Hello I am 24 years old, healthy and have no other existing health problems/conditions.
Yesterday as I was sitting in my office and doing nothing out of the ordinary my chest began to hurt about 2-3 inches away from my sternum and roughly in line with my nipple. The pain was minor at first but gradually began building. As the pain start to get bad I noticed that my heart was racing and my hands began getting cold. I also started to get light headed and got to the brink of passing out. This peaked twice in the space of roughly 30 mins and that things started to calm down a bit. Afterwards I felt very weak, tired and still a bit light headed so I had to have my wife drive me to the doctor.
By the time I got to the urgent care (can't afford an ER visit) I was feeling more comfortable but still tired and weak. The doctor hooked me up to an EKG and checked my blood pressure and found nothing out of the ordinary. He said it was most likely something called pleurisy (inflammation of the inside wall of the rib cage) and that it was most likely brought on by a virus (I have a slight cough right now). He Prescribed 60mg of prednisone for 2 days and then stepping down 20 mg every 2 days after until gone.
I took the prednisone early today and didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary other than fatigue. I went back to work (feeling ok but still tired and weak). Now today the same thing happened again under the same circumstances but slightly more mild (only peaked once), but this time the pain is lingering in my chest (not severe, but uncomfortable). The pain is always in the exact same spot and gets worse along with my raised heart rate. I have doubts that pleurisy is the cause because the pain feels like it is deeper than my ribs (I've had broken ribs before and know how swelling around my ribs feels). Also, the medication had very little if any effect on the recurrence. I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to go to the hospital and have them again tell me there's nothing serious wrong, but I'm very worried.
I have been exercising regularly lately (not today or yesterday obviously) and have been trying to eat very healthy (large amounts of veggies, cut way down on read meats and simple carbs, very low sugar intake, fish oil, and lots of vitamin C) I was trying to get in shape for a high altitude backpacking trip this summer. I don't understand why I'm having this problem.
Hi!
I had the exact same symptomsa month ago. I am a 25 year old girl with no other health issues either. It happened when I was sitting at my swedish course: suddenly my chest began to hurt while my heart was racing and my hands began getting cold. I started to get light headed and thought I was gonna pass out. After that I felt really weak and tired..my arms, neck and back hurt. Those episodes happend a couple of times again during that week.
I went to the Emergency Room every time it happened and I had blood tests, EKG's, blood pressure tests and x-ray's. The results were perfect. Doctor told me it was probably pleurisy mixed with an inflammation of my stomach, at that time I had no apetite and my stomach kind of hurt besides of the low blood pressure thing. I don't understand why I am having this problem either, I am still visiting doctors and looking for a second opinion. I have made a research and I am not quite sure what's going on, if it's a problem with my stomach, anxiety or an inflammation of my chest. I am very concerned and confused now.
Please let me know if you found out what happened to you.
Hey guys. The topic itself brought me here because my father has the condition called iron deficiency in your hands and I did some research and came here for some answers too. How is it possible for the doctors to be unable to establish a diagnosis for your concerning issue? I would strongly suggest you to get to the bottom of this, because if everything works out and turns out to be nothing,it's not a waste of money at all. If I were you, I would have gone to the different doctor the second he said he didn't know what's wrong.
Recurring chest pain along with cold hands, a racing heart, and light headedness can point to several things — from circulation or heart rhythm issues to even anxiety or stress. But since these symptoms involve the chest and heart, it’s important not to ignore them. Sometimes such signs can be linked to problems like angina, arrhythmia, or low blood flow, which need prompt evaluation.
If this is happening repeatedly, the safest step is to see a doctor or cardiologist as soon as possible. If the symptoms get worse or happen suddenly, it’s best to treat it as an emergency.
On the other hand, if others in the forum have experienced similar symptoms, it might help to share how they managed them — whether lifestyle changes, stress management, or medical treatment made a difference.