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Constant Head Pressure and Chest tightness. Please help.

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Posted 5/9/2009 7:59 AM (GMT 0)

Hi,

I have constant head pressure and chest tightness 24/7/365 atleast for the last 15 years.

I went to Cardiologist, and Gastroenterologist but they were clueless. They conducted tests like 24 hr Holter Monitor test, Upper Endoscopy, Gastric Motility Disorder test, and Abdominal Ultrasound but all the tests were normal. I also used medication for stress/anxiety but it didn't give any relief. 

Eating/drinking and exercise worsen the symptoms.

It has been driving me crazy for so many years.

Does anybody experience head pressure and chest tightness together all the time?

Please help.

 Please review forum rules.

Post Edited By Moderator (tysmyboo) : 9/21/2009 9:05:02 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/9/2009 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds weird but go toa chiropractor. Can be your ribs out of place. Or muscle strains or really tight muscles, tendons and tissues. Either way a chiropractor can help.
Posted 5/9/2009 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
My first thought would be anxiety but you said anti-anxiety meds don't work and excercise makes it worse. My second thought would be mu7scle tightness. Is your neck stiff?? My neck is really stiff and I have noticed this tightness moves into my shoulders and chest. Have you tried massage? Exercise making it worse is interesting. Does it worsen while upright and better when lying down like after a fulll 8 hours of rest??? Does aklcohol or caffeine make it better?? Have you everr tried amytriptyline or any kind of preventative HA meds??
Posted 5/10/2009 12:09 AM (GMT 0)
Also how did all this start??? Was it gradual or did you just wake up one day with a headache??
Posted 5/10/2009 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all very much for your responses.

Smurfy, I am planning to go to a chiro. I have appointment with neurologist next week, I will go to a chiro after that. I was not sure whether I should go to a neurologist or chiropractor.

Rooster, anxiety meds didn't work, and I was also involved with Tai Chi and Yoga for relaxation. But they didn't help either. In fact, my chest tightness gets worse with them.

My neck is not stiff but for the last one month I have been having left shoulder and lower back pain. But I don't have them all the time, they come and go.

The head pressure is worse when I wake up in the morning.

One more point is, when I eat/drink anything (even if I swallow a tablet), as that food goes down my throat, within 1 or 2 minutes, my chest tightness and head pressure increase. I am getting the feeling that food is irritating some pinched nerve or something.

I have these symptoms as far as I remember. I might have them even before that. So I don't know the starting point.

 

Posted 5/10/2009 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
Wow i am shocked you have not been to a neurologist yet. The first thing i did when i started getting my HA's awas to get MRI's CT scans the works. Some people are scared to get these tests but i felts so crapty i was almost hoping it was a brain tumor so they could do brain surgery and get it the **** out. Turns out I was leaking spinal fluid. See "real" doctors first and if they can't give you answers than seek alternatives, chiro, accupuncture, etc. Good luck, 15 yrs I can't even imagine, I would have top be on something anti-depressants, alcohol, pain pills, somehting.
Posted 5/10/2009 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
Also in your mind what do you think is wrong? If you think something is really wrong it prob is. If you think it is anxiety it prob is. If you think it is your heart or blood pressure it prob is. Don't let doctors brush you off. Headache is the most common complaint doctors see and they are prob sick of all the headache cases they have. Tell them everthing you have been through. And try and think back to when your symptoms started. What happened 15 yrs ago. Were you on any medications, going through a stressful time, working out more, change in diet, drugs or alcohol, something triggered your episodes and if you cannot remember what it will make it almost impossible for the docs to figure it out. Has it gotten better the past 15 yrs??? worse??? any Pattern to the pressure??? Can you still function or do you have to literally fight to get through the day. Do you ever have pain even if not very often??? Just some things to think about.
Posted 5/10/2009 6:11 AM (GMT 0)

My head pressure has been going on for 5 years, and like the OP, eating and exercise have a definite effect.  It seems that "during" the eating process, my pressure lessens and I tend to feel a lot better.  about 30 minutes AFTER i'm done eating, however, the pressure comes back a lot worse.  It seems that a "busy" digestive system--after a large meal, for example--makes the head pressure worse.

Similarly, if I'm doing strenuous exercise such as running, the pressure becomes almost unnoticeable, but once that grace period goes away, it comes back with a vengeance.  After strenuous exercise it almost starts "throbbing" it gets so bad.

So I avoid rigorous exercise these days and just go with long walks, it doesn't seem to aggravate the head pressure like running does, and I do feel better for a while.

I don't think mine is caused by anxiety even though I'm an anxious person.  The reason being I have lots of other symptoms that go along with the head pressure: IBS-C, visual problems, worsening fine motor skills, odd gait, lessened skin sensation, intense brain fog and fatigue, etc etc

Pelonis you and I may have a similar case, please keep in touch and let us know what the neurologist says.  I'd also get an MRI of the head in your case.

regards,

Batman

Posted 5/10/2009 6:23 AM (GMT 0)
And one more thing for Pelonis, don't listen to LIZARD on BrainTalk Communities too much, she thinks that most people complaining of neuro issues or head pressure have Chiari malformations.  Way to scare people off, esp. those of us with anxiety, huh?

