Chest/Back Pain

[Matt M.]

Hello

I've been having problems with pain in my chest/back area. Over the past few months it has come and gone, but right now it is bothering me.

The pain is located in the left pec area, basically somewhere between my back and chest. It feels harder to breathe when running, and when I exhale it especially hurts. It doesn't hurt as much just sitting down. When walking it may hurt a bit, but when running it hurts a lot. It feels like something inside is bouncing up and down, that's the type of pain it is. I don't want to sound stupid, but if I hit my left pec it hurts.. it doesn't hurt to hit the right pec.

I went to see a doctor when this pain flared up around late winter. He said it was a lower respiratory infection, gave me some pills and sent me on my way. He also had me take a breathing test, where I basically inhaled from an inhaler. It seemed like the inhaler practically made the pain go away, and after taking all the pills it didn't come back for a couple months.

It has come back one other time since then. I remember the pain started one time after I bent my back over in the shower. The pain I'm feeling now started after I sat slouched in a recliner.

Sometimes it would help to do some push ups, sit ups, or bending my back over, but it doesn't seem to help much anymore.

I don't know what it is, but I'm not so sure the doctor was correct. I wonder if the pain is caused by something happening to a muscle, or maybe it is my lungs. I wouldn't think it's asthma, because the main problem is the pain, not the breathing difficulty. The difficulty breathing is really just caused by the pain. I hope it's not a heart attack or something D: lol

Oh yeah, and I'm only 16 years old, so I don't think I have back or heart problems.. I should be healthy as can be :

If you need more info, just ask. Thank you for reading, any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Abide]

That sounds like something a

That sounds like something a chiropractor might be able to help with. Have you seen one?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Matt, I am so concerned about

Matt, I am so concerned about you. This is NOT normal. What do your parents say? Ask them to schedule an MRI of your chest right away. You could be dealing with something EXTREMELY serious. Catch it now!

My brother suffered with lung issues all his life. When he was in his late teens, his lungs would collapse, sometimes for no reason. He'd have to go to the ER because it was so serious. I wonder if something is going on with your lungs or maybe your heart. Don't hit yourself there anymore; you could cause something to collapse or have your heart miss a beat. Not good.

Let us know what you find out.

 

[Matt M.]

Thanks for your concern.I

Thanks for your concern.

I told my parents again. I have been telling them a few times in the past week, and I told them when it happened last time. I'll do my best to see a doctor. I don't think my last visit was very good quality... maybe I will try to see a specialist this time. Do you know what type of doctor would be best to see?

I hate to have something wrong with my body I've already been dealing with injuries. But I guess I'd better find out what this is once and for all so I can take care of it... and hopefully make it go away. It's not good to have persistent pain when you don't know what it is.

I'll respond after I hopefully see a doctor again.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I have no idea what kind of

I have no idea what kind of doctor you should see. Hopefully, someone else will chime in here. Perhaps your family doctor could recommend a doctor who could refer you to have an MRI, or perhaps your own family doctor could write the orders for it him/herself.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

 

[Jimmy Hart]

 if it's pressure sensitive

if it's pressure sensitive then it's not in your lungs. A lower respiratory infection will not be something that you can cause pain by touching, pressing, or hitting your tissue. You could have a small tear that got infected instead of really healing. Depending on what pills you took they could have helped with the infection but not have fully cured it because they weren't made to do so. An MRI would be a good way to go but not cheap usually. A visit to an orthopedic doc could probably help out a lot as they could feel around the muscle tissue to see if they feel anything before you get sent for an MRI. Odds are you'll need a referral though so you're might wind up making a few appointments to rule stuff out.

 

[LavaRunner]

Couple of thoughtsYou need

Couple of thoughts

You need to get checked by a pulmonologist and have them do an xray to rule out countless possible issues. Your family Doc may not be the best choice for this. They seem to blame everything on infections and give you a happy pill.

Call a chiropractor and tell them what is going on. In fact, they will do an xray and possibly send you to get an MRI if they are concerned.

I get strange pains in my left pec area and I know the cause, I broke my neck when I was about your age skiing, the nerves get pinched and the muscle spasms causing pain. Not saying that is your issue, spasms not the broken neck, but it could be.

Don't get caught in the trap that you are 16 and it cannot be a heart problem, 16 year olds can have heart defects. My friends son is 15 and going in for surgery. It isn't out of the question. Get checked and nag until you get an answer.

 

[Matt M.]

Thank you for your

Thank you for your comments.

We called my general doctor today, and he referred us to a pulmonologist. Unfortunately the appointment isn't until Sept. 9, but I guess that's health care for you.

After reading online more and trying to find a condition with symptoms that match mine, I think I may have found one. I looked at the symptoms for a rib fracture. I don't think it's as serious as a rib fracture, but they listed another condition - Rib cartilage tear. Another one was separated rib, but I'm almost positive it's not that. The symptoms don't seem as bad as that.

The pain seems to focus in my back a little more, but I'm not sure. The symptoms for rib cartilage tear include several of the ones I have. Painful breathing mostly while exercising has been a symptom. Also, from what I understand it is possible for the symptoms to return even after they go away for a while.

Another scary thing is that when I breathe a deep breath the lung on the affected side feels strange. The unaffected side (right side) feels like it takes in all the air and is nice and strong (normal), but the affected side (left side) almost feels like I gulped air into it, like blowing air into an old, stretchy balloon. TJ, that whole collapsed lung story scares me a lot, lol. When I exhale all the way it seems a bit more difficult to breathe back into the left lung. Lots of scary superstition I guess. Maybe the pain and problem is in the ribs, not in the lungs (I hope so). Seems a lot like symptoms of rib cartilage tear. Luckily it appears that injury isn't too serious.

