BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia and chest pains

Are there others in this forum that have their main symptoms being intense chest pains that mimic heart attacks? I have been checked and checked by cardiologists with echo-cardiograms, stress tests and heart monitors showing no cardiac symptoms, but the pain persists. I am thinking it could be fibromyalgia. Has anyone else experienced this as well?

Hi Lynnie!

Have you been seen by a rheumatologist?

He or she may be a good starting point.

I hope you feel better soon, and wish you the best of luck!

Thanks, I will talk to my GP about a referral. I am getting at my wits end with the feeling tired and pain and worry.

That's good to hear!

Keep a chart of your medical symptoms, and bring that with you to your appt. It'll be easier than trying to remember every time you've felt bad. Track your fatigue (maybe on a scale 1-5, with 5 being too tired to get out of bed, and 1 feeling great), along with any chest pains, and any other types of pain and where it occurs (shoulders, arms, legs, etc).

Your rheumatologist will be able to do blood work and a completely evaluation, on the chance it is an autoimmune disease. It might help to have any medical tests you've had forwarded to the rheumatologist.

Please let us know how it goes! Good luck!

Just checking in--hope everything is going ok, and that you were able to get a referral.

(Note: apologies for such a LONG response) Hi LynnieW, Just joined Bella a few minutes ago and chose a couple of the forums. This is where I came 1st and Your question is the 1st one I saw and I wanted to add my 2cents worth in the hope that maybe something I experienced is something your doctor may not have considered. I also suffer Chest pain... caused by several conditions. I'll start with the 'easiest' one. I have arthritis in my ribcage, and when that acts up, it can really hurt to breath, with aching all around my chest, front and back. I often get a sensation like I can't take a full breath of air or get enough oxygen. Sometimes I feel like my chest is being crushed, with my ribs squeezing my lungs making it hard to breath. My Doctor diagnosed this by a combination of known symptoms & Chest X-rays showing the arthritis, particularly where the ribs connect to the Breast Bone. Also... 10 years ago I had an extensive Upper GI work-up (multiple tests) for severe reflux & swallowing difficulty. With a barium swallow they discovered that I was suffering from "Esophageal Spasms" also know as "Corkscrew Esophagus". With the Barium contrast you could actually see the "twist", it really looked like a Corkscrew or Ribbon Candy. Esophageal Spasms are well known (to those that are knowledgeable about the condition) to cause severe pain that MIMICs Heart Attack. That's what I was experiencing on a daily basis and strong Narcotic pain meds barely touched the pain. The Primary trigger for my spasms are eating. I had to modify my diet to very soft foods and remember to eat small bites. Meat was the biggest problem as it is hard to masticate it enough that it actually gets soft. Chicken and Fish were easier to eat and Beef the worst, even ground beef. Once the spasms are triggered, they tend to last 3 to 5 hours, or about as long as it takes all the food to leave the stomach. There are various medications that can help with the sypmtoms of Corkscrew Esophagus. It can take several tries to find the right one for you. It turns out that meds that help with heart pain or angina can work for some patients, either stopping or decreasing the severity of the problem. The first thing we tried was Nitroglycerin Tabs, but I had multiple problem side effects. Then we tried Nitro in a cream. (A dab was applied to the skin over the esophagus just before eating, then wiped off after I finished eating.) Yah, I know, it sounds really weird, but it did work, very quickly and efficiently. Only problem... I suffer from Migraines and even this small amount was sufficient to trigger some real doozies, with pain so severe that if I was eating out, I couldn't drive home. The next thing we tried was a Calcium Channel Blocker called Diltia XT ER (namebrand)and it took several months to gradually get control of the spasms. I've now taken this med. for 8 years. I had good control the 1st 6 years until our insurance company denied coverage of the name brand. I've been changed to 3 different Generics over the last 2 years, and the spasms are no longer under good control. These are just 2 POSSIBLE causes of chest pain & remember this is just MY experience. Good luck with your search for the cause of your chest pain. Karen aka DesertGator "Like many FibroMites, I have a number of medical conditions that I call 'The CAKE'. Then on top of that, I have Fibromyalgia.... What I call 'The ICING on the CAKE'." --------- Oops, forgot to mention... I also had an extensive checkup with an EKG and a Stress Test by my Internist. I neglected to mention the other tests they did in trying to determine the cause(s) of my chest pain. As I'm sure you know, many folks who have experienced a heart attack, mistakenly believed that they were experiencing 'heart-burn'. So that's why my doctors did such a complete set of Upper-GI tests. It does make sense, if a heart attack can mimic heart-burn, then heart-burn might mimic heart attack. They Endoscoped my Stomach, I also had a 24-hour acid production test with a naso-gastric tube in my stomach attached to a computer that measured acid production. Then a manomotry(sp) again with a naso-gastric tube that measured how high up the esophagus acid was going.