I have questioned LIZARD on this tactic before and she replies "I"m real with people."  But there's nothing real about reading a few symptoms in one post written by some random person and suggesting it's probably a serious, systemic neuro-disorder.  That's just wrong.

Posted 5/12/2009 5:59 PM (GMT 0)

Rooster,

It was unfortunate that some of the PCPs that I went to in the beginning were in hurry to identify stress/anxiety as the cause. And I believed it for many years. I was experimenting with anxiety medication, relaxation techniques etc. Only after years of trials, I started doubting the doctors. I started my research on the web and the approach is better now. Finding a good doctor makes so much difference. Learning it the hard way :)

My sysmptoms didn't get worse over time. Even after so many years, the intensity is same. But living with it for years without any break is making me frustrated.

I am glad that they found the cause in your case. Were you getting head pressure because of the spinal fluid? Did it involve any surgery to fix it or just medication?

Posted 5/12/2009 6:16 PM (GMT 0)

Batman,

Yes We may have a similar case here. I will definitely keep you informed.

Did you go to a neurologist? Any ideas from them? Did you ever get mri done?

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, my symptoms get worse within 1 or 2 minutes of eating or drinking anything. Depending on the food, it remains like that for few minutes or few hours. Once I had a multi vitamin tablet and it drove me crazy for almost 3 hrs. If I take it in capsule form, then it won't be a problem.

I will keep your suggestion regarding Chiari malformations in mind. Thank you.

Posted 5/13/2009 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
If you are unsure who to see....see BOTH the neurologist and chiropractor. You gave me a little more details too, also see the neurologist for any hidden triggers such as an autoimmune disease. You kind of reminded me of lupus and ms for some reason reading the second post :)
Posted 5/19/2009 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
I would say anxiety/stress as well. Although...I am not a doctor, that is what it sounds like to me. I get all kinds of headaches besides migraines....when I am stressing, I will have a tension headache, the chest tightness, some touble taking deep breaths, a feeling of a lump in my throat. I have had so many anxiety symptoms. It sucks! My doctor has done so many tests on me and I am healthy as can be! Hopefully there is nothing major wrong. Just keep an eye on yourself and make regular doctor appts.
Posted 5/24/2009 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

Thank you very much for your support and suggestions.

I went to see neurologist last Monday and he said that my symptoms could be happening because of decreased blood flow to my brain. He asked me to try klonopin .5 mg each night. I have tried it for 5 days and the good news is that my symptoms are almost disappearing. Of course it is still need to be investigated the cause of decreased blood flow to the brain but for time being I have so much relief. I am able to eat normally. I am free from chest tightness and head pressure.  Hope this may help anyone out there suffering with the same problem.

Posted 6/16/2009 8:59 AM (GMT 0)
I have pressure in my head as well as my chest and tingling in my left arm. My Dr. does not take this seriously because I am so young.  I had an EKG done and the results were normal.  I also had other test done and they all were normal.  I am still tyring to figure out what is wrong with me.  I strongly believe the symptoms we are experiencing are anxiety attacks.
Posted 9/21/2009 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there I am responding to your posting and I am having the same Problems. In December 2008 I passed out in a store and hit my head. My heartrate went to 169 and my sugar went to 30. I was hospitalized. they started treating me for eplipsey. I got a second opinion and they ruled that out.  Ever since then I get extreme pressure in both sides of my head. I get very agitated. The worse part is if I take antidepressent or headache medications over the counter or prescription it makes it 1000x worse. they have did all kinds of tests and cannot find out what is wrong with me. I feel the same way you do about living. right now they have me on the strongest headache medication you can get prescribed its called DHE its a nasel spray and it don't work either. I am asking for any help also!!!!!! I can't coordinate very well and the pressure is there all the time. i feel like there is something swelling in my head.  in my doctors notes  it says they think there was a reaction to 2 medications that I was on and if thats so It says I need to be treated for syaratonin syndrome. but have yet to be treated.ANYBODY PLEASE HELP ME !!!!!!  
Posted 9/21/2009 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Springer,

Welcome to Healing Well. So sorry to hear about what you are going through! Is one of the Docs you see a Neurologist? If not you need to see a Neurologist, preferably one who specialises in Headache!

Serotonin Syndrome is brought about by using a particular combination of meds, I hope you don't mind me asking which medications you have tried besides the DHE nasal spray, and which combination of meds have you tried?

Hang in there, and please try and get yourself to a Neurologist who is a Headache Specialist, as most Neurologists do not know very much about headache!!! I know this make take a while but, it may be better to take some time finding the right person to treat you, than to go on with Docs that do not understand or know very much about Headache!!!

take care

Ann
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