Chest pain, high blood pressure and heart flutters

Hi everyone,

So for almost 2 weeks I've had chest pain behind my breast bone that alternates between the right, left and center. I first thought it was heartburn maybe, then breast pain of some sort but now I have no idea. It is not acute pain, I'd say mild to moderate but it's getting a bit worse as the days go by. In addition, my heart feels like it's skipping a beat or fluttering. Lastly, I went to my rheumy last week and my blood pressure was 120/110, which I guess the diastolic is pretty high. She just told me to monitor it since I have never had high bp before. This extreme heat in Cali has been making my rash on my back flare up too, so I have no idea if these are all related or what...I have a dr's appt on thurs, but don't know if I should try to get in sooner. At the moment, they are testing me for lupus and other autoimmune diseases.

Thanks

Hi, Cheekybull, and welcome!  I have that pain behind the breast bone.  When I press on it, it is tender...like I was badly bruise there.  I also get pain around my rib cage and all this makes it difficult to breathe.  If this is what you are feeling, you might have costochondritis.  My doctor has me taking ibuprofen with food for this and it does help.  Here is a link about it.  See if it sound like you.

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/costochondritis/DS00626

 

I too get the hear palpitations.  When they first started, I was thoroughly checked out by my Internist to make sure I wasn't having heart problems.  He did an EKG, echocardiogram, an ultrasound of my heart, and had me wear a monitor for 24 hours.  I had no heart problems at all so it was fibromyalgia doing this.

 

Be sure to check out the Fibro 101 thread...the first thread on the forum.  There are links to good information about fibro and you will learn a lot there.

 

I'm so glad that you found us and joined in.  Read back posts and don't hesitate to ask questions.  We are here to help you.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine

 

 

 

Thanks for the great info guys. I went to the doctors today just to be sure it wasn't my heart and they said of course that my lungs were fine. They did an EKG and my heart was fine too. Turns out it's either Pleurisy or Costochondritis, like Sherrine mentioned. As for the heart flutters or whatever they are, it's probably just related to the pain or stress associated with the condition (thanks tyno3!).

I was given advair and albuterol as well as told to take motrin every 6 hours. Always scary when you get chest pains- so Cheryl, it's probably good you went so at least you don't have to lay there wondering what was causing your chest pain! What's strange about the costochondritis is they don't know what causes it really? Also, the dr didn't seem to know how to differentiate between costochondritis and pleurisy. So many mysteries when it comes to fibro...

Thanks for all the input and support!! Glad to have found this place:)