Having Chest pain -- Breathing issue (kinda)

[Ziroc]

For the last week, I've been feeling the need to have to take a full breath. I was constipated for a bit (I take pain meds for backpain/hip) but ok now, but now I have gas! [img]smile.gif[/img] I could power a small town!

But this has happened before, it starts as a feeling of my chest compressed a but, and the feeling to need to take a deep breath. burping makes the pressure lessen. Been taking gasx pills for 3 days now, and it IS feeling better, but still tight over my left side of chest (looking down at chest, my left) and pain behind my left shoulder (which is going away). I'm 32, so it's not cardiac--I would HOPE not. If this doesn't go away fully in a few more days, I'll go see my Doc, but wondered if any of you had this before? Gas pains making you feel like its hard to breathe, and pain in chest??

Kinda have fatigue with this too.. no fever, eyes not yellow, nothing crazy like that [img]smile.gif[/img] . It was Really bad a few nights ago (got worse when I laid down to go to sleep) and I actually think I got a slight panic attack. OMG... I know how to control them, from reading some webMD site.

Also, my blood pressure was 141 over 86. It's usually 128 over 80! I checked this before the panic attack.. At one of those super market thingies.. did it 3 times to be sure. I was like, WTF! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Anyways, ever happen to YOU? aging SUCKS. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

[Lanesra]

GORD - classic case! Gastro Oesaphageal Reflux Disease

D

[Aragorn1]

Sounds...unpleasant.
Hope you get well soon!
Perhaps its the stress of having to deal with us on a daily basis

[ 09-06-2005, 05:22 AM: Message edited by: Aragorn1 ]

[Link]

Get well Z-man! Ironworks isn't the same without you!! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Ziroc]

Originally posted by Lanesra: GORD - classic case! Gastro Oesaphageal Reflux Disease D

Yeah, I've been reading about that. ugh. [img]smile.gif[/img] So it comes and goes? I DO get heartburn daily--and I don't eat bad stuff.. take a Zantac 150 1 time a day.. ?

[Ziroc]

Here is info on GORD: Sounds exactly like what I have. F! [img]smile.gif[/img] That's all I need. Pain now this shit. bah!

----------------------
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) occurs when stomach acid moves in the wrong direction, flowing back up (reflux) into your oesophagus (the tube that carries food from your throat to your stomach), causing discomfort. Over time, reflux of acid may erode (burn away) the lining of the oesophagus, leading to inflammation and ulcers, a condition called erosive GORD.

Some patients with erosive GORD may also experience:


Regurgitation
Difficulty/pain in swallowing
Wheezing/asthma
Sore throat/hoarseness
Tooth/gum decay
Severe chest pain
Bloating/gas

When erosive GORD is not taken care of, it can lead to more serious problems:


Bleeding from the lining of the oesophagus
Oesophageal stricture (a narrowing of the oesophagus)
Barrett's oesophagus (a precancerous change in the lining of the oesophagus)

Erosive GORD occurs when stomach acid flows back up into the oesophagus, damaging the lining. This may be because the valve that connects the oesophagus and the stomach is weakened. This muscular valve is called the lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS). Normally, the LOS opens when food or saliva is passed into the stomach and tightens when food is not passing into the stomach.

A weakened LOS does not tighten all the way or opens too easily. Stomach acid can escape from the stomach move back up into the oesophagus, causing a great deal of pain. The less acid you have in your stomach, the less likely you'll have heartburn pain and discomfort. If you are experiencing heartburn and other symptoms, only your doctor can determine if they are related to erosive GORD.

Heartburn

Heartburn is the most frequent symptom of erosive GORD. Heartburn typically feels like a burning pain or discomfort behind your chest that moves upward to your throat. You may also have a bitter or sour taste of acid in the back of your throat, as well as other symptoms, such as burping and bloating. The pressure and burning pain of heartburn can occur frequently and generally become worse after eating, while lying down at night, or when bending over.

How common is heartburn?

Almost everyone has occasional symptoms of heartburn. However, frequent heartburn (two or more times a week), or other symptoms that do not improve with antacids or other over-the-counter medications, may be a sign of a more severe problem, such as erosive GORD.

When does heartburn occur?

Frequent heartburn after meals is common for erosive GORD sufferers. When you eat, special cells in your stomach start producing more acid to help digest food. Heartburn at night is also very common and occurs more frequently at night because the acid stays in your oesophagus longer when you are lying down than when you are standing. In an upright position, the force of gravity helps to push the acid back into your stomach. When acid stays in your oesophagus for a long period of time, such as during sleep or while lying down, more damage can occur.

How to control heartburn caused by erosive GORD

Making changes to your diet and lifestyle, along with the proper use of over-the-counter medications, such as antacids, may control infrequent heartburn symptoms. There are some foods and drinks that increase heartburn. Although it may be hard to give them up entirely, it's best to avoid:


Chocolate
Peppermint
Fatty foods
Coffee
Alcoholic beverages

The following foods can irritate an injured lining of the oesophagus and should also be avoided:


Citrus fruits and juices
Tomato products
Spicy foods

In addition to making changes to your diet, there are also changes you can make to your lifestyle that may reduce the occurrence of heartburn:


Reduce the size of your portions at mealtime (dont eat huge portions)
Avoid eating within two to three hours before bedtime (yeh... )
Lose excess weight (not overweight at ALL)
Stop cigarette smoking (yeh.. this is a main cause)
Raise the head of your bed frame at least six inches to keep acid from remaining in the oesophagus overnight (worse when laying down, yep)!

Unfortunately, not everyone will achieve relief from heartburn symptoms with changes to their diet and lifestyle alone. Heartburn symptoms are not always due to acid reflux and may be caused by non-symptomatic GORD or NERD (hehe, NERD!) (see below). Your doctor can recommend additional options to help relieve your symptoms.

[ 09-06-2005, 06:05 AM: Message edited by: Ziroc ]

[Iron Greasel]

Get well soon. Your continued existence is important to us.

[Winter Wolf]

Z, go see your doc, don't try to be tough. We *know* you're tough, if you're willing keep IW up and running.

I have pains in my left arm/chest area, and I'm pretty sure it's related to a 10 year old injury that never got checked up on. Probably a pinched nerve or something. Probably it's unfixable without major surgery, but the heat keeps it at bay. Don't be a hero man, just in case it turns out to be something that can't get fixed if you wait too long.

[johnny]

I think i saw this once in Southpark, you might be in danger of spontaneous selfcombustion. You can fart, but please do mind the ozonlayer

[Cloudbringer]

Definitely see your doctor, Z! He or she could give you some more advice or meds or something that could help and might even find it's something else, you never know!