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chest pain

Roberta

Active Member
Messages
31
Location
Lincolnshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
ive been diabetic for 9 years now and for 3 years have suffered from chest pain on and off.

doctors said its not from diabetes, its anxiety but i really dont think it is!

ive been hospital a lot in the past with high keytones and know that that can effect your organs!

was wondering if this is the reason why i could be having chest pains?
 
HI
I was wondering do you get alot of indigestion.
Are you getting pains all the time or only at certain times eg- when going out on your own, or any time?
Have they changed any meds, checked your cholesterol, thyroid, blood pressure.
Ketones may give you a racing heartbeat as you may be dyhydrated or even a hypo can cause these problems.
Hope you feel better soon, just remember we can only advise, we are not doctors.
The only reason i ask these things as i have had the same problems in the past and i am now awaiting to see cardiologist.
Take care
Tracey
 

Roberta... as a long term on and off sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks I can confirm that certainly one of my more common symptoms is pain in the left hand side of my chest.. Stress / Anxiety is a funny thing and can cause quite serious mental and physical responses in our body.

If you are really worried (I was) then perhaps you can ask for some further investigation (often the worry of a problem causes the anxiety that only makes it worse!) and then they can put your mind at rest... my concern previously was always about my heart! but I have had a couple of ECG's and all has been fine..
 
No medicines have changed, i can be anywhere and get them, in bed, waching tv, out somewhere, literally anywhere.

it gets to the point where i nearly have to call an ambulance.

sometimes its just constant pain and sometimes it comes in sections and gets stronger and stronger.

it can sometimes wake me up when im asleep, just want to get it sorted, because with being diabetic i think the worse
 
Hello Roberta

Pneu made a good point actually. I too have suffered anxiety and panic attacks and they are just as you describe. The strange thing is that you do not necessarily feel feel stressed or anxious before an attack but then, obviously, panic does grip you when you start to feel the pain and discomfort.

The first time it happened to me, I thought I was dying, I really did. I was just lying in bed reading and it started. Had tests etc and all was fine, it was just a panic attack.

If you really, truly are still worried, then why not ask to see a different doctor at your practice? If nothing else, they may be able to put your mind at rest.

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

Hugs

Momblegoose xx
 

Hi,
If it is anxiety, it can be a vicious circle. You get anxious and the chest pain appears which results in more worry and the chest pain seems to get worse.
Ask your G.P. if you can have an ECG. Some surgeries already have a machine there and it would put your mind at rest.
Has your G.P. suggested any help with the anxiety that he thinks you are experiencing?
 
Thank you for your comments, by reading your comments, maybe it is just anxiety, its a horrible feeling.
i just panic about it thinking im unhealthy or something. my bloodsugar is well controlled now and ive started the gym
to see if that helps. just hope it gets better soon.

if it is anxiety is there any tips you could give me to calm the pain down?
 
Roberta, does the pain go through to your back? Is it in the centre of your chest or off to one side? Is there any other symptoms with it like sickness or shoulder pain?
 
just wanted to reach out & say (as well as the other posters) that i am a frequent sufferer of extreme anxiety & panic attacks. i can go nearly a year with nothing, then my heart goes 'funny' and i tip over into some kind of health anxiety frenzy. yes, there may be a little something actually happening, but what it triggers is astronomical...

then before i know it, i'm not necessarily consciously worrying, but the panicy feelings just appear on their own with no real prompt.

i feel like i've made it all up when i'm feeling well, but it slaps me across the cheeks when i'm in an anxious phase and takes on a life of it's own. feel like my heart is racing/fluttering and can't quite catch my breath sometimes.

go pester the docs. my doctors always look at A1c and say, you're fine. but age is teaching me is DON'T get fobbed off. over-exagerate if you have to, and get a bunch of tests done. then you can see if there really is something wrong...or can learn to relax more because it's nothing. good luck! sounds like there are a few of us worriers out there.
 
Hia - I am another T1 diabetic who suffers similar panic attacks and times of accute anxiety. I have tended not to to discuss them because I think it's ME but, having read all your posts, I can see I am not alone. Had an ECG and a tilt test amongst other things but, apart from low blood pressure which is not bad enough to treat, everything was clear. However there are several times when I have to open windows at home and in the car because i cant get my breath and a feeling of not being able to swallow and chest pains. These happen randomly but are definately worse when I'm worried about work or my diabetes. Of course I'm not glad that others are suffering but it's it reassuring to speak to other people who know what you're feeling. All the best everyone Riri x
 
mistee71 said:
Roberta, does the pain go through to your back? Is it in the centre of your chest or off to one side? Is there any other symptoms with it like sickness or shoulder pain?
Click to expand...
Hi Mistee71
I hope you're still looking at posts. I have been suffering from exactly those symptoms that you mention in the post above. Do you have any further information on why I may have these symptoms or at least a name of the condition I should look up. I'm desperately trying to find a diagnosis as my doctors can't help. Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. Thank you!
 
