Bruised-like feeling in the center of chest

Hello. I have posted here before but it has been rather random. I am *still* trying to get to the bottom of symptoms and I have a few questions I was wondering if you could help me with.

 

I have sharp pains off to the left of my chest off & on, usually in the evenings. In the afternoons I will get one or two here and there, at night it will go on for quite some time. They hurt more when I breathe in.

 

During the day I have a different feeling. In the daytime I feel as though there is an organ, or something within, that is bruised. It feels like it is bruised, or that someone has their elbow pressing into it. It is very irksome, not a pain-pain, but beyond unnerving. I have a high threshold for "pain", so it might be a pain, I don't even know. It strikes me as odd, however.

 

Then...

I just had a baby 18 weeks ago, and while pregnant I developed a bumb patch of skin around this same area (maybe to the right a tad). It is still there now after 4-months PP. I told the doctor and he said not to worry about it unless is spreads across my whole chest. My thought on this was, 'then what?!'

 

Now, ontop of these symptoms, I have been having loose, heated, sour smelling stools. I know this is a huge hint to the GI. No pain. No bloating.

 

I did recently change my diet for breastfeeding (oatmeal, bananas, Luna bars, fruit, etc.), but I also eat the way I used to, too (+ the healthy stuff), french toast and muffins and chicken-n-rice, so on and so forth.

 

Does this sound gastric to you?

 

I also get a sharp pain when I bend over almost uniformly.

 

My question is if you think this is GERD -or- a hernia, ulcer, IBS, or anything else I haven't thought of. The bruised feeling is very bizarre to me, as well as the elbow pushing-like pressure. Even wearing tight bras can nettle it.

 

Thank you so much for reading this far. I know it is verbose, but I can't seem to get the doctors to take it seriously. Right now, everything gets written off as a side effect of breastfeeding, or my (not so) recent c-section. I am wondering if the baby (she was breech) gave me a hiatel hernia, maybe? So much to consider...

any form of pain in the chest area, really needs to be checked out by a Dr.
gerd, has pain involved, lotsa pain. as does ulcers....... painful burning in the stomach.

You may want to get an upper GI series done. I have a hiatal hernia with gerd. I'm almost positive i developed it in my last trimester. I heartburn so bad I had to sleep sitting up most nights. Gerd has never given my foul smelling stools or heated ones. That could be an ulcer. But the odor could be caused by something in your diet also. I hope they find out what is ailing you. ^:^ hugs,msboo

It's not that bad to have done. You can't eat or drink anything past midnight. You have to drink laxitive drink also. Then before the test you have to drink a white liquid. Then they x-ray your stomache. It really wasn't that bad. You can take an over the counter drug like zantac,pepcid ac take it about 2 hours before eating. You can drink a warm coke to relieve gas pangs. Hope your feeling better soon. ^:^ hugs,msboo

Thanks again, Msboo & also Leslie.

Well, I have a friend from Junior High who also has the center chest pressure. She explains hers as feeling like someone is sitting on her. Mine is not that bad, YET, and thank God because I am going to freak if & when it is! That is freakish altogether. She has been diagnosed with GERD, yet they haven't done any upper GI's/scopes/diagnostic testing on her at all. She was diagnosed sitting in an office. Close to two years ago I was too. Some low-end doctor put a steth up to my chest and listened for a minute then said, "Yeah, you have a lot going on in there." She then put me on Acidpex. I took Acidpex and Prilosec for about a year until an Uncle of mine who has Colitis told me that they would never be able to know for sure if I had GERD just by listening in. He told me that I could be zapping my body of acid that I need and he thought I should get a second opinion. Shortly thereafter I got pregnant and couldn't take anything anyway. My problems ALL seemed to subside (and not just this one) - TMJ, Migraines, that overall gross feeling I normally have - oddly - went plum away while pregnant.

Now the baby is here (and has been for 4-months) and it all is back, this time with greater force. The dull ache/pressure in my center chest is new, entirely. When I was pregnant I developed a numb patch just to the right of the pressure point a smidge. While pregnant they blamed it on the baby pinching a nerve somehow. Now that she's here and over 18-weeks-old, it is still there with no change and it is a befuddlement to my OBGYN/Doc. All they have told me is: "If it spreads across your whole chest is when we should worry." Again... I thought: 'then what?!'

Like you stated Leslie, I also have a breast lump they keep telling me is a clogged duct from breastfeeding but it hasn't budged and I have none of the other symptoms (i.e. - fever, red skin, a baby pulling away from that breast, etc.). I have a numb patch on my body. I even passed a Kidney Stone on Christmas Eve Day and they never sent me to a urologist. I brought the stone to them after they *never* even asked me for it. I took it to lab without them ever sending me there with a slip. I haven't heard a thing about the stone to even see which type it is. From all my research, these things don't travel alone and I could be full of them just waiting for the next one to make its painful exodus... does anyone care? No. You know what I walked out with THAT day? A pink slip for a Paxil fill. (Of course, I didn't fill it because I am breastfeeding!) If I ever end up taking Paxil it will be because these doctors have driven me to it. Ha-ha!

I was recommended to an internist not on my insurance plan through an uncle who is a dentist. If we can swing it, I am going to go and talk to him. He has already been told of my situation (slightly) and agrees that this is the "modern-day medicine brush-off onto modern-day excuses" - aka: anxiety. Meanwhile I have lumps/patches/stones plain as day...

Hi all.

Alright...
they *still* think these are clogged ducts. They had about 3 people in the room talking it all over with me. They gave me new methods to try and drain them (including wearing cabbage leafs in my bra!). If it still has not changed by next week then they want me to call and schedule the ultrasound and we will tackle it from another angle.

It makes me feel better, but I just want them to be right in the worst way.

My doctor seemed pretty certain it wasn't anything Cancer related, but how he'd know I don't know. So, I did feel a sense of relief that we would inspect it all again next week and make further plans.

I can't thank you enough for all you thoughts and well-wishes. I woke up this morning and I read quite a few new ones. Not knowing any of you personally, I think that made it even more special. I walked in there feeling like I had a team behind me. I wanted to comment, but as some of you know, getting yourself AND your 4-month old daughter ready before a 9:30 AM appt. is like being in the 3 Ring Circus. :)

(She got her DTaP vaccines today and only cried through the second one!)

Thank you, Msboo.

She did SO good with these shots! She watched the first one go in and didn't budge, then she started to cry for the second one, but before the 3rd one was done she was already done being upset and she snickered when they put the Snoopy band-aids on. I was tickled pink! Last time she was sooo upset, it upset me. This time she was a brave little tough dog. :) And we knew the tricks this time, so no fevers as of yet.

I will keep you informed. As of now I have seen no changes, but I plan to get serious about the hot & cold compresses and other tactics this weekend. I had to make a Target run to get it all together.

I can't thank you enough for keeping me company as I fret. It is comforting.

I'm in my 50's, born in the 50's & was something of a wild child. Had my babies in the 80's. I've been fighting bronchitis 2wks now & feel better today, without seeing dr. This morning I remembered that before it started my HEART HURT for several days, I could've sworn it was BRUISED. But LESLIE you are so right...you have to know what you or the children have before you see the doc. When you make an appt. they ask, right? SO DO I HAVE TO SEE A DR. NOW WHEN I AM FINALLY FEELING BETTER? I feel like my post should be under HEART & CARDIO but "bruised heart" landed here.