I'm thinking maybe it's not a true breathing problem, but it just feels like it because of the rib cartilage tear.

Just wanted to update you, and throw out some possible explanations. Whether it's serious or not, I'll definitely be praying for a cure, lol.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I actually muted my TV, so I

I actually muted my TV, so I could focus on reading your post, Matt. It's that important. First, I am so relieved your parents got you an appointment. September 9 is not that far off. I hope it's not your lung either. Just don't do any excercising or lifting heavy stuff, etc., until you've been cleared to do so. And don't forget about us after you've been diagnosed. Please report back what it is going on with you, what the doc says you need to do about, and how you're doing.

Take care.

 

[Abide]

Yeah bud I hope all is well.

Yeah bud I hope all is well. I have had a messed up rib, it hurt to breathe hard but yours sounds different?

 

[Matt M.]

Yeah, it almost feels just

Yeah, it almost feels just like having a sore back a lot of the time, with some extra pain thrown in with certain movements. I'm not as scared about it as I was yesterday, but I can still feel that something is wrong. I'll take it easy, and take the time for my ability to run (and be healthy and strong for that matter) to come back to me. I guess that's the phase I'm in right now.

Thanks a lot for your concern, everyone.

 

[Nyal]

 Do you also have digestive

Do you also have digestive issues? Oddly colored stool, or nasea after fatty food? Are you prone to chest colds? Ever feel weak for long periods for no reason in the winter?

 

[SillyC]

Good luck, Matt M.! Really,

Good luck, Matt M.!



Really, don't stop complaining until you get answers. It sounds like you're on the right track, though. It's your body, not your parents', and you need to advocate for yourself.

Yes, 16 year olds can have heart trouble.

I had a hiatal hernia once, and it caused some similar symptoms to the ones you have. That's a possibility, I think.

 

[The Ramzev]

 Matt,   I'm not sure if

Matt,

I'm not sure if your symptoms fit 100% but a year or so ago I was having chest pains that would not quit. Breathing was painful. Turns out I had pleurisy, it's when the lung wall gets inflamed and rubs. May not be what you have but it's worth looking into.



www.webmd.com/lung/tc/pleurisy-overview

 

[Matt M.]

Ramzev,The description and

Ramzev,

The description and symptoms for pleurisy actually seem pretty similar to what I have, it definitely seems like a good possiblity. Believe it or not, I asked my mom about pleurisy and she told me that her mother, who has passed away, apparently had it. That made it sound like a chronic condition..

Ramzev, if you don't mind could you tell me about your experience with pleurisy, how you treated it, and has it returned?

 

[Matt M.]

I have an important update.

I have an important update. Just to give you a heads up, it sounds bad at first but ends up good later .

The pains have been continuing and getting a bit worse each day. Yesterday I went for maybe a 4 mile roundtrip bike ride. The pain was excruciating during and after the bike ride. Sometimes the pain would get somewhat bearable when I started exercising, but later would hurt more. But it was really bad while biking.

So last night I was having terrible pain. I took 2 pain reliever pills (naproxen sodium) to help overnight. I have not really tried NSAIDs for the pain yet because I prefer to stay away from them. But once I woke up the pain felt almost gone. After getting up and moving the pain started returning, so I took 2 more pills. It didn't take long before the pain all day today was reduced to minor twinges very seldomly. I even ran about 2.5 miles today (barefoot of course ). Other than the beginning barefoot runner's pain, the whole chest thing didn't bother me too much.

This sequence of events leads me to think that the problem has been pleurisy. Pleurisy apparently is inflammation of the layers that line the outside of the lung. The space between these 2 layers usually is lubricated and feels fine, but in pleurisy it becomes inflamed and rubs painfully. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's right. Well anyway, maybe the pain was brought on by the inflammation, and the NSAIDs helped relieve the inflammation.

Keep in mind I still am going to see real pulmonary doctor on September 9, so I can figure this whole thing out. It has been returning periodically, so I need to find the answers so I can live life without pain all the time!!

Anyone feel free to correct me or comment. But right now, the pain is gone enough that I can feel and live pretty much normally. Hopefully I can stay that way!

 

[Blind Boy]

Matt: It's good that you've

Matt: It's good that you've been able to relieve the pain a bit but be careful with exercise until you know what it is that's wrong. Just because you've numbed the pain doesn't mean the condition is any better. You're young so let your body decide when you're ready, not your mind. Training while on pain meds is rarely a good idea.

 

[The Ramzev]

Matt, The Doc prescribed me

Matt, The Doc prescribed me some anti inflammatories (sp?) and it went away after a week or so. He said that I was suseptable (again sp?) to it in the future and every now and then I do get the slight pain but it alawys is temporary and goes away on it's own. I hope this is what you have since it is so easily treatable.

 

[Matt M.]

Ramzev, thank you for your

Ramzev, thank you for your post. Looking at it, it really seems as though I have that same condition. I have had this issue arise several times before, but it has always subsided within a week or two. After the doctor gave me medicine the first time, it went away quickly. It wouldn't be right to say all problems are solved and all is done, but it feels better to find a good match of what is wrong. And yes, it would be good if that was the problem rather than something else because, as you said, it is fairly easily treatable. Thanks for your input.

But Blind Boy, you are right. It isn't a good idea to run while on pain meds. And just because I don't feel so much pain doesn't mean I totally solved it. I will try to be cautious with my exercising, even though it's not easy at times :~

I'll update if anything happens. Hopefully I can stay okay until the doc visit.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I say don't exercise at all

I say don't exercise at all until you know what's going on with you, but that's just the mommy in me...sorry about that.

For a teenager, you have impeccable typing and composition skills.