Chest pain

[Distortion]

over spring break I got this chest pain while I was running. My inital thought was that I was having a heart attack or something but I guess i didnt. I went to the doc and told him about it, he said it was probably from bad eating/drinking and some bad indigestion. he gave me an EKG, everything was fine. The pain went away after a few days on its own. I run almost every night now and dont drink as much (hey i'm in college) and I never get the pain due to increased heart rate ie running. But now and then the pain comes back, I dont really know how to desribe it its on the left side of my chest but it almost feels like its way deap, perhaps in my back.

I can't help but thinking something still might be fucked up with my heart, maybe i need a chest x-ray. I've stopped all thermogenics since then and i'm not on a cycle. Also sometimes the pain goes down my left arm, maybe its a pinched nerve or something? But then why the intermitant (sp) pain.

Anyone ever experienced anything like this?

 

[KIAN]

Chest pains, even the radiating pain you have experienced down your left arm, is not always a sign of a heart problem. Your EKG would likely show any abnormalities if this was the case. If a heart condition (ie: heart attack, angina, inflammation (pericarditis), aortic dissection, coronary spasm) can be ruled out then look at the following possible causes:

- heartburn
- panic attack
- pleurisy
- costochondritis
- pulmonary embolism
- sore muscles
- injured ribs
- pinched nerves
- shingles
- gallbladder problem
- pancreas problem
- esophagus disorder
- cancer

To rule out the above possible causes, you can ask your doctor to perform blood tests which will check for certain enzymes to determine if the heart is damaged in any way. A chest x-ray will check your lungs and the major blood vessels, any damage to the rib cage and associated structure, as well as any sign of tumors. There are also many other tests ranging from endoscopy to nuclear scans to rule out anything else.

If you are still experiencing problems, then you should head on back to your physician. Let him know of all the supplements you are or have been using if you want him to make a correct diagnosis as thermogenic products can definitely affect the heart.

Hope you feel better soon.

_________________

KP -- Fitness Basics

 

[Distortion]

I did get alot of panic attacks for a while, right about the same time this happened.

 

[danielson]

how old are you? do you smoke? isthis theonly past history of chest pain, do you have any other vascular disease or diabetes?

describe the pain...what does it feel like, for example is it crushing/pinching or stabbing/burning/dull....how long does it last, when does it go away, what helps including any paracetamol or NSAID's (like aspirin or ibuoprofen)...

is the pain made worse by breathing in and out? any other associated symptoms (tingling in the fingertips, nausea, vomiting, sweating)? does it only happen on exercise or at any other time

any family history of heart disease? any illicit drug use?

 

[tinytank]

hey dude i get it too, on the left center of my chest, feels like my heart.. the doc said it was, probs a pulled chest muscle, but it was deeper thn a chest muscle, so went back because it didnt go away, and she said it was a stressed heart ! ive been putting to much strain on my heart ! with heavy lifting at work, and again when i go to the gym, topped off with stress, and drinking ======= 1 unhappy heart... so i was told for my hearts sake dont go to work, dont lift, for 2 weeks, and no drinking for a month, did tht and its gone !! not had it back since, tht was in october !!

 

[Tolstoy]

Many, many people show up in emerge complaining of chest pains and think they are having heart ischemia but a lot of times, especially for those who lift weights, it's soreness/tightness in the pec minor muscle which is not superfical but deep. Pec minor runs from the front of the rib cage to the scapula. It can be pretty painfull sometimes.

 

[Distortion]

I'll do my best to describe, its like more towards the left side of the chest, not really in the center. I get it randomly, I've never felt it while running/lifting or with any increased heart rate. The pain is dull sometimes sharp, sometimes i can feel it all the way like in my back and the pain radiates down my arm. Its not painful but uncomfortable. I'm always thinking why is there pain in my chest? Any painkillers seem to make it go away. I took asparin thinking it was heart related, is there another pain killer i can take that doesn't affect the heart or whatever. Breating in deep doesn't make a difference. I dont have the pain when I wake up, rather it comes later during the day. Also sometimes I do start sweating if it flares up, but i think its more of an anxiety deal, i just get worried.

 

[Distortion]

I'm 19, I smoke a few cigarrets when I'm drunk but thats all. I also only started smoking last June. Also no drug use except i used alot of thermogenics for about 2 years until now. ( I stopped when i first got this pain). I never used ephedra and then ran, I was always worried about having a heart attack or whatever. I did use it before lifting tho. I also used Guarana for school.

 

[KIAN]

- smoking
- ephedra
- guaraná
- other thermogenic products over 2 year span

Your symptoms:

- chest pain [dull to sharp on left side (where the heart is located)]
- radiating pain down left arm
- anxiety or panic attacks
- increased sweating
- occurs later in the day

The primary active ingredient of guaraná is caffeine and any caffeinated product may cause insomnia, trembling, anxiety, palpitations, and urinary frequency. Caffeine based products should not be used with Ephedra or Tobacco as the side effects may be compounded and dangerous. You run the risk of increasing your heart rate and blood pressure to extreme levels.

My advice would be to stop putting things into your body which you don't know anything about. Sorry to be blunt but you are now taking aspirin and looking for a pain killer to mask the pain rather than treating the cause. If you look back at the information you have provided, you will see that you have gradually diagnosed yourself. If you use thermogenic products [stimulant/caffeine] with guaraná [stimulant/caffeine] with ephedra [stimulant/compounded by caffeine] with smoking [compounds all of the above] then something eventualy will happen to your body. Even if you did not use all these products at the same time there is the possibility of a negative effect.

If you were to explain your symptoms to your physician and also inform him of the supplements you have or are using as well as your lifestyle, he would tell you to stop smoking, stop using the guaraná, stop using the ephedra, and stop using any other thermogenic product as all of them may or can affect the heart.

Start looking after yourself dude.
You really don't need all of these stimulants to have a good physique and lead a healthy life.

_____________________

KP -- Fitness Basics

 

[Distortion]

I did try to find a cure to begin with rather than treat the symptoms. The doc put me in prilosec for 30 days, yeah the pain went away but it came back like a month later, i hadn't taken any thermo's during this time. I have some more prilosec, but I dont think its going to help.