Chest pain, pain in right arm, tingling in left hand when i sleep, anybody had similar symptoms?

Hi, i hope somebody can help me, I am a 24 year old male who suffers from central and left sided chest pain on almost a daily basis, the left sided pain is a stabbing pain and the central pain is a pressure feeling, i also get pain deep inside my left shoulder and arm and have tingling in my left hand when i sleep which disappears within 10 seconds of waking up. I also find myself short of breath sometimes. I have seen several doctors and a cardiologist who have been unable to find anything wrong with me, the tests i have undergone are several ECG's, a ultrasound on my heart, a scan on my lungs to check for blood clots and a heart x-ray. Doctors have concluded i may have a trapped nerve in my back which is causing the pins and needles, despite what the doctor has said i am constantly worrying about this and fear i am going to die in my sleep, i am also too scared to do any excercise that will increase my heart rate which i know is bad for my overall health. Can anyone help me?

..could be a spinal problem ..or anxiety...actually what i think is that the fear is making it much worse..and if i were i
would be excersing it might help with your stress levels right now..fear and anxiety can create so much havoc...my relative has had 3 heart attacks and she doesnt dwell on it at all she does everything she always done..if doc says your heart is fine then have another test somewhere else..get peace of mind...once you have this youll start to feel better

First, see a neurologist soon, get MRI's of the spine done. Do not see a Chiropractor until you know if this is spine related, then that's up to you. Second, see a psychologist for support and information for anxiety. Do no ignore your symptoms. Raising your heart rate is 220 minus your age which is 196 target rate.
If you are healthy, you should be able to reach that without chest pain or shortness of breath. Have you been checked for asthma.
I think you need further work up done. A spine with any type of disc compression can cause your symptoms. Take care!

Have you looked into alternative therapies like acupuncture, reflexology etc?

join the club... im 50, and have had this most of my adult life. as a family the males have congenital heart disease... and it killed them all inc my dad by the age of 68...

i put my twinges down to A spending too much time on here typing.. ebay elbow.... and B it may just be the weed...

you cant go thru life waiting to die... whenh it happens, itll happen... and you wont know much about it...

Hi there, I can understand your concern however, you should listen to the Doctor. It sounds like a trapped nerve in the neck.
Please visit either a local Shiatsu Practitioner, Osteopath, Physiotherapist, or sports injury specialist, all of whom should have studied for the minimum of three years. This is a relatively easy problem to solve after x-rays have been looked at. TIP drinks lots of water and totally avoid caffeine inc fizzy drinks.Good Luck, and enjoy the rest of your life!

If doctors have completed a full investigation then I think you must trust that there appears no major cause for these feelings. Does this happen when your lying only on 1 side. I had a similar issue and found that when I laid on my left side I felt I had trouble breathing. Dr could find nothing wrong so as long as I sleep on my right everything is fine.... Also if you are constantly worrying this wont help as this in itself can bring on symptoms.So it is like a merry go round, Worry, Symptoms, Stress etc. Why is the exercises bad for your overall health? If you are limiting exercises then there may be a possibility of weight gain this is really not good for your health or if you have any issues with your back....have you a decent pillow as this also can cause issues if the neck is not supported correctly...Try a memory foam type they are expensive but I have been told they are excellent if having back problems......Worth a try.

Well, first things first.

You are in the Heart Diseases section of the Health Forum. You are certainly going to get people who have experienced what you are discribing in this forum to some degree.

That doesnt mean that what you are experiencing is heart related. It also doesn't mean that it isn't. There isn't anyone here who can diagnose your condition.

If after all the tests you have gone through, you still have concern, then you need to convey this feeling to the cardiologist that you went to. Did they perform a stress test? Have they checked for any blockages in your arteries by performing a heart catherization? Are there members of your family that have been diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease?

I understand your fear. I lived with it myself for several years. I knew though. My family is riddled with male family members that have had heart attacks and died by their mid 50's. I didn't want to believe that I had the same problem. I was a female and in my early 40's. I remember countless nights going to bed experiencing symptoms and not knowing if I was going to be alive the next morning.

*If* you are scared, you need your concerns addressed. Living with the fear is no way to live. Especially for someone your age. Chances are you have alot of years ahead of you. What a waste of good living by having this weighing on your mind on a regular basis.

I got my questions answered. I ended up needing open heart surgery. This may not be what you have in store for you though. Regardless, not knowing is FAR WORSE than knowing and dealing with whatever it is.

You have gotten some really good answers here. It is up to you what you do with the information given. Just please, do what is necessary to get your answers so you can either learn to live with whatever your ailment is or you can get it corrected. At 24 you should be enjoying life and not living in fear that it is going to end.

Nobody here can diagnose you.

Good Luck.. and I hope everything works out for you...

24 ....

You are very, very wise to take this to Doctors and pursue investigation. Heart related problems can start that early. Tingling, pins and needles does sound like something related to nerves.

If this continues, do not give up and blow it off. Sometimes causes can be very difficult to find. What you do not want to do is ignore it and it end up being the beginnings of a heart or other problem. When you hurt, your body is trying to tell you something.

However, looking at the tests that have been run, I believe you can rest easy that you are not going to drop dead. If you had an imminent problem, they would have found it.

PS - MODERATE exercise.

Good Luck

Has your doctor done a 24 halter ECG, sometimes heart arrythmia cannot be detected with a minute long ecg. If that is clear whilst you suffer from the symptoms then I wouldn't worry.
Try gentle exercise such as swimming. Maybe you can see a chiropracter to ease your symptoms.

I have these symptoms for the past 8 years and have been diagnosed with angina with some minor blockages,however I have also had 2 discs on my neck repaired12 yrs ago and had the same symptoms before the operation.
I suggest you have an MRI to rule out any disc trouble and if that is clear then go to your cardiologist and ask him to do an angiogram for angina
Hope you get on ok.