# Chest/breast pain



## beth_crocker1

Im hopeing someone can help me out here and tell me IM not crazy. I was diagnosed with ibs 2 years ago. Since then I have had problems with back pain also . About a month and a half ago I started having this pain in my chest and under my left arm. I immediately freaked out and went to the doctor because my left arm would go almost numb. And my left breast ached. So, the doctor did a breast exam and then ekg for my heart and said everything was fine and that it was probly just muscular. Well the pain persisted so I saw my gynecologist and she too did a breast exam and said nothing was abnormal. Then I requested to have a mammogram done..I had never had one before , Im 29 years old. The results of that were also normal. Im still having the pain although its not nearly as bad as it was. But IM still concerned about whethere its acutally muscular or not. I have never been diagnosed with fms but have been suspecting that i have it. My doctor also said it could just be chostochondritis. I know that some of you that have fms experience chest pain and was wondering when you exprience this type of pain , about how long it will last. Im just a little concerned that mine isnt going away. It did go away once for about 2 weeks but now it is back. It hurts at the front of my chest about where the breast bone is and right under my left armpit area. It also hurts clear through to my back. Not real painful just an annoying pain that wont go away. I have also noticed the past few days that my left shoulder area and my neck feel somewhat stiff. And i have trouble sleeping at night because I sleep on my side and my arm starts hurting and I constantly have to change positions. Does this sound like it could just be musclular type of pain from fms? I feel like IM going insane worrying about this and I dont seem to get much help from the doctor.


----------



## LoriAnn

Hi Beth;Don't panic, I've just been through the same identical thing myself, and my ekg showed that my heart was racing at about 120 a minute and skipping an avarage of 5 beats per minute, yet it had nothing to do with my heart. I have the chest, breast and arm pain too, but it isn't made worse by being active and its just sort of constant. I also have severe IBS, diagnosed over 10 years ago, although I have suffered chest pain before, this seemed different to me, still the tests showed nothing, as always.I actually did some research this week, I found out that this type of pain is actually fairly common in people with IBS. If you have just been diagnosed with IBS I recommend you check out a site I found this week, reading the message board & the info on the site blew me away and I recommend it to everyone here,its www.celiac.com they have show connections between both FM & IBS and celiac disease, since the doctors are either unwilling, or unable to help us we have to start lookig for our own answers.Oh, as for how long it lasts, I hate to tell you, it can last 2 weeks or 6 months, some things never go away completely, but sometimes you can wake the next day and something is completly gone. I wish I could have been more helpful but you are NOT crazy, thats for certain.


----------



## JenL

Hi Beth,You did the right thing by getting it checked out. Yes, I too have had that. I have had many pains that scare me to death. Don't you just wonder how fast this can come on?I am having pain under my arm right now. I had had it in one spot on my left arm. It was so strange. It would come in combination with pain under my arm pit. The Saturda after Thanksgiving I began having pain in my neck and jaw. Like you it scared me to death. It wasn't constant and then it would go away for a couple of days. When you have had all the test done and there isn't anything...well...I just continured praying. Now the neck and jaw pain that lasted over two months is gone and it is the left arm and some days both arms.If you can, try DEEP massage therapy. It helps. Right now I'm going to have to have them massage under my arm. I can hardly turn the steering wheel on my van.Try not to panic and it seems to help the pain not to be so tense.Look at my post on this special diet. I'm thinking about trying it. I hear people are getting great relief.Good luck and may He give you Strength and power,JenL


----------



## beth_crocker1

Thanks guys for the help. Its nice to know Im not alone. It is wierd how it can come on all at once. When I first got it, my left breast ached and my whole left arm hurt including my armpit . Now it is mainly my armpit and chest. Jen, mine seems to move around on my arm also. I have a spot about 3 inches diameter on the outside top portion of my upper arm that will get real hot and burn like muscle pain for a bit then it will mysteriously go away. I get the same thing in my arm pit area. Kinda like where the crease of your underarm is. Mine isnt constant pain either, it comes and goes all day long sometimes only hurts when I move a certain way but then sometimes just hurts for no reason. I feel so much better knowing that other people have this too. I was so scared in the beginning...I thought for sure I had breast cancer and was going to die or something. I still worry a little. I did do some massage therapy about 3 weeks ago and it did help a lot. As a matter of fact that was what seemed to make it go away for 2 weeks. Im going to try and get another appointment on monday and maybe that will help. Its just so expensive...$50.00 everytime I go. So I usually save it for a last resort. Thanks for all the help.


----------



## JenL

Beth,Have you tried chiropractic? My chiro helps so much, and he has a massage therapist at his office. At times insurance will cover it as part of his therapy. I did this all through one of my pregnancies. Check it out.Also, I don't know how you feel about being on all these meds. I couldn't believe every time a mentioned a symptom how quickly they wrote out a prescription. Sorry but it just can't be healthy. Go to www.feelhealthynow.com Read his story. If you then want you can get to www.hacres through his site or just click on this one. However, I do suggest taking sublingual vitamin B-12, B-6 with folic acid. I can't believe how much it is helping me. My twitching is at it's minimal since it started. I get my vitamin B on line. Sublingaul if you don't know what that means like I didn't...is one that you dissolve under your tongue so that you absorb 90% of it.I think I am going to try this diet and barley green to see if this helps. I have a friend that has every part of her body affected by all of this...even her heart. They can't figure out what is going on. She has so much acid build up in her muscles that she is testing postive for everything like MS, lupus etc. I've mailed her this info.Hope some of this helps.Lifting all of you in prayer,JenL


----------



## lesak

Dear BethI too have the same sort of breast/chest pain but i've taken a different approach to the whole IBS scenario. Next week at Johns Hopkins medical center in baltimore, I will being having a procedure to eradicate pelvic congestion which i have been convinced for a number of years is directly linked to IBS. At this moment, I'm extremely nervous because if this doesn't work, I'm not sure of my next move.Lesa


----------



## MaritimeGirl

Hi everyone. I have IBS and FM (confirmed) and I believe I have CFS. I have left breast pain and goes into my armpit. It developed when I was 25 after my first baby and was severe pain. I have two aunts (one died) who both had breast cancer. The aunt who died had cancer start in her lymph nodes in armpit. I tried to have a mammogram twice but the specialist denied me telling me I didn't have enough of the criteria. He told me the lymph nodes in my armpit were swollen and the "bugs" got in from paper cuts on my finger. I irritatedly told him that I had the papercuts for two days and the pain for over two years. What a jerk. I did find a lump in my breast about 2 mos. after having first baby but my family doc. said it was on the chest wall and not in my breast (still no mammogram ordered. I have constant pain and tingling in my arms and it NEVER goes away. I have tried many things over the years. About 3 years ago I was lucky enough to discover a wonderful massage person at my physio clinic. She works on the nerves just above my breasts and amazingly it really helps with the pain and tingling in my arms/fingers as she said it would. Which reminds me to make an appointment with her today. I can't stop thinking about breast cancer though. It's been five years and a second baby and I am still having that pain.


----------