HI I AM NEW HERE JUST TO DAY... NOT NEW TO FMS THOUGH...HAD IT 30 YEARS.... THE PAIN YOU DISCRIBE IS VERY COMMON TO FIBROMYALGIA.... CALLED "COSTOCHONDRITIS"... I HAVE NOT HAD THIS BUT HAVE MANY FRIENDS THAT HAVE...& THEY TELL ME IT IS AWFUL.....(BUT NOT A HEART PROBLEM..) FEELS LIKE IT THOUGH... THEY APPY HEAT...BE IT IN A GEL, OR SOFT HEAT PACK,..THIS HELPED THEM A LOT, BUT DOESN'T GET RID OF IT ALL TOGETHER...THAT'S A MATTER OF TIME.... DO LOOK THIS UP IN A 'MEDICAL WEB SITE' & SEE YOUR DOCTOR FOR CONFIRMATION.... NICE TO BE HERE &NICE TO MEET YOU.. LOVE WENDY OZ XXX

Thanks, I have managed to get a referral for 28th May! Earliest one I could get.

Thanks Wendy I am hoping that this is what it is (I know that sounds strange, hoping I have something) at least it would be an answer! Heat does help and it definitly comes and goes in cycles, the pain would be ok, it's the lethergy that is associated with it that's the biggest issue.

Hi LynnieW! So happy to have an appointment!

Let us know how it goes, and good luck!

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia approx. 7 years ago, and I do have chest pains from time to time. I've had an EKG and an echo, and both came back normal. I think it's usually stress-induced, just like stress leads to flare-ups of other fibromyalgia pain. Hope that's the case for you and that it's nothing more serious. God Bless!

Hi I've just joined and had to reply to this post first.. I was diagnosed with FM over 6 years ago, by a chest consultant, that I was seeing as I have COPD aswell.. my chest pains were excrutiating, and had gone on for over a uear, I felt I had a brick in my chest, which would just get heavier and heavier if I moved about, it would also feel like a tight rubber band, squeezing my rib cage, and then I'd have the hot burning knives stabbing into me.. this was continuous for all that time.. untill my diagnosis and medication started.. I now know it was a massive fibro flare up, brought on by all the coughing the COPD was causing.. and the stress from that, linked to the fibromyalgia..flare ups are prone to all parts of the body,I've had them all believe me.. I've had these 'chest' flare ups since on many an occasion, if I've overdone thingsfor example.... the last was when I had a fall..that time so bad it hurt even to breathe.. I couldn't sit stand breathe talk.. the pain is undescribeable.. so yes could well be FMS hope that helps xx

Thanks freedomgirl and Joni it's comforting to hear others have had similar issues.

Bring on the end of May, that's all I can say - hopefully get some answers from the specialist - bad flare up today around the chest, sure does drain the life out of you!

OK I finally got to see the specialist, good news he does not believe it is Fibromyalgia - although he definitely believes I have Costochondritis - so there is one answer at least. Next step, full body bone scan - yeah more tests!

Hi!

I'm so glad you are getting some answers! That can be half the battle, can't it?

Please keep us posted, and good luck!

Yes I have chest pains, FM, and POTS. I have had them all my life. Even as a young kid. I don't know what causes it and i am fearful its my heart. It feels like a knife in my chest and it hurts to inhale. I choose not to investigae because all I ever get are negative test results. So I just leave the explaination as ...my fibro like everyother weird symptom.

Chest pains are well known in CFS and FM. It is worth getting them checked out but if you doc reassures you it isn't a heart attack and isn't anything of importance (to them!), then consider getting a book on trigger points. A lot of us have lots of trigger points. These are accepted by mainline doctors if you give them the Travell and Simons reference and their text book is in most medical libraries. However their book, while the mainstream reference for the docs is not the most useful one for patients. Find "The trigger point therapy workbook" by Clair Davies. If you get it then read the last chapter first where he recommends general relaxation exercises first. I have found it best to do trigger point work when I have my various infections/inflammatory responses under control and am fairly relaxed.

I'm another one of the "lucky ones" who have a myriad of medical issues that I call "cousins". MS, Fibro, GERD & CFS to name a few. It's great that we have a forum to get ideas from and help each other. Good luck Lynnie! Let me know what they come up with. I also have those same sensations. Tightness in the chest (although cardiac workups came back normal)but I can take deep breaths, etc. I believe mine is from the GERD but never thought it might be related to the Fibro. Interesting thought.

Check out this article on the Bella site for chest pain info.

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Hi,

I hope the link helps. I get very bad chest pains and was diagnosed with Costochondritis. It is very common to go along with Fibro and CFS. Luckily it is not dangerous and just feels like your having a heart attack!


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