[MelanieBlue]

Hi again.

As a refresher, I have no diagnosis yet. I know that I have a positive ANA, a borderline positive DNA and a positive RNP (low positive). My newest fun has been relatively severe pain in my left hip and chest pain (in addition to my other stuff mentioned in my other thread). I am scheduled with a rheumy at the end of December. My reg doc is still looking for a cause of my severe anemia and pretty much neglecting everything else until he rules out "something growing or something bleeding". Then, he said that he will address my "pain syndrome" - whatever that means.

So, in the meantime, my symptoms are morphing. I have these chest pains that feel kind of like the kind that you would get when you were younger and growing (assuming most people got them - I did). They feel kind of like a tightening in my chest that hurts more when I inhale. They come on completely randomly and are not severe enough to make me double over, but they are certainly not comfortable. One at dinner tonight brought me to tears.

It doesn't feel like my heart, but maybe more like my lungs ( i can't be certain of course). In other words, it doesn't feel like a heart attack or anything like that.

I have no idea when this should start to really concern me, since I have no diagnosis of any type. When do I (or you) worry about chest pains?

 

[onetay]

MelanieBlue,

With what you have already I would say that if you have had more than one or two of these you should be worried. You should also tell your doctor and if he/she don't address the discomfort that causes tears at dinner then go to the er and see what they say is going on. If you are having chest or lung pains that usually means listen to your body it is trying to tell you something. It is hard to think that you find these pains unimportant or that they are not already concerning you. What is even harder is the doctor don't seem to care about them. If he would think it is a new symtom and just might be important to what is going on. It is only what I think not a rule or all that important. I do hope that follow up in some way with a doctor just for peace of mind.

Tammy

 

[Joandublin]

Hi Melanie

Im sorry you are having these chest pains but it would be remiss of anyone to tell you not to take them seriously. Chest pains should always be checked out and are generally considered as a medical emergency. The best advice is to go to the ER if you are experiencing chest pains. They can then check for any possible cardiac or other life threatening problems and, hopefully, rule that out of the picture.

Assuming its not a critical problem, the next step is to try and find out what is causing the pain. There are any number of reasons for chest pains and certainly inflammation can be a cause of excrutiating pain in the chest. I was particularly struck by your comment that it gets worse when inhaling which could give your doctor or the hospital a clue as to what is causing the pain and, more importantly, what treatment will help. Problems with the lungs can cause chest pain as well as inflammation of the rib cage. Indeed digestive problems can also cause terrible chest pains as well.

I hope your GP can figure out the cause of your anemia very quickly. Did he check your B12 levels by the way? I hope so. Lack of B12 in the body can cause anemia. Its surprising the number of adults who have B12 deficiency and there is an established link to autoimmune problems. Im one of those who have to have B12 injections for the rest of my life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernicious_anemia

Please let us know how you are doing and I hope your appointment day rolls around as fast as possible for you :hugbetter:

By the way, I don't think it's a bit unreasonable to ask your doctor for some pain relief in the meantime. He may be reluctant to prescribe anything that might mask your symptom for your upcoming appointment but he should certainly be able to help you with pain relief to get you through the worse days. Have a chat with him about this. If he has his reasons he should be able to explain them to you.

Best of luck
Joan:rose: