Question on Chest... feeling?

Symptoms & Treatments
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So, I’ve already got a call into my rheum about this, and have an appointment coming up on Friday anyway, but wanted to check here from other people who suffer from this disease, see if it rings any bells.

I have… it couldn’t be called pain. A feeling, in my chest? How the heck do you describe this…

Okay, it’s kind of like a lightness, a feeling almost of there being a hole in my chest? I can feel my heartbeat more and more often, but can’t tell if it’s erratic or just noticeable. I don’t believe it was noticeable before, not like this - it’s almost as though I’ve been exercising, you know, when you can feel your heartbeat after working up a sweat? Only it’s nowhere near as pounding as that.

Occasionally, it feels cold, ice cold, even when I’m wrapped up. Only ever briefly though.

Arm isn’t tingling as far as I can tell.

I’d be willing to tie all this into the lack of sleep recently, but my chest felt like this before. Only now it feels like this on top of a brain fog so dense I’d think it was Ye Olde London Fog, dry mouth I can’t believe, eye blurriness, all the really fun stuff, you know?

I’m not making a whole heap of sense, I’m sure. Rambling, brain is all over the place. Just want to know if anyone else could shed some light on this feeling and what it might be?

I don’t even know how to begin with googling it.

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Hi Dilorenzo, flag this up big time on Friday at your appointment.

I have real problems making any sense of pain. Usually it comes and goes and I either tell myself that it didn’t really happen or it doesn’t matter. Anyways I’m used to it not being too bad. But seeing as I’ve been getting pain in my chest & now something seems to be banging on my shoulder with a hammer and taking my breath away I will be making a real song & dance about it at my rheumy appointment this afternoon.

We probably can’t interpret what’s happening for you and I don’t think it’s our place to do so, but don’t ignore it even if it’s gone by Friday.

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Thanks Sybil. Wasn’t so much interpreting, more just looking to see if anyone had experienced something else.

A small, completely irrational fear I’ve developed is that I’ll end up with something completely new that no one has heard of before. Logically, statistically, I know that’s unlikely, but every time something new comes up I think “oh god what is this now am I going to collapse now?”

Been putting together a list for discussing things with my Rheum, as well as asked my wife to come along to give an outside perspective.

It’s a depressing list.

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I had to respond to this one! The feeling in your chest, boy is that a familiar feeling!!!
As we speak, I’m having a pressure in my chest—it’s almost always there, and the intensity of it varies, but my recent stress test last week came out okay. Still, it’s worrisome because I’ve had a coronary blockage and I know there were a couple other arteries in my heart as shown on the angiogram last August that were 25% blocked. I don’t know if they’ll continue to get worse or now that I’m on a statin and blood thinners they won’t…it is something that’s always in the back of your mind, especially when you have unexplained chest pain.
If I were you, I’d tell your rheumy about this unusual feeling–heart pain can be very subtle. A few weeks before getting my stent I had an achiness in my shoulders EXACTLY like the tendonitis I had in them before I went on Enbrel!
Trouble is, when you mention it, they’ll probably do an EKG, which doesn’t always tell enough to say you need an angiogram. But, the angiogram is the best way to see if you have any blockages.
Good luck, Dilorenzo, I hope you get to the bottom of this! And, Sybil, you too!!!

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Lol, you’ve got that one covered with the PsA. So that’s over and done with and hopefully anything new will be very familiar, all doctors will know exactly what it is and will help immediately!

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When I got PSA my GP said, Bill you will get funny pains all over the place. When they flare, as my TMJ has now, you will naturally think - is it just my PSA or something worse. That’s going to be a real hard one for you to mange. You can certainly see me, but after a while you will get sick of being told its just a fare in your PSA so constantly seeing me wont last long. Its just one of those things you will have to come to terms with.

The way I handle it now is I see a physio regularly every two-three weeks. He does his usual stuff like mobilizing my knees to ensure they don’t sieze (god that hurts), heat on them, ultrasound etc etc. It always feels better after. But any new symptom like the TMJ getting worse, or recently the top of my buttocks became sore, and one of my lower ribs was sore. He carefully examines me and does what physios do. For the TMJ, which he confirmed by careful examination, he gave me some exercises and strong massage on the TMJ ligament - release work he callled it and ultrasound - god it hurt - I was nearly in tears. So far it has always gone away - but with much treatment pain. But if it doesn’t, or he thinks it could be something worse like angina pain its off to the GP.

Physios are trained in the rehabilitation and ongoing management of things like PSA and when to see your doctor.

It’s not fully covered by my health insurance - the gap is about $20.00 - and I only get 20 visits a year. The physio because I constantly see him gives me a discounted rate so I consider the cost minimal for the benefits.

The other thing is because of your PSA things will happen. Just the other day a kid ran into me in the shopping center and over I went - I simply could not get out of his way and the parents didn’t really rouse at him about that sort of thing - some parents - you really shake your head. I could have sued the hell out of them but am not into that sort of thing - to me it just part of living - still that doesn’t excuse the parents - they are just lucky they struck someone like me. Didn’t see a doctor - they wont do anything other than check you haven’t broken anything. But my Physio carefully examined me and started treatment immediately. The treatment hurt to blazes, but I am convinced it shortened my recovery time a lot.

Thanks
Bill

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