23/2024 - 78/59 81bpm. 11/10/2025: 97/56 75bpm; Few months ago at work similar range. Both averaged three BP readings.
- Tremors: Hand tremors got worse in past few months but does not affect daily life.
- Headaches: Near daily headaches that dont get better with water, food, sleep. Can last several days. Sometimes feels like rubber band around head, or localized in back of head. Back of head headaches come with watery eye: usually left eye.
- Episode: short episode of severe chest tightness, stomach/back pain, nausea, shortness of breath, dizzy and lightheaded, sweating, after several episodes of diarrhea in one day. Doctor said potassium loss so maybe unrelated.
- Episode 8/23/2024: one episode of severe chest/stomach/back pain, chest tightness and heart beats feel too strong, dizzy and lightheaded, shortness of breath, difficulty focusing, dissociating, BP 78/59 after nap (did not take at work when it began or when first came home).
- 12/14/2025: Hard, movable, painless swollen lymph node left side of neck. A little tender and weird feeling (for me) when moving or pushing with some force. Visible when bending head to the side. No other symptoms and went away end of December 2025 so prob unrelated.
I know its a lot so thank you for reading. Hope someone here can help me. I am planning to see a doctor for it but need to change PCP first.
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I would make sure that I have an Echocardiogram since you are having chest pain and shortness of breath. These symptoms may be Hypotrophic Cardiomyopathy or HOCM. Echocardiograms are non intrusive and your PCP or a Cartiologist can begin this diagnosis. You may also want to check for hereditary heart problems as well.
Just an fyi: I have had 2 sudden cardiac arrest, I have HOCM and had an alcohol septal ablation and I also have an ICD.
Best to You!
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2 ReactionsYou need to see a cardiologist. You should have a complete workup and evaluation for autonomic and thyroid problems. Don’t delay.
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1 ReactionYou should be checked for TB, worm/parasites, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes, kidney disease, thyroid deficiency or hyperactivity.....the list will have at least 10 other most likely disorders and diseases. See a doctor.
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1 Reaction@jachrist Thank you so much for your reply, if I see a doctor I will ask for an echo! I dont think we haveany family history of heart problems, but my parents dont talk to their families anymore. If you're comfortable sharing, were the cardiac arrests what led to your diagnoses, or did you have other symptoms? Thank you again, best of luck to you too and stay safe 💗
@seniormed Thank you so much for your reply! Which symptoms make you think it may be a thyroid problem?? And would a cardiologist do the workups for autonomic and thyroid, or only cardiac? I dont want to delay because I feel like it has gotten worse recently and Im scared, but I need to figure out how to change my pcp first 😖 Thank you again 💗
@gloaming Thank you so much for your reply! I had negative TB test, family hx of pre-diabetes but I do not have. You also mentioned thyroid, was there a symptom that points to thyroid issue? Should I try a worm cleanse? I will see a doctor eventually but Im worried I will be diagnosed or need some treatment I cant afford, then I start thinking theres no point in going in for a checkup at all. Thank you again 💗
@pomoroll
I had breathing troubles and was on inhalers. Both times that I had a sudden cardiac arrest I was walking and my heart just stopped. I had no symptoms prior to my heart stopping.
@pomoroll
'...Should I try a worm cleanse?...' I can't advise you about that. I only mentioned it to give you the sense that a comprehensive 'triquarter' scan needs to be done for you to rule out a list of the top ten most likely ailments, and from there go on to the next ten, and so on, until some bright bulb says, 'AHAAA...!!! Your cellular magnesium is low, or your thyroxin, or....whatever it turns out to be. Sumbuddy is going to figure this out, but it might be a while and a lot of bother....sorry.
I was having heart palpitations and SOB earlier this year. In the ER I would get the EKG, chest xray and blood tests, and end up getting discharged with no resolution as the tests would look normal and the SOB was intermittant.
Finally, I decided to go to the ER at the best cardiac hospital in Houston. Within a matter of hours, a CT scan with contrast showed pulmonary embolisms, and I was put on heparin, then Eliquis BID.
After 6 weeks, the SOB was gone, but I will stay on it for the full 6 months recommended by the ER doctor.
(The palpitations are a separate issue that I resolve by taking 1000mg L-Carnitine Tartrate BID.)
An interesting aside. is that I was able to trace what happened using the vo2max calculated by my Apple Watch/iPhone.
It seems the PEs developed when I drove 1000 back from a vacation in Colorado.