It's worth getting checked out by your GP. If it is costochronditis then I have found a very short course of diazepam works to relax the muscles. I can tell when mine is flaring as small hard lumps appear along my rib cage under my breasts. They can be massaged away but even that is extremely painful. I warn my 16year old son that his dad is going to do it as I have been known to scream loudly enough that the dog rushes up the stairs and into the bedroom to rescue me. At its worst I have collapsed in agony with pain up and down my rib cage and the most horrendous cramps you can imagine. In one transatlantic flight I was convinced I was dying, only the fact I had experienced it before stopped me asking for medical assistance. Physio can be a great help too and there are specific stretches you can do however too much can make it worse so it's better to do it under medical supervision. I only got a diagnosis when a GP I worked with was present when I had an attack - sometimes we don't explain things in a way that allow a GP to make a good diagnosis. Once I understood what triggered it and the links to a back condition I have it all made sense. Up until that point I hadn't really linked it with a physical stretching which set it off - even straining on the loo was enough. Not sure if this helps but for me I can set it off by stretching and twisting to the side at the same time, a painful way to assist diagnosis perhaps. Mine is also not limited to one side though one side tends to be more painful.
 
I keep getting ribcage muscles spasms which I am going to bring up at physio on tuesday.
I too have lumps on ribcage and very very sore.
I had my months of chest pains investigated to be thankfully discharged this year with atherosclerosis.
I too experience panic attacks.
 
They now have me leaning back sitting on a bed against a gym ball which gently stretches the rib cage. I have a back condition which means my vertebrae are slowly fusing together. This puts pressure on the ligaments and muscles as they can no longer flex normally as my spine is fixed. This in turn causes the costochondritis. I take a muscle relaxant and morphine daily to manage the pain but so far accupuncture and physio have been most effective at easing things. I am lucky as both my pain clinic and physio do the accupuncture so I have it on the NHS.
 
I forgot to mention when I was discharged back to gp for chest pains I asked him if just diaphram pains and he nodded.
Of course panic attacks come with chest pains too.
 
TBH the pain can be so severe it causes panic and symptoms like shortness of breath that can be associated with panic attacks including racing heart. Watch what sets it off - if it's leaning on a desk a certain way, when you've twisted around for something from the backseat of the car then I would start seeing if doing things differently reduces the frequency of attacks
 
I've always thought breathlessness was pain related and asthma triggered by pain. Walking in pain triggers asthma if not used reliever before setting off.
I've had ribcage tenderness for nearly 10yrs. Painful too touch and not so painful when liver isn't as fatty. I've never told gp as never had pain constantly from rib lumps.
I will mention it but gp won't do much as on strong painkillers already.
Maybe he needs to know thou as lower back less painful than muscle spasms these days. Yesterday felt like I'd pulled a muscle below my shoulder blade. Very very painful to move. Not as painful today and bgs much more normal too.
 
So robaxin can be prescribed which is a non addictive muscle relaxant - I can take it with zomorph and oramorph. The shoulder pain in interesting - frozen shoulder is supposedly prevalent in T2 diabetics. My shoulder seemed to freeze and the physio diagnosed problems with the rotator cuff. Several months on I have better mobility but it is still limited. The rib pain also coincided with the inability to lie flat as both shoulder blades seemed to cramp. That's improved as the rib pain has decreased. GPs see a lot of lower back pain and there isn't much they can do about it - I would definitely see if they will refer you to physio. My back was first diagnosed by a physio who examined me and then said he wouldn't treat me until I'd seen a spinal expert and had my spine x-rayed as it wasn't moving correctly. I had put my rib pain down to the following things:
Gall bladder even after removal
Indigestion
Allergic reaction
Chest infections
Broken / cracked ribs

My asthma improved when I dealt with the rib pain as I breathed more deeply increasing my 02 saturation and helping to prevent infections. I've had so much prednisolone it no longer gives me that steroid kick anymore and upsets my stomach to the point of bleeding. It may not be the same but at least you know you're not alone!
 
Thank you so much everyone for responding.
I'll definitely suggest these diagnoses to my doc.
I appreciate your help and support
 
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