Chest pains - bodies way of communicating to me?

[dazed1989]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post and ask but hey I'll do it anyway, I'm sure someone will advise me if its not...

I get really bad chest pains, like stabbing pains, so bad that when I have them it hurts to breathe.. Started getting them at 15, doctor said to change my diet and whatnot but it was probably stress and a lot of young people get them but they aren't sure why...

I went again to the doctors at 20, to ask again because there doesn't seem to be a consistent trigger, posture, diet, the stress levels at the time of having them... They sent me for an ECG, no heart problems.... which was a relief but I still don't like having them.

Now I'm 22, I still get them but on reflection they seem to be more frequent during low times, if I'm having a bad week I have them more often, for longer periods...

I know unexplained physical pain is/can be a symptom of depression, through my teens, forever had a headache, forever taking pills but it wasn't helping... Could this be something like that? I know at the minute I'm generally not happy I'm bottling stuff up and living in denial and low and behold chest pains have been far more frequent these days...

Is this how my mind is manifesting the pain I'm hiding? I don't know much about medical stuff, the pains can be so bad that it feels like I'm going to keel over, yet there isn't a physical problem apparently... Could it all be in my head??

Any advice, hunches or medical insight will be much appreciated...:thumbup:

[EstPrepare]

it is not "all in your head" at all. In my experience physical symptoms can be caused by emotional/mental problems. but they are very real not all inyour head. (I am taking that statement to be that you think you "imagine" them...)

When you bottle things up and ignore them as in denial the brain gets "pissed off" so to speak, you have all of this stuff that is pressing and upsetting you so sometimes your brain will trigger pain receptors to cause pain although there is no physical cause. It does happen, i get chest pain, headaches and severe stomach pain when i am in low points.

be careful though, it it doesn't feel "right" or is different or is really bad then it may be worth getting checked out. Otherwise good luck with it... Hope yuor okay.


(sorry if i'm a bit blunt today... in a weird patch)


--EstPrepare

[EstPrepare]

forgot to mention that i had this explained to me by a doctor in a very long and severe stomach pain episode. he deals with it alot. :)

[dazed1989]

Not blunt at all, reassuring... thanks!

The docs aren't really concerned they just say its 'one of those things and they aren't sure what causes it.'

Yea I will be careful, it always feels the same, just lasts different lengths of time and occurs with varying frequency...

Maybe if I'd actually perserved and gone to more than one therapy session in my life I would have had a similiar explanation given to me... Only ever went once, hated every minute of it.

[riotgrrrlcori]

I don't know your background, but I've been told by my therapist that memory isn't stored just in the brain, but in the entire body. I have a trauma background, and I have pain sometimes, especially when I'm not doing well emotionally. It can also be associated with panic or anxiety. I know people who get chest pains when they're feeling anxious or even depressed.

[dazed1989]

Yea I think maybe they're just more frequent when I'm in a rough patch, I've been stuck in a bit of a rut for ages now and although I have good and bad days I'm generally more prone to feeling depressed than I was and thats why I'm guessing I'm getting these pains...

Sounds logical to me but I wasn't sure, to have them over 7 years now and for them to not be getting worse or be treatable it must be my subconscious having a go at me...

Thanks...

[electricflux]

I get really bad chest pains, like stabbing pains, so bad that when I have them it hurts to breathe.. Started getting them at 15, doctor said to change my diet and whatnot but it was probably stress and a lot of young people get them but they aren't sure why...