Wondering if anyone else has the same experience?
About two years ago I started having these really severe chest pain episodes, like a 10 out of 10 pain right in the middle of my chest around my sternum. Sometimes it spreads through to my back but not always. When it first started it would happen pretty rarely maybe once every two or three months. But this year it’s been happening a lot more often sometimes every month or even every couple of weeks, and they’ve been getting a lot more painful, longer lasting, and achy a few days afterwards.
The pain feels like this intense squeezing pressure type pain and it comes on really suddenly. Usually I get this weird dull ache in my chest beforehand and I know exactly what is coming. Once it starts theres literally nothing I can do to stop it except call an ambulance and get strong pain relief which is usually fentanyl, it’s usually pretty short acting so the pain comes back and it doesn’t completely take the pain away, more so just takes the edge off..The doctors have even tried giving me a GTN spray but that didnt help at all.
Over the last two years Ive had so many different tests trying to work out whats causing it. Ive had a full cardiac workup and nothing showed up. Ive also had lung tests and they were normal too. Ive had ultrasounds that showed a few small gallstones and a mild fatty liver. Ive also had a gastroscopy which showed minor gastritis and a barium swallow that showed mild reflux. I do have GORD but this pain feels completely different to my usual reflux pain which is more of a burning sensation.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the last couple of times Ive been to the hospital they told me my liver levels were elevated but they mostly put that down to my fatty liver.
The really strange part is that the last few times this has happened the next day I wake up extremely itchy with really bad gas pain, horrible smelling burps and pale stools. Whenever Ive gone to my doctor or urgent care they havent really known whats going on. Theyve given me antihistamines for the itching but they didnt help at all.
Im honestly stumped and so are the doctors at the hospital and my GP. At this point Im scared to live my life not knowing when this pain is going to hit again. I dont really know why Im posting this but Im wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience or knows what this could possibly be.